Streatley, Berkshire
Historical Description
Streatley, a village and a parish in Berks. The village stands on the river Thames, at a convergence of Roman roads, half a mile W of Goring station on the G.W.R., and 6 miles S of Wallingford; has been identified by some writers with the ancient Calleva; is a picturesque place, much frequented, by artists, and has a post and telegraph office under Reading; money order office, Goring. The parish includes the hamlets of Southridge and Westridge, and comprises 3634 acres of land and 22 of water; population, 607. There are many handsome villa residences. The manor belongs to the Bowles family. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford; net value, £260 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Oxford. The church is an ancient building of flint and stone in the Anglo-Norman or Transition style, containing some good stained windows, and some ancient brasses and memorials. It was endowed with the vicarial tithe by Herbert Poor, last bishop of Old Sarum in 1215. It was largely restored by the same bishop in 1217, and in later times in 1863. The ancient nave roof, dating from 1217, is still in position.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Berkshire | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Streatley St. Mary | |
| Hundred | Moreton | |
| Poor Law union | Bradfield |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1679.
Churches
Church of England
St. Mary (parish church)
The church of St. Mary, rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in 1864-5, consists of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower of flint containing 6 bells and a clock; in the south aisle is a memorial window to Robert Barclay, who died January 25th, 1881; and two others to Emily (died June, 1891), widow of W. H. Stone esq.: in the north aisle are three memorial windows to the Todd family, James Henry Todd, d. April 9th, 1886, Catherine Todd and Mary, daughters of I. H. Todd, d. March 16th, 1881: the church contains some good brasses, including one at the end of the north aisle to Elizabeth Osborn, 1440, and another to Thomas Buriton, ob. 20th July, 1603, Joan (Weir), his wife and 17 children; there are also memorials in the church to William Stone esq. of Streatley, d. 30th January, 1845, and Mary, his wife, and to William Henry Stone M.A. d. 20th June, 1863, and Emily, his wife; and a monument to the Right Hon. Sir Samuel Shepard kt., P.C. Attorney-General and chief Baron of the Exchequer in Scotland, who died in 1840, and is buried in the churchyard: the bells have been repaired at a cost of about £150, towards which Mrs. Stone subscribed £100; the nave was rebuilt in 1864-5, and reseated at the sole cost of the late Mrs. Stone: in 1893 a fine alabaster reredos was erected in memory of the late Mrs. Stone; it is to feet wide and 9 in height, and consists of a richly worked base, and above this three carved panels of the Presentation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, within elaborate canopies: there are 300 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Streatley was in Bradfield Registration District from 1837 to 1937
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Streatley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Streatley (St. Mary))
- Kelly's Directory of Berkshire, 1915
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Berkshire is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Streatley are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Berkshire papers online:
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitations of Berkshire 1532, 1566, and 1665-6 is available online.