Civil parishes in Berkshire

A map of Berkshire, showing the districts: (1) West Berkshire; (2) Reading; (3) Wokingham; (4) Bracknell Forest; (5) Windsor and Maidenhead; and (6) Slough

A civil parish is a country subdivision, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 104 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, most of the county being parished; Reading is completely unparished; Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham are entirely parished. At the 2001 census, there were 483,882 people living in the 104 parishes, accounting for 60.5 per cent of the county's population.

History

Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were originally purely ecclesiastical divisions. Over time they acquired civil administration powers.[1]

The Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for the upkeep of roads. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses; the work was overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the Surveyor of Highways.[2]

The poor were looked after by the monasteries, until their dissolution. In 1572, magistrates were given power to 'survey the poor' and impose taxes for their relief. This system was made more formal by the Poor Law Act 1601, which made parishes responsible for administering the Poor Law; overseers were appointed to charge a rate to support the poor of the parish.[3] The 19th century saw an increase in the responsibility of parishes, although the Poor Law powers were transferred to Poor Law Unions.[4] The Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into Rural Sanitary Districts, based on the Poor Law Unions; these subsequently formed the basis for Rural Districts.[5]

Parishes were run by vestries, meeting annually to appoint officials, and were generally identical to ecclesiastical parishes,[6] although some townships in large parishes administered the Poor Law themselves; under the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882, all extra-parochial areas and townships that levied a separate rate became independent civil parishes.[7]

Civil parishes in their modern sense date from the Local Government Act 1894, which abolished vestries; established elected parish councils in all rural parishes with more than 300 electors; grouped rural parishes into Rural Districts; and aligned parish boundaries with county and borough boundaries.[7] Urban civil parishes continued to exist, and were generally coterminous with the Urban District, Municipal Borough or County Borough in which they were situated; many large towns contained a number of parishes, and these were usually merged into one. Parish councils were not formed in urban areas, and the only function of the parish was to elect guardians to Poor Law Unions; with the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930 the parishes had only a nominal existence.[8]

The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas, and many former Urban Districts and Municipal Boroughs that were being abolished, were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.[9]

The current position

Recent governments have encouraged the formation of town and parish councils in unparished areas, and the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 gave local residents the right to demand the creation of a new civil parish.[10]

A parish council can become a town council unilaterally, simply by resolution;[9] and a civil parish can also gain city status, but only if that is granted by the Crown.[9] The chairman of a town or city council is called a mayor.[9] The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced alternative names: a parish council can now choose to be called a community; village; or neighbourhood council.[11]

