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Summary

A probable late Saxon urban centre, a Domesday royal manor and a 13th century borough, later affected by the creation of Aldermaston Park

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Conservation Area: Aldermaston
• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000530: Aldermaston Court

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 01825.00.000
  

Monument Type(s):

• VILLAGE (Medieval to Late 19th century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• FAIR (13th century to 19th century - 1292 AD to 1801 AD?)
• MARKET (13th century to 19th century - 1292 AD to 1801 AD?)

Full Description

Astill's analysis of the village <1> shows two areas of archaeological interest, one clustered around the church (possibly the late Saxon or medieval settlement) and the other aligned on the main street of Aldermaston - probably a post-medieval successor, perhaps moved because of the building of the 17th century mansion and the landscaping of its park.

Aldermaston had a market and fair <15> <20>.

Aldermaston, originally Aeldremanestone, which is derived from “Ealdorman’s Estate/Farm” (an ealdorman being the chief office of a shire during the late Saxon period) may have been an important settlement from at least the 9th century. The Domesday Survey notes the presence of a church at Aldermaston. Although it is possible that the church was built after AD 1066, it is more likely that it represents a Saxon Minster Church and there may have been a church here as early as the 7th century <23>.

Aldermaston has pre-Roman origins but is first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The village and estate belonged to the Crown after Earl Harold Godwinson took the throne after the death of Edward the Confessor, and remained in royal hands until it was granted to a courtier at the beginning of the C12th. The estate has passed through the hereditary ownership of several families, whilst the core village has remained relatively undisturbed by urban development despite its location close to key routes between London, Reading and the west. The Street retains its largely 16th and 17th century building stock, whilst modern housing development is limited to the peripheral sites along Fisherman’s Lane, Wasing Lane, Church Lane and Paices Hill. In the early 21st century the village was noted as having generously-sized, well-spaced and largely historic residential development with associated services such as a parish hall, village shop, pub and school <24>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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