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| HER Number | MWB5353 |
|---|
| Record Type | Place |
|---|
| Name | WOKEFIELD VILLAGE |
|---|
Summary
Wokefield village, recorded in AD 950 and in Domesday Book
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 03961.00.000
Monument Type(s):
- VILLAGE (Early Medieval/Dark Age to 11th century - 950 AD to 1086 AD)
Full Description
THE VILLAGE OF WOKEFIELD. RECORDED IN 950 AND IN DOMESDAY. THE LOCATION OF THE ANCIENT VILLAGE FOCUS IS NOT KNOWN: THE GIVEN NGR IS A GENERAL ONE FOR THE CENTRE OF THE PARISH.
The Victoria County History describes Wokfield as a tithing of Stratfield Mortimer parish in 1923 <1>. In 1086 the manor was assessed at 1 1/2 hides, held of King Edward the Confessor by Wicstric <2>. The parish of Wokefield was created in the 20th century. A fir plantation to the west of the modern parish of Stratfield Mortimer is named Brocas after the 14th century owner of Wokefield <1>.
The linguistic history of the name has been very difficult to interpret <5> but has generally been explained as 'Wocca's feld'. The name Oakfield has also been attached to portions of the land of the manor, and used for two separate country houses (Oakfield Park, later called Wokefield Park, and Oakfield Lodge, later Oakfield). Part of the 20th century Wokefield parish formerly lay in Sulhampstead Bannister Lower End <>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Page and Ditchfield (eds). 1923. Victoria County History (VCH) Berks III 1923. Vol 3. p422, 424-6. [Monograph / SWB10005]
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3 (Accessed 08/03/2022) |
| <02> | Morgan, P (ed). 1979. Domesday Book - Berkshire. DB5. 58a, 61c. [Monograph / SWB14587]
https://opendomesday.org/ (Accessed 11/01/2023) |
| <03> | Hadcock, R N. 1968. Rural District of Bradfield (Berkshire), Official Guide. [Monograph / SWB14015] |
| <04> | Snare. 1846. Snare's Map of the Country Ten Miles round Reading, 1846. [Map / SWB146963] |
| <05> | Gelling, M. 1973. The Place Names of Berkshire - Part One. English Place-Name Society Vol XLIX. p227-8. [Monograph / SWB10003] |
| <06> | Landmark. 1912-24. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 3, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 25 inches to a mile. 1:2500, 1911-12. [Map / SWB14456] |
Related Monuments
| MWB16689 | Chapel of Wokefield Manor - conjectural location (Monument) |
| MWB18102 | Oakfield (Park), Wokefield (Landscape) |
| MWB5355 | WOKEFIELD - manor (Monument) |
| MWB5354 | WOKEFIELD - Saxon (Monument) |
| MWB15997 | Wokefield Park (House) (Building) |
| MWB16422 | Reading Hundred (Place) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
None recordedIf you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
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