Southcote, Berkshire

Southcote () is a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located to the south-west of Reading town centre, Southcote has a population of about 8,500 (as of 2011). The settlement lies primarily between the London-to-Bath road and the River Kennet.

The area was sparsely populated until after the Second World War, though excavations have revealed evidence of Paleolithic and Iron Age activity in Southcote, as well as Roman and Saxon habitation. By the time William the Conqueror undertook the Domesday Survey in 1086, Southcote was sufficiently established to warrant a Lord of the Manor, who at that time was William de Braose. From the 16th century onwards, Southcote Manor was owned by the Blagrave family, who sold the manor house in the 1920s. The area was subsequently developed into housing: much of the land changed from agricultural to residential. A large proportion of the land in Southcote not used for housing is classified as flood-meadow, providing flood plains between urbanisation and the River Kennet.

Southcote forms an electoral ward in Reading. The area is seen as a safe seat for Labour, as the Conservatives have not held a seat on the council since the 1980s.

Residents of Southcote generally self-classify as Christian. The male life expectancy in the area is lower than the national estimate, although the female expectancy is slightly higher. Claimants of out-of-work benefits (such as Jobseeker's Allowance) are more prevalent in Southcote than in surrounding areas. Attainment in education in Southcote is lower than the Reading average, as is residents' self-evaluation of health.

Near to the settlement is Southcote Junction, where the Great Western Main Line diverges into the Reading to Taunton line and the Reading to Basingstoke line. The railways were preceded by the Kennet and Avon Canal, which passes south of the settlement. Southcote lends its name to the 104th lock on the canal.

History

Toponymy

Recorded in the Domesday Book as ''Sudcote'', Southcote has also been referred to as ''Sutcot'', ''Sudcot'', ''Sukote'', ''Suthcot'', ''Suthcote'', ''Suthcotes'', and ''Southcoat'', with the present spelling entering usage in the 15th century. Alternative spellings of ''Southcot'' and ''Southcott'' have also been used.

The name "Southcote", comparable to that of neighbouring Norcot, originates from the Old English "suth cote", meaning "south rncottage". It is likely that Circuit Lane, one of the primary roads into Southcote, derives its name from "Circourt Lane", a corruption of "Southcote Lane". A similar development of names occurred at Circourt Manor near Denchworth, Oxfordshire.

Early history

Lower Paleolithic and Palaeolithic materials have been recovered in various excavations in the Southcote area. An Iron Age occupation was located when houses were constructed in the 20th century.
A Saxon urn was found in Southcote in 1924. The urn contained ashes and bone fragments, and was given to the Museum of Reading. A polished stone celt was also found in Southcote in 1926.
An excavation of Southcote Manor in the 1960s uncovered many Roman, Romano-British and medieval artefacts such as sherds and pottery; a sample of the latter was discovered to have originated in Oxford in the 2nd century. Similarly, a Pannonian brooch and samian ware have been found in the area, and Roman pottery was found in the vicinity of the clay pits at Prospect Park Brick Works.
Later inhabitation of Southcote was discovered at Anslow's Cottages south of the Kennet, where excavation suggests that a Bronze Age waterfront was made on a branch of the river. A 1991 report by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England—now known as English Heritage—detailed the discovery of fragments of twined basketry at Anslow's Cottages, showing that eel or fish traps were used on the river near Southcote. Archaeological findings of timber structures adjacent to the trap suggest that it dated from the eight or ninth century. Later discoveries, made in the 1980s during gravel extraction in the area, also uncovered evidence of a landing stage or jetty on the river channel.

11th–15th century

The settlement of Southcote grew largely around the medieval house at Southcote Manor. Before the Norman Conquest, Southcote was held by Brictward—a Saxon landowner and priest—under Edward the Confessor. The settlement was documented in the Domesday Book as ''Sudcote'' with a total population of 13 households, consisting of five villagers and eight smallholders, though a manor house is not mentioned. At this time Southcote was mostly ploughlands, but had a mill and a fishery, and was valued at £5. The Lord of the Manor at the time was William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber. In the early 1200s a house was built and Southcote was owned by Henry Belet. This house had two moats, supplied with water by a channel from the nearby Holy Brook. Upon Henry's death the estate was inherited by his son Michael, who was cup-bearer to Henry II. In 1337, a grant of free warren was made to the Belet family for the manor.

In 1365 the manor and 13th-century moated house passed into the Restwold family, and it passed through marriage to the Drew family of Seagry, Wiltshire, then the Sambourne family. Margaret Sambourne, the heir to the manor, died in 1494 and an inquisition the following year suggested that she held the manor (then valued at £20) as a trustee on behalf of Hugh Kenepy. Around this time a brick house was built to replace the earlier dwelling. After the death of Sambourne's son, Drew, an inquisition reported in contradiction that the manor was held by the Abbot of Reading; in their work on the Berkshire section of ''Victoria County History'', Peter Ditchfield and William Henry Page write that at this point "the correct tenure had evidently been lost". Through Drew Sambourne's granddaughter, Margaret, the manor passed through marriage to William Windsor, 2nd Baron Windsor. William's grandson, Henry (5th Baron Windsor), sold the manor to Anthony Blagrave by the early 16th century.

16th–19th century

The Blagrave family were wealthy landowners around Reading, and the manor passed down through the family (which included mathematician John Blagrave, who built a new house at Southcote); a lease document dated from 1596 suggests that the manor was divided between three Blagrave brothers. Daniel Blagrave, a cousin of John, inherited the manor on the latter's death in 1611. At the time of the English Civil War, during the siege of Reading in 1643, the Blagraves allowed Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex to use the manor as his headquarters. The Blagrave family, who were sympathetic to the Roundheads, are said to have hosted Oliver Cromwell, John Hampden and Robert Blake for a council of war

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