Lambourn () is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of racehorse training in England, and is home to a rehabilitation centre for injured jockeys, an equine hospital, and several leading jockeys and trainers. To the north of the village are the prehistoric Seven Barrows and the nearby long barrow. In 2004 the Crow Down Hoard was found close to the village.
History The most common explanation for the name of Lambourn refers to the lambs that were once dipped in the local river.p287, A.D. Mills, A Dictionary of British Place-Names, OUP Oxford, 2003 Many spellings have been used over the centuries, such as Lamburnan (880), Lamburna (1086), Lamborne (1644) and Lambourne. It was also called Chipping Lambourn because of its popular market. The spelling was fixed as 'Lambourn' in the early 20th century, but even today, towards Soley, three successive signposts at nearby junctions alternate the spelling of Lambourn and Lambourne. The village of Bockhampton was also known as Lower Lambourn.
The name Lambourn is an ancient name originating from the Brythonic language, which predates the arrival of the Saxon and Norman cultures in Britain. The etymology of the elements “Llan”, meaning enclosure, and “Bryn”, being hill, and together referring to the prominent Neolithic earthwork now known as Uffington Castle. This ancient hilltop enclosure, situated near the iconic Uffington White Horse and directly across from Dragon Hill, was historically referred to as Llan Bryn, denoting the enclosure atop the hill."The Genealogy of the Lamborn Family with Extracts from History", Samuel Lamborn, descended from Josiah L. of East Hampstead, Berkshire, England, 1894 The name became anglicized to several phonetic versions, ultimately settling on Lambourn, which has since become the defining toponym for the surrounding region. Numerous local features bear the name, including the Lambourn River, Lambourn Barrows, Lambourn Woodlands, Lambourn Downs, and the settlements of Lambourn and Upper Lambourn. The persistence of the name across these geographic and cultural landmarks reflects the enduring legacy of the original hilltop enclosure and its significance in the mythic and historical landscape of southern Britain.
In 2004 a metal detecting rally found a hoard of three gold bracelets and two armlets at Crow Down near Lambourn. They have been dated to 1200 BCE and are the only prehistoric gold objects to have been found in Berkshire. The hoard was declared a treasure under English Law in 2005 and is on display at the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury."2004 Treasure text" The National Archives. Retrieved 2014-12-3 In Roman times, the area was extensively farmed, as shown by an archaeological research project based on Maddle Farm. Ermin Way, the major Roman road between Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester) and Glevum (Gloucester), also known as the "Upper or Baydon Road", passes through Lambourn Woodlands as part of the B4000.
Seven Barrows Lambourn is famous for its Seven Barrows, just above Upper Lambourn. There are more than thirty Bronze Age burial mounds forming a large prehistoric cemetery. On a line west of the Seven Barrows is the Long Barrow, which dates from c. 4000 BCE, making it 2,000 years older than the other barrows. It has been half-destroyed by deep ploughing, and only the mound in the woods and a few sarsen stones remain.p65, John North, Stonehenge: A New Interpretation of Prehistoric Man and the Cosmos , The Free Press, 2007
Lambourn Church (minster) and almshouses
...the Downs themselves shelter Lambourn's massive Norman nave.
The large, mainly Norman, Church of England parish church is in the village centre facing the historic market place, with a surrounding wall built of sarsen stones, and is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels. The road pattern shows an original circular enclosure, suggesting pagan Celtic origins. Alfred the Great, born in Wantage, was also closely connected with this ancient landmark. It has been a minster since Saxon times and officially known as Lambourn Minster since as early as 1032, and Alfred mentioned it in his will. It was probably Cnut who granted Lambourn Minster to the Dean of St Paul's.
Successors to that office held it until 1836. Inside are monuments to the great and the good of the many manors in the parish, including an excellent brass to John Estbury (1508), who founded the almshouses outside, and fine effigies of Sir Thomas Essex and his wife (1558). The almshouses were established by an Act of Parliament in the reign of King Henry VII and confirmed by his son King Henry VIII after the Dissolution of the Monasteries made the original uncertain, as it included a now forbidden chantry.p249, David Dean, Law-Making and Society in Late Elizabethan England: The Parliament of England, 1584–1601, Cambridge University Press, 2002 There is an arch with mediaeval carvings of hunting scenes. The church was much restored in the late 19th century, and has a chancel roof designed by G. E. Street. The church also boasts a fine three-manual Henry Willis organ. The clock faces were replaced, and the tower stonework repaired, in 2011. The church is a Grade I listed building.