List of civil parishes and unparished areas

Image Name Status Population District Former local authority Refs
Binfield Civil parish 7,475 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Bracknell Town 50,131 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Crowthorne Civil parish 6,711 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Sandhurst Town 20,803 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Warfield Civil parish 9,226 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Winkfield Civil parish 15,271 Bracknell Forest Easthampstead
Rural District 		[12]
[13]
Reading Unparished area 143,096 Reading Reading
County Borough 		[14]
[15]
Britwell Civil parish 5,989 Slough Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[17]
[18]
Colnbrook with Poyle Civil parish 5,408 Slough Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[17]
[19]
Slough Unparished area 103,428 Slough Slough
Municipal Borough 		[20]
[21]
Wexham Court Civil parish 4,242 Slough Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[17]
[18]
Aldermaston Civil parish 927 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Aldworth Civil parish 308 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Ashampstead Civil parish 398 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Basildon Civil parish 1,559 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Beech Hill Civil parish 311 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Beedon Civil parish 393 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Beenham Civil parish 1,175 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Boxford Civil parish 466 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Bradfield Civil parish 2,172 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Brightwalton Civil parish 322 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Brimpton Civil parish 613 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Bucklebury Civil parish 2,066 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Burghfield Civil parish 5,894 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Catmore Civil parish 28 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Chaddleworth Civil parish 482 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Chieveley Civil parish 2,710 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Cold Ash Civil parish 3,623 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Combe Civil parish 38 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[23][26]
Compton Civil parish 1,521 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
East Garston Civil parish 532 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
East Ilsley Civil parish 519 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Enborne Civil parish 492 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Englefield Civil parish 303 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Farnborough Civil parish 100 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Fawley Civil parish 172 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Frilsham Civil parish 321 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Great Shefford Civil parish 896 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Greenham Civil parish 2,712 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Hampstead Marshall Civil parish 276 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Hampstead Norreys Civil parish 748 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Hermitage Civil parish 1,154 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Holybrook Civil parish 7,162 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Hungerford Town 5,559 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Inkpen Civil parish 877 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Kintbury Civil parish 2,593 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Lambourn Civil parish 4,017 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Leckhampstead Civil parish 315 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Midgham Civil parish 282 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Newbury Town 28,339 West Berkshire Newbury
Municipal Borough 		[27]
[23]
Padworth Civil parish 548 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Pangbourne Civil parish 2,981 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Peasemore Civil parish 297 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
Purley on Thames Civil parish 4,232 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Shaw cum Donnington Civil parish 1,680 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Speen Civil parish 2,634 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Stanford Dingley Civil parish 209 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Stratfield Mortimer Civil parish 3,584 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Streatley Civil parish 974 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Sulham Civil parish 80 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Sulhamstead Civil parish 1,248 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Thatcham Town 22,824 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Theale Civil parish 2,771 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Tidmarsh Civil parish 391 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Tilehurst Civil parish 14,683 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Ufton Nervet Civil parish 321 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Wasing Civil parish 55 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Welford Civil parish 522 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
West Ilsley Civil parish 340 West Berkshire Wantage
Rural District 		[24]
[23]
West Woodhay Civil parish 100 West Berkshire Hungerford
Rural District 		[26]
[23]
Winterbourne Civil parish 206 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Wokefield Civil parish 325 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Woolhampton Civil parish 725 West Berkshire Newbury
Rural District 		[25]
[23]
Yattendon Civil parish 378 West Berkshire Bradfield
Rural District 		[22]
[23]
Bisham Civil parish 1,149 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Bray Civil parish 8,425 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Cookham Civil parish 5,519 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Cox Green Civil parish 7,203 Windsor and Maidenhead Maidenhead
Municipal Borough 		[30]
[29]
Datchet Civil parish 4,646 Windsor and Maidenhead Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[29]
Eton Town 4,980 Windsor and Maidenhead Eton
Urban District 		[31]
[29]
Horton Civil parish 983 Windsor and Maidenhead Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[29]
Hurley Civil parish 1,854 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Maidenhead Unparished area 42,827 Windsor and Maidenhead Maidenhead
Municipal Borough 		[30]
[32]
New Windsor Unparished area 26,885 Windsor and Maidenhead New Windsor Municipal Borough [33]
[34]
