Midgham

Midgham
St Matthew's parish church
Midgham  Midgham shown within Berkshire
Population	282 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SU5567
Civil parish	Midgham
Unitary authority	West Berkshire
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Reading
Postcode district	RG7
Dialling code	0118
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Newbury
Website	The Midgham Village Website
List of places UK England Berkshire

Midgham is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley about 6 miles (10 km) east of Newbury, Berkshire. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 282.^[1]

The village extends from the West Berkshire Crematorium in the west to New Road Hill in the east, Midgham Marsh to the south of the A4 road and Midgham Green to the north.

Midgham was anciently a Township in Thatcham parish and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Relatively little is known of the medieval history of the parish.

Midgham includes Midgham Park which from 1947 until 1955 was the Earl of Clarendon's estate. Midgham has a Village Green which is run by the Parish Council and a Village Hall run by its own committee. As of 2010, the Village Hall has a new management committee who have begun to make improvements to enable the venue to be used more frequently and for a wider variety of community events.

History

Few if any Roman traces have been found in the parish but there is known to be a Roman Road with a river crossing on Midgham Marsh.

Midgham's history over the past 400 years has been compiled in a series of books by local historian John Trigg. There is evidence that the Knights Templar held land in the area but few details are known. Trade tokens have been found from the 17th century near the church so it is certain that there was trade in the area during the Early modern period.

Midgham was granted to the Pinkney family after the Norman Conquest of England. They divided it into three sub-manors: Erley's Manor and two others of unknown name but which, for identification purposes, might be referred to as Midgham Chenduit and Midgham Everard. Erley's Manor was the most important and is represented by the present Midgham House.

Midgham House

Poyntz family

The Poyntz family built Midgham House and lived there for many generations. Residents included the diplomat, Stephen Poyntz, and the MP William Stephen Poyntz. The former was governor to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland who spent much of his youth in Midgham.^[2]

James Johnstone

In a University College London database published in 2012, British Slave Ownership, Midgham House is listed as being a residence of James Johnstone, sole proprieter of the Whitehall estate in 1835. The records state that he was recompensed by the British Government as part of the abolition of slavery in Britain and her colonies to the tune of £5295 17S 0D, for 294 enslaved (claim for Jamaica St Mary 168).

Benjamin Buck Greene

Benjamin Buck Greene, who later became Governor of the Bank of England, purchased Midgham House in 1856.^[3]

Church

Midgham had its own chapel from at least 1309. The Chapel of Staint Margaret stood a little to the north-east of the present building, nearer Midgham House. Midgham was part of the parish of Thatcham until 1857 when the then new squire appointed the first vicar (Rev. John Errington) for the proposed Church of England parish church dedicated to Saint Matthew. 13th century in style, the church was built by the architect John Johnson and completed in 1869. The church is now part of a larger benefice with St. Peter's, Woolhampton and St. Mary's, Beenham.

The Coach and Horses public house, Bath Road, Midgham

Transport

The railway station at Woolhampton was renamed Midgham in the 1930s after the stationmaster became frustrated by frequently redirecting wrongly-addressed packages intended for Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• William Crowe (1745–1829; poet and public orator for Oxford University)
• John Jefferys (1701–1754; clockmaker and watchmaker)
• Sir William Sidney Smith (1764–1840; Royal Navy officer)

References

Further reading

• Page, William; Ditchfield, P.H., eds. (1923). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 3. pp. 311–329. 
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). The Buildings of England: Berkshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 178. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Midgham.

• Royal Berkshire History: Midgham

v t e Settlements in West Berkshire Towns Hungerford Newbury Thatcham 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 Mortimer Common 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 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