Lambourne is a small market town of great antiquity, pleasantly situated in an open country, seven miles from Hungerford. In a charter, dated 1227, granting a fair to be held on the festival of St. Matthew, this place is called Cheping Lambourn; we have before had occasion to observe that cheping signifies market.

The manor of Lambourne was part of the possessions of King Alfred, and was given by him to his wife, Ealhswith, daughter of Ethelred, Earl of Mercia, Who survived her husband four years and died in 964.

In Edward the Confessor’s reign, and at the time of making the doomsday survey, Lambourne was part of the royal demesne. In 1644 King Charles I. was here with his army soon after the second battle of Newbury.

The parish is very extensive, comprising the whole of the hundred to which it gives name. The number of inhabitants in the town and its hamlets, according to the returns made under the population act, in 1801, was 2045.

The market, which is held on Friday, has of late years much declined. There are now three fairs, on the 12th of May, the 4th of October, and 4th of December. In the market-place is across, consisting of a tall plain shaft, with an ornamented capital, on an ascent of steps.

The parish Church is a very handsome and spacious Gothic structure, in form of a cross. There are two chantry chapels on the south side, one of which, dedicated to St. Mary, was founded by John Estbury, or Isbury, who died in 1372. The other, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, by his descendant, of the same name, who died in 1485, as appears by the epitaphs on their tombs. In the centre of the southern chapel is an altar tomb, on which is the effigies of the founder John Isbury, in copper, habited in a surcoat, with his arms enamelled.

In this chapel there are also some memorials of the family of Hippesley.

In the north transept is the monument of Sir Thomas Essex, who died in 1558, with the effigies of himself and Margaret his lady, in alabaster.

On the north side of the church is an hospital for ten poor men, founded by John Isbury, son of John Isbury, who died in 1485, as above mentioned. This hospital was liable to be dissolved at the Reformation, on account of its popish regulations, but was continued by an act of parliament, passed in the 31st year of Queen Elizabeth, under which a new set cf regulations was ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other commissioners appointed for that purpose. It was determined in 1589 that Francis Alford (the representative of the founder) and his heirs, and the wardens of New College, Oxford, should have the appointment of the poor men, and that the said Francis Alford, and his sons, should have the management of the estates. The Rev. John Hippesley, of Stow in Gloucestershire, is now joint pervisor with the wardens of New College. The will of the founder mentions one of the chapels as having been built by himself, but it is more probable that he only rebuilt it. The alms-men of the hospital attend divine service every morning in the southern chapel above-mentioned, kneeling round the tomb of the founder’s father, which is surrounded with a frame, desk, and cushions, for that purpose. A copy of the prayer that is now used hangs up in the chapel. It is probable that it was composed by the commissioners under the act of Queen Elizabeth for the continuance of the hospital, or altered by them so as to adapt it to the reformed religion. The original pension of the alms-men was eight pence a week each; they now receive three shillings a week each, besides a guinea at Christmas, and three loads of wood each; the reserved rents of 74 bushels and a half of wheat, and 51 bushels and a half of malt, are divided among them: Great coats are given to them every other year, and they receive some other small payments in money.

