Beckett, Berkshire

Historical Description

Beckett, a tithing in Shrivenham parish, Berks, in the vicinity of the G.W.R., 5 miles SW of Faringdon. It was formerly called Becote; belonged once to the Earls of Evreux, then to the priory of Norion in Normandy; was seized, and made an occasional residence by King John, and passed afterwards to a family who took from it the name of De Beckote. It now belongs to Viscount Barrington. The present mansion on it superseded a large ancient manor-house, is a fine edifice in the Tudor style, and contains some interesting paintings and the chess-pieces of Charles I. The grounds, extending over 150 acres, are very picturesque and beautiful.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Beckett from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Beckett)

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Berkshire is available to browse.

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Berkshire papers online:

• Reading Mercury
• Windsor and Eton Express
• Berkshire Chronicle

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Berkshire 1532, 1566, and 1665-6 is available online.