Burnt Hill, Berkshire
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014) |
Burnt Hill | |
---|---|
Hamlet | |
![]() Burnt Hill Methodist Chapel | |
Location within Berkshire | |
OS grid reference | SU5574 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Thatcham |
Postcode district | RG18 |
Dialling code | 01635 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Royal Berkshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Burnt Hill is a hamlet in Berkshire, England. It is just north of the M4 motorway in West Berkshire, in the civil parish of Yattendon, which is also the closest village, and lies in the North Wessex Downs area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).
History
Burnt Hill is thought to have been established as a brick making settlement in the 18th century and there were several brick works in the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. The hamlet probably takes its name from the glow in the night sky from the firing of bricks. In 1703 one Isaac Jeram is recorded as working in bricks at Burnt Hill.[1] In the south east of the village is Kiln Pond and, as its name suggests, this was probably a source of clay for the bricks.
Swing Riots
By 1830, in reaction to the introduction of mechanisation to agriculture, the South of England erupted in what became known as the Swing Riots. Disturbances started in nearby Yattendon and on 21 November a hard core of rioters met at the Axe and Compass, Burnt Hill. After a night at the pub, they acquired a sledge hammer and a horn and at first light set off to local farms to extort money and smash threshing machines, later returning to the Axe and Compass before setting off again at nightfall to other farms in the area. By the early hours of 24 November the troops arrived and arrested eleven of the rioters although none was eventually charged.[2]
Landscape
Burnt Hill is surrounded by fields of the
Buildings
There are some notable buildings in Burnt Hill including the
Nut & Bolt House has two dated bricks in its front facade circa 1834 and 1873 but was a public house from at least 1817[5] when it was mentioned in the trial of one William Fuller for "stealing, on the 22d of April , one gelding, price 20£.; one mare, price 20£., the property of Edward Shepherd; and one coat, value 15s. , the property of Thomas Shepherd" a farmer and his son at nearby Yattendon. John Hope, an acquaintance of the defendant, testified "On the 21st of April, I saw him at the sign of the Compasses, at Burnt-hill, which is about a mile from Mr. Shepherd's; he left there about a quarter after six in the evening." Fuller was found guilty and sentenced to death aged 22.
Later the Axe and Compass was probably a butchers too, when it was licensed to a William Larkcom.[6] After William's death in 1891, it was licensed to his daughter Elizabeth.[7] By 1924 it was still in the Larkcom family, having been taken over by Elizabeth's brother, another William.[8] Other licensees followed: Chas Prince from at least 1928 to 1931 [9] and William George Alsbury from at least 1964 to 1971 [10] Opposite Nut & Bolt House is a building named The Bungalow, although it is not a bungalow. Until around 2010 it was named Compass Pightle, providing a link between Axe and Compass and the use of artisan tools as names and symbols and Sloe Pightle and the now archaic use of the word pightle for a small field or clearing.
At the time of the 1851 religious census, the
Nearby towns
Nearby villages
References
- ^ a b In the Valley of the Pang, Dick Greenaway and Dorcas Ward
- ^ Basildon, Berkshire An Illustrated History, Clive Williams
- ^ Pub Names of Britain, Leslie Dunkling and Gordon Wright
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Old Bailey Proceedings, 21st May 1817
- ^ Kelly’s Directory 1848 and 1887
- ^ Kelly’s Directory 1899, 1907 and 1915
- ^ Kelly’s Directory 1920 and 1924
- ^ Kelly’s Directory 1928 and 1931
- ^ The London Gazette 05-Jun-64 and 22-Apr-71
- ^ Young, David (27 July 2012). "Burnt Hill, Berkshire". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.