Ownham
| Ownham | |
| Berkshire | |
|---|---|
 Coombesbury Farm | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU420704 |
| Location: | 51°25’48"N, 1°23’43"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 22 (2013 count) |
| Post town: | Newbury |
| Postcode: | RG20 |
| Dialling code: | 01635 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Berkshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Newbury |
Ownham is a tiny hamlet in Berkshire, close to Boxford and part of that parish. The hamlet is to be found to the south of the M4 motorway, 4 miles northwest of Newbury.
Standing at the top of a hill above Boxford, Ownham has fine views over the Lambourn Valley.
Archaeology
A 140-yard section of Ermin Street, the Roman road that linked Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester) and Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) exists just to the east of Ownham. It is visible from aerial archaeology near William's Copse.[1]
Social and economic history
There are 10 dwellings in Ownham including 3 dwellings in nearby Coombesbury Lane which is classified as part of Ownham. All dwellings are now residential although in the past they included farms, a chapel of rest, a merchant house and a farm tenant's cottage. The road through Ownham does not have a name and most dwelling addresses are three digit numbers corresponding to historic farm plot numbers ("xxx Ownham").
Much of the surrounding farmland is part of Sir Richard Sutton's Settled Estates. The 6,500-acre property is given over to a variety of arable crops including wheat, barley, peas and beans, as well as a beef herd and sheep.[2]
A community count in December 2013 showed 16 adults, 6 children, 8 dogs, 5 cats and 3 horses lived in the hamlet.
References
- ↑ "National Monuments Record (Monument No. 1307472)". http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1307472.
- ↑ Jinman, Richard (24 March 2005). "A cup of tea but tight lips in historic landowner's fiefdom". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/mar/23/eu.ruralaffairs.