Milton

"MILTON, a parish in the hundred of Ock, county Berks, 3 miles S.W. of Abingdon, its post town. The parish, which is wholly agricultural, is situated on the line of the Great Western railway. The soil consists of clay and gravel. It is a meet for the Old Berkshire hounds. The surface is hilly towards the N. but more level in the S. The manor-house was built by Inigo Jones. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Oxford, value £560, in the patronage of Christ Church, Oxford. The church, dedicated to St. Blaise, is a small structure, with a square tower containing five bells. The parochial charities produce about £101 per annum, of which £67 goes to Warner's free school. There is a place of worship for the Wesleyans. Milton Hill and Milton House are the principal residences; the latter, built by Inigo Jones, has a Roman Catholic chapel and an excellent library. John Basil Barrett, Esq., is lord of the manor."

From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland(1868). Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003.

Other descriptions can be found from other periods in various trade directories covering Berkshire from the early 19th century onwards from Berkshire FHS (members only) and from A Vision of Britain Through Time.