Hatford (St. George)

HATFORD (St. George), a parish, in the union of Farringdon, hundred of Ganfield, county of Berks, 3 miles (E. by S.) from Farringdon; containing 123 inhabitants. The manor, originally the property of Sir Robert de Hatford, was afterwards held by the family of Chaucer, the poet, whose daughter, Alice, conveyed it by marriage to De la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, at whose death it reverted to the crown, and, after passing through several families, ultimately became vested in the Pusey family. The parish comprises 918a. 2r. 28p., of which nearly 567 acres are arable, 332 meadow, and 19 woodland; the soil is of a sandy quality, and the substratum chiefly limestone. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £12. 17. 6., and in the gift of John Painter, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £259, and the glebe comprises 53 acres. The church is an ancient structure, chiefly in the Norman style, with a beautiful arched doorway; in the chancel is a handsome monument to the memory of Sir Robert de Hatford.