LAMBOURN (or Chipping Lambourn) is a parish and small town, and the head of a petty sessional division, with a terminal station on the Lambourn Valley railway from Newbury, constructed in 1895—8; it is about 7 miles south from Uffington station and 7 south-east from Shrivenham station, both on the Great Western railway, 8 miles north from Hungerford, 12 miles north-west from Newbury and 10 south from Wantage, in the Southern division of the county, hundred of Lambourn, union and county court district of Hungerford, rural deanery of Newbury, archdeaconry of Berks and diocese of Oxford; the Lambourn river takes its rise near here and flows through the town to the Kennet, near Newbury. The town is lighted with gas by a company. The church of St. Michael is an ancient and spacious cruciform building of stone and shingle in the Norman, Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave, transepts, three chapels, south porch and a central embattled tower, with four octagonal turrets and containing 8 bells and clock: the chancel is of Early English date, and has a fine Perpendicular east window of five lights and a small Decorated piscina: on the south side an arch of the same period opens into an aisle called St. Mary's chapel, and eastward of it is a window, the sill of which forms sedilia; on the north side two Perpendicular arches open to an aisle of that date: at the east end is a mural monument of late Elizabethan or Jacobean date to Thomas Garraid and Agnes (Waldwyne) his wife; and in the south wall a slab of black marble, with effigies in brass of his son, Thomas Garrard, gent. 1619, Anne (Jutt) his wife, 1610, and Thomas, their son: the tower arches are good Norman, almost Early English: the transepts have chiefly Decorated and Perpendicular windows, but one lancet survives in the north transept, which has a Transition Norman arch on the west side: the chapel of St. Mary, east of the south transept, belongs to the Decorated period, and was built by John de Estbury about 1360: he died Oct. 25, 1375, and his tomb with that of his son is in the chapel: the sumptuous marble monument, to the Garrard family of Bockhampton, also formerly in this chapel, now remains only in fragments, which record the names of Roger Garrard and Elizabeth (Violett) his wife; south of St. Mary’s chapel, and opening into it, is the chapel of the Holy Trinity, a Late Perpendicular structure, in the centre of which is an altar tomb, with an effigy in copper of John Estbury, 1485, in a surcoat of his arms and a marginal inscription: his son, also John Estbury, was the founder of the almshouse or hospital, situated near the churchyard, for ten poor men, who, during divine service, are wont to kneel round the tomb of the founder’s father, about which new oaken stalls were placed, in 1888, by trustees at a cost of £45 for that purpose: there is also a brass, with half-effigies, to John de Estbury, c. 1400, and Agnes, his wife: the Essex chapel, north of the church, occupies the site of the older chantry, founded by the De Bathes or the Bohuns, but was extended eastward nearly two centuries later to its present dimensions, and most probably by Sir Thomas Essex kt. whose very fine alabaster monument is placed in this chapel; this tomb bears life-size recumbent figures of Sir Thomas Essex, who died 29 Aug. 1558, and of dame Margaret, his wife, fourth daughter of William, first baron Sandys of the Vine, with a marginal inscription: around are many memorials of the Seymours, who for nearly three centuries resided at Inholmes, in this parish, on one of which, that of Edward Seymour esq. (ob. 1798), are some verses by Henry James Pye esq. M.P., D.C.L, and Poet Laureate in 1790; here also rests Charles Fettiplace, a benefactor to the local charities: this chapel was for a long time used as a house for the parish fire engine, but was rebuilt from the foundations about 1850, and is now used as a choir vestry. The nave is the oldest part of the church, and dates from the 11th century (1085): it has four bays, with Late Norman arches and massive pillars, and a clerestory: at the west end are traces of its original Norman windows, with an existing circular window in the gable: the staircase to the rood-loft, diverted from its original course, is now connected with the tower, but the entrance is from the exterior: on the wall, formerly crossed by the rood-loft, is a piscina; the aisles were originally much lower and lighted by small Norman windows: but the existing south aisle seems to be Decorated and that on the north side Perpendicular: the only remains of the old roofing are to be found in the south aisle, elsewhere it was entirely renewed, with the exception of the tie beams, in 1849—50: the tower, erected some 60 or 70 years later than the nave, is a perfect square of about 20 feet, and an excellent example, as far as the top