Ruscombe

This article is about the village in Berkshire. For the house in the United States, see Ruscombe (Baltimore, Maryland).

Ruscombe
St James' parish church
Ruscombe Location within Berkshire
Population	1,094 (2011 Census) [1]
OS grid reference	SU7976
Civil parish	Ruscombe
Unitary authority	Wokingham
Ceremonial county	Berkshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Reading
Postcode district	RG10
Dialling code	0118
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Royal Berkshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Wokingham
Website	Ruscombe Parish Council
List of places UK England Berkshire 51°28′48″N0°51′07″W / 51.480°N 0.852°W / 51.480; -0.852

Ruscombe is a village and civil parish, east of Twyford in the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England.

History

Reports from the late 1800s provided summaries of the status of the village; in 1876, the population was 200 and that increased to 349 by 1895. The village was served by a National school. The primary landowners were TC Garth and Rev. A Barker. ^[2] St James the Great church was described as "a building of flint and brick, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch, and an embattled western tower". ^{[3] [4] [5]} A history of the parish published in 1923 provided extensive coverage of the previous centuries. At that time, the settlement included "a few modern cottages" as well as the manor and church. ^[6]

Parish church

Main article: Church of St James the Great, Ruscombe

The Church of England parish church of St James was built in the late 12th century. Its Norman chancel survives but its nave and west tower were rebuilt in 1638–39. Additional modifications were made in the 1800s. The church has been a Grade I listed building since 1967. ^[7] St James' is part of a united benefice with St. Mary's, Twyford. ^[8] The benefice is in turn part of a local ecumenical partnership with Twyford United Reformed Church. ^[9] In March 2020, the partnerships included St Mary's Twyford, St Nicholas Hurst, St James Ruscombe and Twyford United Reformed Church. ^[10]

Manor

The manor of Southbury was the home of William Penn from 1710 until his death in 1718. The house was torn down in 1829. ^[11]

Notable people

• William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, lived in Ruscombe from 1710 until his death in 1718. ^[12]
• Dennis Price, co-star of the film Kind Hearts and Coronets , was born in Ruscombe in 1915. ^[13]

Amenities

Ruscombe Football Club plays in the Reading Sunday League.

References

1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
2. Royal County Directory of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire
3. Ruscombe, from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5
4. Ruscombe, Berkshire Historical description
5. Kelley's Directory, Berkshire
6. Ditchfield & Page 1923, pp. 203–206.
7. Historic England. "Church of St James, Church Lane (1154605)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 July 2013.
8. Archbishops' Council (2010). "Ruscombe and Twyford". Church of England . Retrieved 22 July 2013.
9. "Welcome to Our Churches". Ruscombe and Twyford LEP. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
10. Ruscombe, St James the Great
11. Ruscombe (Royal Berkshire History website)
12. Ford 2001.
13. The Times , 25 October 1949, p.1

Bibliography

• Ditchfield, P.H.; Page, W.H., eds. (1923). "Parishes: Ruscombe". A History of the County of Berkshire, Volume 3. Victoria County History.
• Ford, David Nash (2001). William Penn (1644-1718). Archived from the original on 8 March 2019.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 208–209.

External links

• Stroud Voices mid 20th century oral history from Ruscombe residents