National History Month

Thatcham had its first Bicycle Club in 1881 where Penny Farthings and Bone Shakers were the latest bikes. C.G.Brown Junior was the owner of the first motorcycle and had one of the first cars.

Chamberhouse Mill was a working Grist (corn) Mill and the first recorded name associated with the mill was Thomas Eastman in 1656. The mill was worked right up until 21st January 1965 when the last tenant, Fred Smith, passed away.

An excavation by Cotswold Archaeology in 2003 found a Bronze Age site at Hartshill with Iron working. The Iron dates to c.1000BC and thus pushes the start of the Iron Age back from 750BC to 1000BC.

Until the end of the eighteenth century, St. Mary’s Church was the only recorded place of worship in Thatcham, though dissenters had been meeting in private homes in the village for perhaps a hundred years or more.

Reading Abbey was dissolved in 1539 AD, and by 1540 AD the Borough and Manor of Thatcham were granted by King Henry to Sir John Winchcombe in the return for a payment of £2619 13s 4d.

When Earldorman Alfeah died about 965AD, he left many bequests of land and property to religious houses, particularly the Abbeys of Bath and Maimesbury, but he left Thatcham to the King. Thus Thatcham became a Royal Manor.