Easthampstead is a former village and now a southern suburb of the town of
Bracknell
Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Reading, south of Maidenhe ...
in the
English county of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...
, although the old village can still be easily identified around the Church of
St Michael and St Mary Magdalene. This building houses some of the finest
stained glass works of Sir
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman ...
.
History
In Easthampstead there is evidence of local
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
existence in the form of a large
round barrow
A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...
on the top of Bill Hill.
The hill itself is also surrounded by an ancient ditch, which has largely been filled in. Bill Hill now forms part of a park next to Downshire Way and it is a
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
Easthampsted is mentioned as an entry in the Domesday book as land belonging to the abbey of Westminster St. Peter in the hundred of Ripplesmere.
[http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SU8667/easthampstead/ Open Domesday: Easthampstead] It was a small village of 14 villagers and 8 ploughlands, and had a value of £5 in 1066. By 1070 it was only worth £2.5.
Originally Easthampstead was an important