Old Windsor Civil parish 4,775 Windsor and Maidenhead Windsor
Rural District 		[35]
[29]
Shottesbrooke Civil parish 154 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Sunningdale Civil parish 4,875 Windsor and Maidenhead Windsor
Rural District 		[35]
[29]
Sunninghill and Ascot Civil parish 11,603 Windsor and Maidenhead Windsor
Rural District 		[35]
[29]
[36]
Waltham St Lawrence Civil parish 1,232 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
White Waltham Civil parish 2,875 Windsor and Maidenhead Cookham
Rural District 		[28]
[29]
Wraysbury Civil parish 3,641 Windsor and Maidenhead Eton
Rural District 		[16]
[29]
Arborfield and Newland Civil parish 2,228 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Barkham Civil parish 3,511 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Charvil Civil parish 2,990 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Earley Town 32,036 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Finchampstead Civil parish 12,334 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Remenham Civil parish 547 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Ruscombe Civil parish 1,027 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Shinfield Civil parish 8,136 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Sonning Civil parish 1,445 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
St Nicholas Hurst Civil parish 2,008 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Swallowfield Civil parish 1,961 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Twyford Civil parish 6,216 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Wargrave Civil parish 3,910 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Winnersh Civil parish 7,939 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Wokingham Town 30,403 Wokingham Wokingham
Municipal Borough 		[39]
[38]
Wokingham Without Civil parish 7,099 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]
Woodley Town 26,439 Wokingham Wokingham
Rural District 		[37]
[38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Angus Winchester, 2000, Discovering Parish Boundaries. Shire Publications. Princes Risborough, 96 pages ISBN 978-0747804703
  2. ↑ RAC Foundation : What Went Wrong? British Highway Development Before Motorways Retrieved 22 August 2009
  3. ↑ The Victorian Web : The Poor Law : Introduction Retrieved 22 August 2009
  4. ↑ Staffordshire University : Poor Law Unions and Registration Districts Retrieved 22 August 2009
  5. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Status Details for Rural Sanitary District Retrieved 22 August 2009
  6. ↑ Robert Tittler, The Reformation and the Towns in England, 1998, Oxford University Press, 395 pages, ISBN 9780198207184
  7. 1 2 Modern British Surnames : Selected Events in the History of Civil Registration and Boundary Changes 1801-1996 Retrieved 22 August 2009
  8. ↑ Alex MacMorran and T R Colquhoun Dill, The Local Government Act 1894 and the Subsequent Statutes Affecting Parish Councils, 1907, Butterworth and Co, London, 626 pages
  9. 1 2 3 4 Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government Act 1972 Retrieved 22 August 2009
  10. ↑ Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Rating Act 1997 Retrieved 22 August 2009
  11. ↑ Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 Retrieved 22 August 2009
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Easthampstead Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Office for National Statistics: Census 2001: Parish Headcounts: Bracknell Forest Retrieved 3 November 2010
  14. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Reading County Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  15. ↑ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Abbey; Battle; Caversham; Church; Katesgrove; Kentwood; Mapledurham; Minster; Norcot; Park; Peppard; Redlands; Southcote; Thames; Tilehurst; and Whitley wards. Retrieved 3 November 2010
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Eton Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  17. 1 2 3 Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Slough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  18. 1 2 The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972, Schedule, Part 3
  19. ↑ The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey (County Boundaries) Order 1994
  20. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Slough Municipal Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  21. ↑ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Baylis and Stoke; Britwell (part); Central; Chalvey; Cippenham Green; Cippenham Meadows; Farnham; Foxborough; Haymill; Kedermister; Langley St Mary's; Upton; and Wexham Lea (part) wards. Retrieved 3 November 2010
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Bradfield Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 Office for National Statistics : Census 2010 : Parish Headcounts : West Berkshire Retrieved 3 November 2010
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wantage Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Newbury Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Hungerford Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  27. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Newbury Municipal Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Cookham Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Windsor and Maidenhead" Retrieved 3 November 2010
  30. 1 2 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Maidenhead Municipal Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  31. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Eton Urban District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  32. ↑ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Belmont; Boyn Hill; Furze Platt; Maidenhead Riverside; Oldfield; and Pinkneys Green wards. Retrieved 3 November 2010
  33. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : New Windsor Municipal Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010
  34. ↑ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Castle Without; Clewer East; Clewer North (part); Clewer South (part); Eton and Castle (part); and Park wards. Retrieved 3 November 2010
  35. 1 2 3 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Windsor Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  36. ↑ Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Bulletin of Changes to Local Authority Areas in England: Orders Made Between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2005: District Council Notices of the Change of Name of a Parish Under Section 75 of the Local Government Act 1975 Retrieved 3 November 2010
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wokingham Rural District Retrieved 3 November 2010
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Wokingham" Retrieved 3 November 2010
  39. ↑ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wokingham Municipal Borough Retrieved 3 November 2010

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