Newsletter 43 - Spring 2005
Up north to Knightsbridge
Rosemary Leamon
Fig 2: Knightsbridge today
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Despite hours spent in the HRO a few years ago, reading
manorial documents and descriptions pertaining to the manor and parish of
Ecchinswell, no reference was ever found to Knights, or the name
Knightsbridge. This crossing point (SU
46/56:508635) is over the River Enborne (Alderbourne), which is the boundary
between Hampshire and Berkshire. The
suggestion here is that perhaps the name arose from members of the Knights
Hospitaller Order clattering over the bridge visiting their Hospitaller
properties in Hants and Berks, or maybe tending to business in Winchester.
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There is no problem in siting the Knights Hospitaller manor
of Shalford, in the parish of Brimpton (569648), which is described as being a
“membrum de Grenham” in the 1338 returns to Clerkenwell. The site of the Greenham Preceptory, the
local administration centre, was considered by 19th century local historians to
be sited in Newbury but this idea was based on inaccurate evidence. The true site of this Preceptory is at
Pigeon’s Farm on the northern edge of Greenham Common, and it could have been
from this locality, marked GP on the accompanying map, that Knights crossed
Greenham Common and over the bridge. |
Fig 3: 18th century map showing Knightsbridge |
The suggested route has been transferred onto Fig 1, a
reduced 6” map of Greenham Common, showing the numerous tracks later
obliterated by the air base. The four
labelled, named routes are taken from an early 18th century map (B.R.O. N/D
81/2). On it the river is labelled “Alder Stream which parts Hampshire and
Barkshire.” The routes are:
- A “The Roade from Kingscleer to Newbery;” “Knightsbridge” is
named.
- B “The Road from Overton to Newbery” (crossing at Bishop’s
Green).
- C “The Road from Newbery to Whitchurch” (crossing via Aldern Bridge and a ford).
These roads meet D “The Road from Aldermaston to Newbery” at
their northern end beyond which is the edge of the map. Thus the route down into Newbury is not
shown.
Interesting to some will be that “Berry’s Banck” is shown
from the Enborne north to route D whereas by the 1880 maps only a very short
section remained and that was at its northern end.
Fig 1: Map of Greenham Common showing routes A-D mentioned in
the text.
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