The Anarchy The Empress Matilda bequeathed Lambourn and Chippenham to Hugh de Plucket out of the Royal demesne in 1142 for his aid in The Anarchy of the civil wars against the usurper Stephen of Blois.pp123-124, Marjorie Chibnall, The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English, Wiley-Blackwell, 1993 However, another Breton adventurer, Josce de Dinan and his knights, retreated to Lambourn after he lost Ludlow Castle to Gilbert de Lacey. Maltida's son King Henry II gave him Chipping Lambourn in compensation in 1156.pp210-211, J. A. Everard, Brittany and the Angevins: Province and Empire 1158–1203, Cambridge University Press, 2000 Josce died in 1162 AD and in either case, the Plunket family were in possession of the Manor by the beginning of the 14th century.p118, Graeme J. White, Restoration and Reform, 1153–1165: Recovery from Civil War in England, Cambridge University Press, 2000
Queen Elizabeth I
The Ditchley portrait of Queen Elizabeth I was painted for Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley to commemorate her visit in 1592. The Queen stands on a map of England with her feet on Oxfordshire and Lambourn is shown (but not named) on the map below her feet, in the downs of Berceria at the head of the River Lambourn which joins the River Kennet at Newbury.
Civil War During the Civil War, Prince Rupert and his Cavaliers rested at Lambourn on the night of 18 and 19 September 1643, between fighting a skirmish with the Parliamentarian Army at Aldbourne Chase on the 18th and the First Battle of Newbury on the 20th.p25, Walter Money FSA, The First and Second Battles of Newbury and the Siege of Donnington Castle During the Civil War, AD 1643-6, The Naval and Military Press, 1881 Queen Henrietta Maria stayed at Kingswood House on 18 April 1644 en route to Exeter, having said her final farewell to her husband King Charles I a few days before at Oxford. Kingswood was an Elizabethan manor house that was demolished a long time ago and replaced by the current Kingswood House Stables.
On 9 November 1644 King Charles and the Royalist Army relieved Donnington Castle in the face of the Army of the Eastern Association led by the Earl of Manchester and Oliver Cromwell. Thereafter he withdrew to Lambourn and stayed in "The King's Chamber" at Kingswood House, while the Royalist infantry were quartered in Lambourn and the cavalry at Wantage. The Parliamentarian Scoutmaster Sir Samuel Luke reported "Monday. 11 November 1644. The last night the King's headquarters were at Wantage and Lamborne ... all the foot that which lay at Lamborne marcht away this morning towards Auborne".
The Luddites and Captain Swing There were Captain Swing anti-machinery riots in Lambourn in 1832–33. It was said that 'there would be no good times at Lambourn until there was a good fire', and several farm buildings were burned by Luddite agricultural labourers whose wages had been slashed by the introduction of machinery.p245, Adrian Randall, The Moral Economy and Popular Protest: Crowds, Conflict and Authority, Palgrave Macmillan, 1999 The Marxist historian, Eric Hobsbawn, wrote 'A threshing machine was broken at Lambourn; and from there the movement spread south to Eastbury and East Garston, where money was collected and several machines were destroyed'.pp139-140, Eric Hobsbawm and George Rude, Captain Swing, Phoenix, 2001 The labourers demanded 40 shillings for their loss of earnings and an increase in wages from 8 shillings to 12 shillings a week. They threatened to burn down farm buildings if they were not paid. Ten machines were destroyed in the Lambourn Valley from Fawley to Boxford, and the movement spread northwards to the Vale of the White Horse and the Thames Valley.
World War II plane crash On 8 September 1944, a B-24 Liberator flown by 2nd Lt Lawrence Berkoff of the 856th Bombardment Squadron, USAAF encountered engine problems whilst undertaking a Carpetbagger mission from RAF Harrington. After aborting the mission and turning back north, Berkoff struggled to maintain control of the plane, whilst his crew parachuted to safety over Baydon. Continually losing altitude, he remained at the controls to divert the aircraft away from Lambourn, and was killed when it crash-landed in a field on Folly Road, Lambourn, at 10:45pm, missing the village by a few hundred yards. Berkoff was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross; a plaque in his honour was unveiled on 26 June 2003 by his great nephew, Todd Berkoff, at Lambourn Memorial Hall.
1953 lorry crash On Tuesday 13 April 1953 an articulated lorry carrying of aviation fuel suffered brake failure as it came down Hungerford Hill (now the B4000). Despite the best efforts of the driver, it hit several buildings before overturning on Oxford Street. The lorry exploded, destroying the tobacconist's, confectioner's, watchmaker's, jeweller's and antique dealer's shops, but only the driver was killed. The burning fuel set fire to three houses, two thatched cottages and several flats, and 37 people were made homeless. It also flowed down the street and into the River Lambourn and set fire to property up to 50 yards away until the Newbury, Hungerford, Wantage, Swindon and Faringdon fire brigades helped the local brigade quench the fire.
1971 lurcher show The first dog show for lurchers was held at Lambourn in 1971, which included dog racing and coursing.p75, David Alderton, Hounds of the World, Swan Hill Press, 2000
1991 motorway crash
At 14:15 hours on Wednesday 13 March 1991 there was a major crash on the M4 Motorway in the southernmost part of Lambourn between the Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and stopped alongside the central crash barrier on the right hand (overtaking) lane. This obstruction was seen by the car behind him, which managed to change lanes and avoid contact. However, the cars behind were travelling at high speed (an average of ) in patchy fog and many were only one or two car lengths behind the vehicle in front. As a result, they had no time to avoid the van, crashed and spun out of control into the other lanes. Others took evasive action by driving onto the hard shoulder and up the sides of the cutting.