Silchester
Encyclopedia
Silchester is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Basingstoke
in Hampshire
. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire
and about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Reading
.
Silchester is most notable for the archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is considered the best-preserved Roman wall
in Great Britain
.
and former manor house
(now Manor Farm), which are in the eastern part of the former Roman town.
and of Hampshire County Council
and all three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government. The ward returns two councillors to the borough council. The 2001 census
recorded a parish population of 918.
here with King Edward the Confessor
as his overlord and one Cheping held another manor with Earl Harold Godwinson
as his overlord. The Domesday Book
of 1086 recorded that the Normans William De Ow
and Ralph de Mortimer possessed Alestan's and Cheping's manors respectively. The book assessed Alestan's manor at five hides
and Mortimer's at three hides. De Mortimer's tenant was another Norman, Ralph Bluet. In 1204 he or a later Ralph Bluet gave a palfrey
horse in exchange for a licence to enclose
an area of land south-east of the former Roman town as a deer park
. Today parts of the earthwork park pale
survive and parts of the former park remain wooded.
Forms of the toponym
included Ciltestere and Cilcestre in the 13th century, Scilchestre in the 14th century and Sylkchester in the 18th century before it reached its current spelling.
The Irish peer
Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington
(1685-1718) bought the manor in 1704 and it remained with his hereditary heirs until the death of William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington
in 1769. In 1778 it was inherited jointly by Thomas, 1st Viscount de Vesci and Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford
. In 1806 Baron Longford's daughter The Hon. Catherine Pakenham
married Arthur Wellesley
, who in 1814 was created Duke of Wellington. In 1828 John, 2nd Viscount de Vesci and Catherine's brother Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford
sold the manor of Silchester to the Duke. In the first decade of the 20th century Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington
still owned the manor of Silchester.
of St Mary the Virgin is just within the walls of the former Roman town, possibly on the site of a Roman temple
. The building may contain some re-used Roman materials. The building dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. It has a north and south aisle, each of two bays
. There is no chancel arch, and the chancel
is longer than the nave
. The wall of the south aisle was rebuilt in about 1325-50, incorporating an ogee
-arched tomb recess containing the effigy of a lady wearing a wimple
. Two new windows were added to the church the 14th century and two more including the Perpendicular Gothic east window of the chancel in the 15th century.
The church has a Perpendicular Gothic rood screen
. The pulpit
was made early in the 18th century but its tester
is dated 1639. There is also a carved memorial cartouche to the Irish peer Viscount Ikerrin (died 1712). The bell-turret
has a ring
of five bells. Four were ast by John Stares of Aldbourne, Wiltshire
in 1744. The other was cast by William Taylor of Oxford
in 1848.
There is a Primitive Methodist chapel on Silchester Common.
is the Calleva Arms, named after the former Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum that lies within the village boundary.
The parish has regular events and village activities through the year including a beer festival, fun run, church fete, and music festival. The village has an amateur dramatic society
.
Silchester Cricket Club competes in the Hampshire Cricket League. In 2010 the club finished 2nd in Regional Division 3 North East and was promoted to Regional Division 2 North East for the 2011 season.
primary school. Most Silchester children of secondary school age attend The Hurst Community College
in Baughurst
.
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
.
Silchester is most notable for the archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is considered the best-preserved Roman wall
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Location
The present village is centred around Silchester Common. It is about 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
and former manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
(now Manor Farm), which are in the eastern part of the former Roman town.
Local government
Silchester is a civil parish with an elected parish council. Silchester parish is in the ward of Pamber and Sichester, part of Basingstoke and Deane District CouncilBasingstoke and Deane
Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
and of Hampshire County Council
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and all three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government. The ward returns two councillors to the borough council. The 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded a parish population of 918.
