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Berkshire Hundreds

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`In England, a hundred was the division of a county for administrative, military and judicial purposes and comprised enough land to sustain approximately one hundred households. They were, with a few exceptions, effectively abandoned as administrative divisions in the nineteenth century. The boundaries of each Hundred changed over the years. The situation in the mid 1800s is described below.  Information about the changes over time for some of the Hundreds can be found from Victoria County History - Berkshire, originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1923 see [Links] below.

"BEYNHURST HUNDRED, one of the 20 subdivisions of Berkshire, situated in the eastern part of the county, and bounded on the N. by the Thames and the county of Buckingham, on the E. by the hundreds of Bray and Ripplesmere, and on the S. and W. by the hundred of Wargrave. It contains the parishes of Bisham, Hurley, Remenham, Shottesbrook, and White Waltham, and has an area of about 13,000 acres." [More... ]

"BRAY HUNDRED, one of the 20 hundreds or subdivisions of the county of Berks, situated in the eastern part of the county, and bounded by part of the hundred of Cookham on the N., by the river Thames on the E., and by the hundred of Beynhurst on the S. and W. It contains the parish of Bray, which includes part of the town of Maidenhead. Its area is 9,102 acres." [More... ]

"CHARLTON, a hundred in the S.E. portion of the county of Berks; contains the parishes of Barkham, Finchampstead, and parts of Shinfield, Sonning, and Swallowfield, comprising 12,940 acres."  [More... ]

"COMPTON, a hundred in the middle portion of the county of Berks; contains the parishes of Farnborough, Chilton, Aldworth, East Ilsley, West Ilsley, Catmore, and Compton, comprising 18,190 acres."

"COOKHAM, a hundred in the eastern portion of the county of Berks., contains the parishes of Cookham, Sunninghill, and Binfield, comprising 14,330 acres."  [More... ]

"FAIRCROSS HUNDRED, one of the 20 subdivisions of Berkshire, situated in the south-western part of the county, and bounded on the N. by the hundred of Compton, on the E. by the hundred of Reading, on the S. by the river Emborne, and on the W. by the hundred of Kintbury Eagle. It contains the parishes of Beedon, Boxford, Bright Walton, Brimpton, Chieveley, Frilsham, Hampstead Norris, Newbury, Peasemore, Shaw, Speen, Stanford Dingley, Wasing, Welford, Yattendon, and part of Thatcham, comprising an area of nearly 50,000 acres." 

"FARINGDON HUNDRED, one of the 20 subdivisions of Berkshire, situated in the north-western part of the county, and bounded on the N. by the river Isis, on the W. by the hundred of Ganfield, on the S. by the hundred of Shrivenham, and on the W. by the county of Wilts. It contains the parishes of Great Barrington, Great Coxwell, Shilton, and parts of Great Faringdon, Inglesham, and Langford, and has an area of about 10,000 acres."

"GANFIELD HUNDRED, one of the 20 subdivisions of county Berks, situated in the north-western part of the county It is hounded on the N. by the river Isis and county of Oxford, on the E. by the hundreds of Hormer and Ock, on the S. by the hundred of Wantage, and on the W. by the hundred of Faringdon. It contains the parishes of Buckland, Hatford, Hinton Waldridge, Pusey, Shillingford, and parts of Longworth and Stanford in the Vale, comprising an area of about 17,000 acres." 

"HORMER, a hundred in county Berks, contains the parishes of Abingdon, Bagley Wood, Besselsleigh, Cumnor, North Hinksey, South Hinksey, Radley, Seacourt, Sunningwell, Wootton, Wytham, and parts of St. Helen , comprising an area of 21,550 acres." 

"KINTBURY EAGLE, a hundred in county Berks, contains the parishes of Avington, Chaddleworth, Enborne, Fawley, Hampstead Marshall, Inkpen, Kintbury, Letcombe Bassett, Letcombe Regis, East Shefford, West Shefford, Speen, West Woodhay, and parts of Chilton Foliat (and partly in the hundred of Kinwardstone, Wilts), Hungerford (and partly in the hundred of Kinwardstone, Wilts), and Shalbourne (and partly in the hundred of Kinwardstone, Wilts) comprising 42,560 acres."

"LAMBOURN, a hundred in county Berks, contains the parishes of East Garston and Lambourn, comprising an area of 19,400 acres." 

"MORETON, a hundred in county Berks, contains the borough of Wallingford, and the parishes of Ashampstead, Aston Tirrold, Basildon, Brightwell, Dudcott (Didcot), East Garston, Hagbourne, Harwell, North Moreton, South Moreton, Moulsford, Sotwell, Streatley, and parts of Allhallows and Blewberry, comprising 28,700 acres, exclusive of Wallingford."

"OCK, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains the parishes of Appleton, Drayton, Fyfield, Kingston Bagpuize, Marcham, Milton, Steventon, Sutton Courtney, Tubney, Little Wittenham, Long Wittenham, and parts of Denchworth, West Hanney, Longworth, and Stanford in the Vale, comprising an area of 28,250 acres."

"READING, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains the borough of Reading and the parishes of Beenham Vallence, Bucklebury, Cholsey, Pangbourne, Sulhampstead Abbots, Tilehurst, and parts of Blewberry, St. Giles, St. Mary, Stratfield Saye, and Thatcham, comprising an area of 37,510 acres, exclusive of Reading."

"RIPPLESMERE, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains Windsor, and the parishes of Clewer, Easthampstead, Winkfield, Old Windsor, and part of New Windsor, comprising an area of 22,710 acres." 

"SHRIVENHAM, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains the parishes of Buscot, Coleshill, Compton Beauchamp, Eaton Hastings, Shrivenham, Uffington, and parts of Ashbury, Great Farringdon, and Sparsholt, comprising an area of 34,490 acres."

"SONNING, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains the parishes of Arborfield, Ruscombe, Sandhurst, and parts of Hurst, Sonning, and Wokingham, comprising an area of 21,830 acres."

"THEALE, a hundred in the county of Berks, contains the parishes of Aldermaston, Bradfield, Burghfield, Englefield, Padworth, Purley, Sulham, Sulhampstead Bannister, Tidmarsh, Ufton, Woolhampton, and parts of Shinfield and Stratfield Mortimer, comprising an area of 28,160 acres."

"WANTAGE, a hundred in county Berks, contains the parishes of Ardington, Childrey, East Garston, East Hendred, West Hendred, East Lockinge, Wantage, and parts of Denchworth, West Hanney, and Sparsholt, comprising an areas of 28,160 acres."

"WARGRAVE, a hundred in county Berks, contains the parishes of Waltham St. Laurence, Warfield, and Wargrave, comprising an area of 11,220 acres."  [More... ]

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