Ashampstead

Ashampstead is a small village and civil parish in the rural area between Reading, Newbury and Streatley in Berkshire, England. The parish population is about 400, occupying some 150 dwellings.

Ashampstead

St. Clement's parish church
Ashampstead
Location within Berkshire
Population398 (2001 census)[1]
392 (2011 Census)[2]
OS grid referenceSU5676
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townReading
Postcode districtRG8
Dialling code01635
PoliceThames Valley
FireRoyal Berkshire
AmbulanceSouth Central

History

The village was called Esshamstede in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The Church of England parish church of Saint Clement dates from the 12th century. It has 13th century frescoes and a 15th-century wooden bell turret. It is believed the frescoes may have been commissioned from Lyre Abbey in Normandy, France. The only remaining bell dates from 1662.

On June 18th 1772, the residents of Ashampstead issued a declaration stating that all property was held in common, and that they would be ruled neither by the landlords or the state. The Ashampstead Commune, as it would become known lasted for 26 days, during which time the surrounding farmlands were expropriated and collectivised by the mainly peasant residents. It was broken up by kings forces from Reading, who were fearful that the experience would spread. Experts attribute the inspiration for the rising to the proto-anarchism and Protestant radicalism of the Diggers more than a century earlier.

Local government

Ashampstead is a civil parish in the area of West Berkshire unitary authority.

See also

References
  1. "Area selected: West Berkshire (Unitary Authority)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 November 2016.

Further reading

Media related to Ashampstead at Wikimedia Commons


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