of the clock, of Transition Norman; the upper portion is Perpendicular: about 1770 it was bound round on the exterior with ironwork, and an independent bell-frame erected within: in 1892 the tower was thoroughly restored, refaced with stone, and the bells re-hung upon a new iron frame: a new vaulted oak ceiling beneath the tower was also erected: the south porch is Decorated, with Perpendicular additions; above it is a parvise or priest’s room, which used to be reached by a stone staircase from the outside, but now by a spiral iron stair within the porch; a corresponding porch on the north side was removed in 1850: the ancient Norman font, after having stood in the church for 750 years, has been removed and sold, and is now (1899) at Barton, near Marlborough, Wilts: the stained windows ill the Trinity chapel are memorials, inserted by H. Hippisley esq. of Lambourn Place: the east window, representing “The Last Judgment,” was erected in 1876 in memory of Robert Milman, bishop of Calcutta (1867—76), who died 15 March 1876, and was formerly vicar of Lambourn: there is also a memorial window in the chancel to the Rev. John Murray, a former vicar: a stained window has been inserted in the nave to the memory of Miss Twynam by Col. Twynam C.B.: the organ, restored in 1890 at a cost of £157, was erected in 1862: the restoration, carried out in 1892 at a total cost of £3,300, included, in addition to the work already mentioned, the erection of new oak choir stalls, the repair of the north doorway, new heating apparatus: the cost of restoring the chancel was borne by the lay impropriators, and that of Holy Trinity chapel by the trustees of the almshouses of John Estbury: the lych gate, erected at the same time at a cost of £130, is a memorial to Charles William Jousiffe of Seven Barrows: some relics, found six feet beneath the tower, during the recent restoration, are now in the Essex chapel: fragments of a valuable pre-reformation stained window, purchased in a sale for a nominal sum, have been presented to the church by police-sergeant Frederick Smith of Lambourn and are now in a window of the Holy Trinity chapel: there are 600 sittings. The church and churchyard were closed against further interments March 2, 1880, except at the western side of the churchyard where some years ago a piece of ground was added and consecrated. The register dates from the year 1560, and is in excellent preservation. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £150, including 42 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Oxford, and held since 1896 by the Rev. Reginald Bagnall M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. On the north side of the church is the Hospital, consisting of houses for ten brethren, founded by John, the son of John Estbury or Isbury, in 1502, and endowed with 400 acres, income £719; each inmate has 10s. weekly and a house rent free: the almsmen attend daily morning prayers in the Estbury or Trinity Chapel, kneeling around the above-mentioned tomb, and also attend the daily morning service of the church: Mrs. Templar Down and the Warden of New College, Oxford, are the hereditary supervisors of the charity, the management of which is now in the hands of seven trustees appointed by the Charity Commissioners: on an ancient brass plate inserted in the brickwork near the entrance, are some Latin verses, referring to the foundation of the hospital. A John de Estbury was representative in Parliament for Berks in the years 1368, 1376 and 1377. Near the church are also five small almshouses, called Hardrett’s or Place Almshouses, for five aged labourers, who have 1s. weekly and a house rent free: this charity is under the management of trustees. The charities for the general poor amount to about £30 yearly, for distribution in money and £16 5s. for clothing: there are also charities of £40 a year left to the Wesleyan. body for educational purposes. Joshua Sylvester, the poet, called by Southey the “silver-tongued Sylvester,” was a retainer of the Essex family at Lambourn, where he was patronized by Mistress Essex, wife of William Essex esq. He died at Middleburgh, in Holland, in 1618. A fair was granted by King Henry III. in 1227, to be held in February, on the festival of St. Matthew, but has for many years been discontinued: the Charter for a market was renewed in the reign of Henry VI. but this was discontinued in the last century: two fairs were also granted to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s which are still held (though the days appear to have been changed) on October 2nd and December 4th, for sheep, horses and cattle. In the market place is a fine Perpendicular cross, consisting of a tall plain shaft, with canopied head, raised on octagonal steps: the canopy one contained figures, which had been much defaced, but now (1899) restored by the Rev. Robert