Chieveley

Chieveley
St Mary's Church
Chieveley Chieveley shown within Berkshire
Area	20.86 km² (8.05 sq mi)
Population	2,890 (2011 census)^[1]
– density	139/km² (360/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SU474738
Civil parish	Chieveley
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Newbury
Postcode district	RG20
Dialling code	01635
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Newbury
Website	MyChieveley.co.uk
List of places UK England Berkshire

Coordinates: 51°27′40″N 1°19′08″W / 51.461°N 1.319°W / 51.461; -1.319

Chieveley /ˈtʃiːvli/ is a village and large civil parish centred 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Newbury in Berkshire, close to the M4 motorway and A34 road. Chieveley services are within the parish - restaurants between junctions on the M4.

Character

Harvested hay meadow on Grange Farm, Chieveley

A map of 1877 stated the area at the time to be 5,328 acres (21.56 km²). Chieveley Service Station serves Junction 13 of the M4 motorway.

The landscape is of gently rolling chalk hills. The land is predominantly arable with some dairy, sheep and pigs. There is a healthy quantity of woodland and abundant wildlife. There is a network of green lanes and footpaths that afford good walking.

The civil parish consists of the villages of Chieveley and Curridge and the hamlets of Downend, Oare and Snelsmore Common. The original parish also included Leckhampstead and Winterbourne. The structure has been much affected by roads. The M4 passes east-west through the middle of the parish and has done much to cut Curridge and Oare from Chieveley. This was opened in 1971. The A34 running north-south quarters the parish. Its path has moved several times, the most recent development being a change to Junction 13 that opened in Autumn 2004.

The landscape is dominated by farming. There are currently three working farms in the parish. Other industries include a garden centre, land-fill site, hotels, baker and many small businesses.

Transport

From 18 February 2013, Chieveley is served by bus services 6, 6A and 107 from Newbury.^[2]

History

There is ancient civilisation nearby that indicates early settlement. The parish boasts a fine Iron Age hill fort in Snelsmore, called Bussock Camp. This is in private grounds but is visible in May when they are opened to the public to view the fine display of bluebells.

The name Chieveley is said to be derived from 'Field of Chives'. The WI's 'Berkshire Book' assures the reader that chives were noted in the area as far back as 951. This is the same year that King Edred gave the village to his bailiff, Wulf.

The Domesday Book of 1086 says this of Chieveley (source: The National Archives):

In Rowbury Hundred

The abbey itself holds Chieveley. It has always held it. TRE (in the reign of Edward the Confessor) it was assessed at 27 hides; now at 7½ hides with land for 20 ploughs. In demesne are 3 ploughs; and 28 villains and 10 bordars with 18 ploughs. There are 3 slaves, and 4 acres (16,000 m²) of meadow, [and] woodland for 60 pigs. Of this land William holds of the abbot 5 hides, and Godfrey 1½ hides, and there is 1 plough, with 3 villains and 2 bordars having 1 plough, and 3 acres (12,000 m²) of meadow. The whole, TRE and afterwards, was worth 12l; now the abbot's portion [is worth] 10l; [that] of his men 50s.

This text is a structured shorthand tax assessment and identifies 39 men, many of which would have had their own households, and three serfs, a form of slavery done away with early in the feudal system, generally in the era of Magna Carta.

In August 1207, King John seems to have had a good few days' hunting in West Berkshire. He is reported in Curridge on the 3rd and Chieveley on the 5th.

The first vicar of Chieveley was Elias, appointed in 1154. It is likely that there was a Saxon church before it was replaced by the Normans and later the Victorians. Chieveley parish registers start on 10 April 1560. There are still several families in the area who were recorded in those annals. The current vicar is John.

Chieveley once had its own maypole, on the site now occupied by Maypole Cottage (on the corner of the High Street and Church Lane).

Demography

**2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005^[1]**
Output area	Homes owned outright	Owned with a loan	Socially rented	Privately rented	Other	km² roads	km² water	km² domestic gardens	Usual residents	km²
Civil parish	341	326	53	189	21	0.019	0.783	2890	20.86

Notable residents

Robert Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley, a retired Senior Appeal Judge
The mother of Lord Chief Justice Holt.

References

1 2 Key Statistics: Dwellings; Quick Statistics: Population Density; Physical Environment: Land Use Survey 2005
↑ Services 6 and 6A Newbury and District buses

Much of the text for this page was originally taken, with permission, from MyChieveley.co.uk.

External links

Media related to Chieveley at Wikimedia Commons

Settlements in West Berkshire

Towns	Hungerford Newbury Thatcham (All are civil parishes and have Town Councils)

Civil parishes	Aldermaston Aldworth Ashampstead Basildon Beech Hill Beedon Beenham Boxford Bradfield Brightwalton Brimpton Bucklebury Burghfield Catmore Chaddleworth Chieveley Cold Ash Combe Compton East Garston East Ilsley Enborne Englefield Farnborough Fawley Frilsham Great Shefford Greenham Hampstead Norreys Hamstead Marshall Hermitage Holybrook Inkpen Kintbury Lambourn Leckhampstead Midgham Padworth Pangbourne Peasemore Purley-on-Thames Shaw-cum-Donnington Speen Stanford Dingley Stratfield Mortimer Streatley Sulham Sulhamstead Theale Tidmarsh Tilehurst Ufton Nervet Wasing Welford West Woodhay West Ilsley Winterbourne Wokefield Woolhampton Yattendon

Other villages and hamlets	Aldermaston Wharf Ashmore Green Avington Bagnor Beansheaf Farm Beedon Common Benham Hill Bloomfield Hatch Brightwalton Green Brimpton Common Burghfield Bridge Burnt Hill Calcot Chapel Row Colthrop Crockham Heath Crookham Downend Donnington Eastbury Eddington Elcot Eling Enborne Row Fords Farm Goddard's Green Halfway Heads Hill Hell Corner Hoe Benham Honey Bottom Hungerford Newtown Hunts Green Hyde End Inkpen Common Lambourn Woodlands Little Heath Lower Basildon Lower Denford Lower Padworth Marlston Marsh Benham Midgham Green Mortimer/Mortimer Common Ownham Padworth Common Shaw Shefford Woodlands Snelsmore South Fawley Stockcross Upper Basildon Upper Denford Upper Eddington Upper Lambourn Upper Woolhampton Wash Common Wash Water Weston Wickham Wickham Heath Woodlands St Mary Woodspeen World's End

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 04, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.