East Ilsley
| East Ilsley | |
| Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 East Ilsley | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU492811 |
| Location: | 51°31’38"N, 1°17’29"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Newbury |
| Postcode: | RG20 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Berkshire |
East Ilsley is a village in Berkshire, in the Compton Hundred of the county, standing north-west of Compton itself. It lies to the north of Newbury, very close to the A34 Newbury-Oxford trunk road, which thankfully bypasses the village. West Ilsley lies a mile or so to the north-west.
In 1620 East Ilsley was granted a charter to hold a sheep market in the village, which became the largest sheep market in the land after Smithfield in London.
Racehorses have been trained at East Ilsley for about 200 years [1].
Either West Ilsley or East Ilsley may have been the site of the Battle of Ashdown - Alfred the Great's turning-point victory over the Danes. One explanation for the name Ilsley is that it may come from Hilde-Læge which means "Battle Meadow."
See also
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about East Ilsley) |
- East Ilsley Parish Council Web Site
- East Ilsley Village Heritage Website
- Royal Berkshire History: East Ilsley
References
- ↑ Curling, Bill (1977), Derby Double: The Unique Story of Racehorse Trainer Arthur Budgett, London: William Luscombe (Mitchell Beasley), p. 25, ISBN 0-86002-164-5