Vaughan-Hughes M.A. of Chepstow, lay rector; the steps are comparatively modern, and appear to have been patched: it is said that there was formerly another cross here, on the spot now occupied by the weighing machine, and known as St. Antholin’s cross. Lambourn Place, the property of Col. Charles Grove Edwards J.P. but now occupied by Herbert Ward esq. is a fine Elizabethan mansion, erected in 1843, on the site of the ancient residence of the Hippisley family, itself traditionally built on the site of a Saxon palace belonging to King Alfred the Great; until 1893, the ball contained a collection of armour, said to be the largest private collection in the country; one of the suits formerly belonged to Sir William Temple and subsequently to Lord Palmerston: there were also portraits of Charles I. Wyclif, and Sir Thomas Horde, a Parliamentarian, pictures by Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and an old wassail bowl, formerly belonging to the Earls of Huntingdon, and reputed to be of the time of Robin Hood, 1189—99, besides many other rare curiosities: the whole collection was sold in 1893 for upwards of £4,000. On the downs, 6 ½ miles north of Lambourn, are Wayland Smith's Cave, White Horse hill, and Uffington Camp, descriptions of which are given under the headings of Uffington and Wantage. Near here are also the “Seven Barrows,” so called, a group of tumuli on the downs about two miles north of Lambourn, some 20 in number, which have been proved, from excavations made by Dr. Wilson and Mr. E. Martin-Atkins, in 1850, to be the sepulchres of ancient Britons; one of these, standing apart from the rest, with a height of 10 feet and a circumference of 360 feet, contained a large number of British urns arranged round the sides, one of which measured 13 inches in height: the other barrows examined afforded instances both of cremation and ordinary burial, bodies in the latter case being interred with the knees drawn up to the chin. Membury Fort, a Celtic earthwork, with a single vallum, now overgrown with trees, is situated on the borders of Wilts and Berks, being partly in Lambourn and partly in Ramsbury parish, and has been thought by Dr. Guest and others to indicate the site of an ancient town, foundations of ancient buildings having been met with on this spot. Letcombe Camp, also called “Sagbury” “Sackborough,” is a circular earthwork of about 26 acres in extent, situated on the brow of the chalk escarpment over-looking the vale to the north, 900 feet above the sea-level, and about two miles south-east of Wantage; skeletons have recently been found on Stancombe Down, near Lambourn, and in a ploughed field at Maddle Farm, about two miles distant from the town. The manor of Lambourn was given by Alfred the Great to his wife Ealhswitha, daughter of Ethelred, a Mercian thane, and she survived him four years, dying A.D. 904: at the time of the Domesday survey it belonged to the Crown; it was subsequently held by Sir Thomas Grandison, 4th baron Grandison, who in 1361 conveyed it to Sir John Peche kt. who died in 1376, and the manor afterwards came again to the Crown; it appears also that this manor, together with that of Upper Lambourn, had at some time been granted by Henry III. to Henry de Bathe, Justiciar of England, who died in 1252, and is buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and thence by a female heir to the Bohuns; in 1543 both manors were granted by Henry VIII. to Sir William Essex kt. of Lambourn, and his son Thomas, afterwards Sir Thomas Essex kt. whose tomb is in the church: in 1609 an Act of Parliament was passed, enabling the representatives of the Essex family to dispose of these estates and soon after they became the property of Sir William Craven kt. ancestor of the present owner. The Earl of Craven, who is lord of the manor, Sir Francis Burdett bart. of Ramsbury Manor, Col. Charles Grove Edwards and Major John Aldridge of Inholmes, are the principal landowners. The parish comprises the town of Clipping Lambourn and the tithings of Upper Lambourn, Eastbury and Beckhampton, Blagrave and Hadley. The entire area is 14,863 acres of land, a large portion of which are downs on which race-horses are trained, and 10 of water; rateable value, £9,336; the population of the civil parish, including the Woodlands and Eastbury, in 1891 was 2,238 and of the ecclesiastical, 1,571.

Parish Clerk, Thomas Clement Martin.

The Petty Sessions are held at the Magistrates’ room at the Police Station, the last Friday in every month at 12 noon.

The places in the petty sessional division are:-Eastbury, East Garston, Lambourn, Upper Lambourn & Woodlands St. Mary Police Station, Frederick Smith, resident sergeant; & 2 constables.

Schools

National (Church), Lambourn, erected in 1850 for 80 boys, 64 girls and 64 infants; average attendance, 50 boys, 60 girls & 45 infants.