Datchet

Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventually transferred to Berkshire, under the Local Government Act of 1972. The village developed because of its close proximity to Windsor and the ferry service which connected it to the main London Road across the River Thames. The ferry was later replaced by a road bridge at the foot of the High Street, which was rebuilt three times, a rail bridge approaching Windsor across the river, and two road bridges above and below the village. The name "Datchet" is thought to be Celtic in origin, and the last part may be related to ''cet'' ("wood"). In the Domesday Book it is called "Daceta".

History

There is evidence of habitation in the area shortly after the end of the last ice age, between 10,000 and 6,500 years ago, and of a multi-period settlement at Southlea from the Neolithic to the late Roman periods. An excavation at Riding Court, a manorial sub-division of Datchet, has revealed a monument complex that included a cursus, ring ditches, oval barrows and causewayed enclosures. The monuments had developed alongside the River Thames, which acted as a barrier, a gateway and a routeway to other regions. The 2017 investigations at Riding Court Farm have provided evidence of Early Neolithic activity (4000–3350 BC) with the discovery of a previously unknown causewayed enclosure.

Datchet is first mentioned between 990 and 994, when King Ethelred made small grants of land here. In the Domesday Book, in 1066 the lords were the brothers Saewulf and Siward. In 1086 the lord and tenant-in-chief was Giles, brother of Ansculf, also referred to as Giles de Pinkney. In 1150, the church already existed in Datchet, and the Pinkney family sold it to the abbey of St Albans, Hertfordshire. As such the Abbot became rector as improprietor of the parish and had the right to appoint vicars. There was a ferry at Datchet Ferry which provided a shorter route from London to Windsor Castle and was frequently used by royalty.

In 1249, Henry III gave a great oak from his Windsor forest to make a barge for passage from Windsor to Datchet. In 1350, Edward III gave Datchet Church as part of the endowment of his new church and college of St George at Windsor Castle. St. Mary's church originated as a rectory in the 13th century. A church dated from 1559 by the parish registers was dismantled in 1857, rebuilt, and reopened in 1860. It is notable in that its tower is octagonal, the greater number of church towers being square or round. On the dissolution of the monasteries, the Crown confiscated the rectory, which was sold by Parliament in 1659 to William Stanbridge and Thomas Roberts.

In 1641, Charles I sold the manorial house and estate of Riding Court to William Wheeler, then it was sold out of the Wheeler estates, and, after passing through various hands, was finally conveyed to John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu in 1742, and so came once more under the same ownership as Datchet Manor. After the death in 1790 of his son-in-law, George, Earl of Cardigan, created Duke of Montagu in 1766, the manors passed to the latter's daughter Elizabeth wife of Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch. From 1802 the title followed the same descent as Datchet and Ditton in Stoke Poges, and the manorial rights were vested in John Walter Edward, the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, until recently transferred to David Mapley, the current owner.

In 1706, the ferry that carried traffic across the River Thames through Datchet was replaced by Datchet Bridge. The crossing was replaced three times until it was finally demolished in 1851 as part of re-routing roads and bridges when the LSWR railway line was built from Richmond to Windsor. Traffic between Old Windsor and Datchet now uses a southerly route along Southlea Road and crossing Albert Bridge, while a new Windsor Road was built from Datchet riverside and crossing the new Victoria Bridge. In 1742, John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu bought Datchet manor, and his family owned it until at least 1925; at one point it was owned by the head of the influential Montagu-Douglas-Scott family, Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch.

In 1790, a workhouse was built in Holmlea Road and in 1820 an almshouse belonging to the workhouse was turned into a shop. In 1848, the first train went through Datchet to Windsor and by 1860 Datchet Common's beer house, The Plough, was in existence. In 1886, Datchet was described as having been known as Black Datchet in the early 1800s because of a large number of bad characters living there, and that Aylesbury County Jail had one building known as the 'Datchet Wing' filled mostly with poachers, for which there is good evidence. Jerome K. Jerome's ''Three Men in a Boat'' describes Datchet as a minor riverside resort. This has descriptions of the Manor Hotel and the Royal Stag.

In early 1911 a young Sydney Camm watched Sir Thomas Sopwith land his aircraft on Datchet golf course, on his return journey from Windsor Castle. From 1911 to 1914, cars were made at workshops at the end of Holmlea Road; Lord Montagu was the landlord. Windsor Guards polo grounds in Horton was where the Queen Mother Reservoir now stands. In 1931, the Pavilion club was built on Datchet riverside. Dame Vera Lynn sang here and the 'London Set' socialised here. Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson had secret meetings here.

Notable residents

*William Herschel, astronomer, lived at ''The Lawn'' on Horton Road from 1782 to 1785.
*Hon Evelyn Ellis lived at ''Rosenau'' on Southlea Road in the 1880s. He owned the first ever motor car in Britain.
*Barry Davies, sports commentator, lives in Datchet.
* Stephen Tompkinson, actor, has lived in Datchet since 2003.

Other associations with Datchet

*Charles Dickens used Datchet railway station when he varied his route to Slough to visit a mistress.
* Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia was fatally injured in a road accident at Datchet.

Commerce and services

Datchet railway station is on the Windsor & Eton Riverside to London Waterloo line with a journey time of around 55 minutes. The Manor is a hotel and conference centre, originally part of the Manor House range of houses, owned but never occupied by any lord of the manor. The history of the manor begins in 1335 when King Edward III gave the manor of Datchet to William de Montacute, who then passed it on to Sir John Molyns, who held it until 1631, when it passed to the Winwood family and eventually to the Buccleuch and Montagu families. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu is still the titular Lord of Datchet Manor but owns no property here. There is one pub in Datchet, The Royal Stag. The Morning Star is now a Costa Coffee shop and the Plough is a branch of Tesco. Datchet has three schools — Churchmead School, a secondary school, Datchet St. Mary's Primary School, and Eton End, a private preparatory school. Datchet has a number of sports clubs including Datchet Cricket, Football, a Golf Club, founded in 1892, and sailing club at the Queen Mother Reservoir.

External links

Datchet Village WebsiteDatchet Parish Council

References

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Villages in Berkshire
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Civil parishes in Berkshire
Populated places on the River Thames