Chilton is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It Historic counties of England, was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of ''the'' White Hors ...
district of
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, England, about southwest of
Didcot
Didcot ( ) is a railway town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, located south of Oxford, east of Wantage and north west of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. Historically part of Berkshire, the town is noted ...
. The parish is a historic part of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, though under the
1974 local government boundary changes was transferred to the administration of Oxfordshire. The
2011 Census recorded the parish population as 894.
The village is just off the
A34 road.
History
A section of the
Grim's Ditch
Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke (also Grimsdyke or Grimes Dike in derivative names) or Grim's Bank is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch linear earthworks across England. They are of different dates and may have had different funct ...
forms part of the southern boundary of the parish. The prehistoric
Ridgeway National Trail passes south of the village. The
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 lists the parish. In 1644 the village was the site of a minor incident following the
Second Battle of Newbury in which
Parliamentarians narrowly escaped being attacked by
Royalists. The
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...
of
All Saints dates from the 12th century. Since 1976 the ecclesiastical parish has been united with
Harwell. The southern part of the
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, including the
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, is in the parish.
References
Sources
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External links
The Parish of St Matthew's Harwell with All Saints' Chilton: All Saints' ChiltonChilton Primary School
{{authority control
Civil parishes in Oxfordshire
Vale of White Horse
Villages in Oxfordshire