Manor
Silcester was recorded in the 11th century, when one Alestan held a manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
here with King Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
as his overlord and one Cheping held another manor with Earl Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
as his overlord. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 recorded that the Normans William De Ow
William De Ow
William De Ow was a Norman noble and a cousin of William the Conqueror. At the time of the Domesday Book he was a landholder in Dorsetshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, and he was the owner of what is now known as Stonehouse Manor, a grade II listed manor in the Cotswolds town of Stonehouse,...
and Ralph de Mortimer possessed Alestan's and Cheping's manors respectively. The book assessed Alestan's manor at five hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
and Mortimer's at three hides. De Mortimer's tenant was another Norman, Ralph Bluet. In 1204 he or a later Ralph Bluet gave a palfrey
Palfrey
A palfrey is a type of horse highly valued as a riding horse in the Middle Ages. It is not a breed.The word "palfrey" is cognate with the German word for horse , "Pferd". Both descend from Latin "paraveredus", meaning a post horse or courier horse...
horse in exchange for a licence to enclose
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
an area of land south-east of the former Roman town as a deer park
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
. Today parts of the earthwork park pale
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
survive and parts of the former park remain wooded.
Forms of the toponym
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
included Ciltestere and Cilcestre in the 13th century, Scilchestre in the 14th century and Sylkchester in the 18th century before it reached its current spelling.
The Irish peer
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington
Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington
Murragh Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington was an Irish peer and member of the House of Lords.Murrough Boyle was born in Cork, Ireland, the son of The Most Reverend Michael Boyle, Archbishop Bishop of Armagh and Mary O'Brien. He married twice; firstly Mary Parker, daughter of Dr...
(1685-1718) bought the manor in 1704 and it remained with his hereditary heirs until the death of William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington
William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington
William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington was an Anglo-Irish peer and member of the House of Lords, styled The Honourable William Stewart until 1728 and known as The Viscount Mountjoy from 1728 to 1745....
in 1769. In 1778 it was inherited jointly by Thomas, 1st Viscount de Vesci and Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford
Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford
Edward Michael Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford was an Irish sailor and landowner. He held the seat of Longford County in the Irish House of Commons....
. In 1806 Baron Longford's daughter The Hon. Catherine Pakenham
Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Catherine Sarah Dorothea Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington was the wife of the 1st Duke of Wellington. She is commonly known as Kitty Pakenham.-Early Life:...
married Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, who in 1814 was created Duke of Wellington. In 1828 John, 2nd Viscount de Vesci and Catherine's brother Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford
Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford
Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford KP was an Irish peer. He became Earl of Longford in 1794 after the death of Elizabeth Pakenham, 1st Countess of Longford and was appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick on 17 December 1813....
sold the manor of Silchester to the Duke. In the first decade of the 20th century Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington
Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington, KG, GCVO, GCTE, DL was a member of the well-known Wellesley family. He joined the military and served in the Household Division...
still owned the manor of Silchester.
Church and chapel
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St Mary the Virgin is just within the walls of the former Roman town, possibly on the site of a Roman temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
. The building may contain some re-used Roman materials. The building dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. It has a north and south aisle, each of two bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. There is no chancel arch, and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is longer than the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The wall of the south aisle was rebuilt in about 1325-50, incorporating an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-arched tomb recess containing the effigy of a lady wearing a wimple
Wimple
A wimple is a garment worn around the neck and chin, and which usually covers the head. Its use developed among women in early medieval Europe . At many stages of medieval culture it was unseemly for a married woman to show her hair...
. Two new windows were added to the church the 14th century and two more including the Perpendicular Gothic east window of the chancel in the 15th century.
The church has a Perpendicular Gothic rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was made early in the 18th century but its tester
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
is dated 1639. There is also a carved memorial cartouche to the Irish peer Viscount Ikerrin (died 1712). The bell-turret
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of five bells. Four were ast by John Stares of Aldbourne, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in 1744. The other was cast by William Taylor of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1848.
There is a Primitive Methodist chapel on Silchester Common.
Amenities
Silchester's sole public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
is the Calleva Arms, named after the former Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum that lies within the village boundary.
The parish has regular events and village activities through the year including a beer festival, fun run, church fete, and music festival. The village has an amateur dramatic society
Amateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
.
Silchester Cricket Club competes in the Hampshire Cricket League. In 2010 the club finished 2nd in Regional Division 3 North East and was promoted to Regional Division 2 North East for the 2011 season.
School
Silchester has a Church of EnglandVoluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
primary school. Most Silchester children of secondary school age attend The Hurst Community College
The Hurst Community College
The Hurst Community College, previously The Hurst Community School, is a school in the village of Baughurst, which is in the county of Hampshire in England. The school has been awarded specialist Science College status.-Description:...
in Baughurst
Baughurst
Baughurst is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is located west of the town of Tadley, north of Basingstoke. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,473....
.