When we were down in the south of England visiting family in Reading, Berkshire we went to Thatcham to see one of our grandsons and his partner. I've passed through Thatcham when driving along the A4 route which mainly follows the course of the old Roman road and I was interested to see more of this small market town. It's located by the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon Canal, 24 km west of Reading and 5 km from Newbury town. It was a pleasant walk away from the main high street as there's a mixture of old and new housing, small shops and offices set around a long, grassy area surrounded by trees.
I'm interested in the origin of place names and found out that the name might have come from the fact that a Saxon chief called Tace established a settlement around 500AD. 'Ham', short for 'hamlet' in Saxon might have been added on to 'Tace'. Also 'thaec' is Saxon for 'roof-covering'. With minor changes to spelling in old written records and pronunciation the name eventually arrived at its present form in the 16th century.
We also visited the parish church of St. Mary's and we were able to take a look inside.
Information below is taken from a leaflet found in the church. I'm thankful to whoever did the research, wrote the notes and had them printed for visitors.
There has been a church on the site for over a thousand years. The Domesday Book refers to a wooden church built in Saxon times, but no trace remains of this. Originally dedicated to St. Mary it was also known as St. Luke's until it was rededicated to St. Mary in the early 20th century. The tower houses ten bells and they are rung for all church services and on special occasions.
Inside the porch is a carved stone Norman arch. It was moved to the main south entrance during the restoration done in Victorian times.
The pattern on the arch over the chancel is designed to echo the one over the door in the south porch.
There is a carving of St. Luke on the pulpit.
To the right of the chancel arch and the font is a memorial to servicemen who lost their lives in two World Wars. During the First World War Thatcham lost a large per cent of its population whilst on active service or as a result of it with many families losing more than one member. This would have been devastating for such a small rural community and others like it up and down the land.
the children's area in the north aisle
Under the stained glass window in the north aisle is a bronze wall tablet which commemorates 2nd Lieutenant Buller Turner who was awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War. His younger brother Victor was awarded the VC during the 2nd World War.
The Chapel
St. Mary's Branch of the Mothers' Union banner
A marble memorial to Nicholas Fuller, a noted barrister
To the left of the chancel is a chapel which dates from the early 16th century. It was built by Lady Anne Danvers after the death of her husband, Sir William. It was a chantry chapel designed to be used to pray for the souls of the dead and it was probably one of the last such chapels to be built before the Reformation. Resting on the tomb of Sir William and Lady Anne, which must have been installed later, is a copy of the first English translation of the New Testament. Lady Anne had the original.
one of the embroidered banners in the church
There are many beautiful stained glass windows.
In the south aisle is a memorial to Francis Baily. He was a founder member and president of the Astronomical Society and he discovered Baily's Beads (balls of gas which appear on the edge of the sun following an eclipse). Although he could have been buried in Westminster Abbey his family chose to have him buried at St. Mary's along with other family members. The Baily family vault is situated inside the Meeting Room at the west end of the church which was closed at the time of our visit. One can look into this room through glass panels. When the room is open there is an opportunity to see an historical archive of the church's development over the years.
I hope you enjoyed the tour around Thatcham and St. Mary's Church. I'm now going to take a short break, but hopefully I'll be back soon.