Spencers Wood - History

History

The village was named after the le Despencer family — a Norman family — in the 13th century. Until about 1300, the village was part of the Royal Forest (Windsor Forest).

In the 13th century, Spencers Wood was administered by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury and his court in Amesbury. Hence at that time Spencers Wood was part of Wiltshire (as was much of the surrounding area). Nearby Swallowfield was split between Wiltshire and Berkshire, with Part Lane marking the partition. In fact, it was only on 20 October 1844 that Spencers Wood and the surrounding areas became part of Berkshire. In 1860, most of the land, which was hitherto common land, was enclosed and separately acquired by two local gentlemen; the local philanthropist Frederick Allfrey, and William Merry, who was a County magistrate and a visiting magistrate to Reading Gaol, as well as Secretary at War Lord Palmerston's private secretary from 1812 to 1828.

By 1880, Spencers Wood had become a thriving village with a population of 600, of whom 200 were children. Most of the working men worked in the fields or were in domestic service. Victorian and Edwardian style houses were built along the Basingstoke Road using bricks baked at the local Swain family kiln. The Square became the heart of the village during this building period. Many of the houses still stand.

In spite of its growth, Spencers Wood was still split between the ecclesiastical parishes of Shinfield, Swallowfield and Grazeley. This changed in 1908 when the Church of St Michael and All Angels was consecrated. The boundaries were finally officially changed five years later, although some parts of the village were still in the ecclesiastical parish of Grazeley. Also on 1908, the local school was opened, which ended the necessary walk to Swallowfield's Russell Hall, Shinfield or Grazeley School.