Mortimer Common
Encyclopedia
Mortimer Common, generally referred to as Mortimer, is a village in the civil parish of Stratfield Mortimer
in Berkshire
. Mortimer is in the local government district of West Berkshire
and is seven miles south-west of Reading
.
. To the North lies Burghfield Common and Wokefield
. To the West lies Mortimer West End
and Padworth Common
. The Lockram Brook
flows through the middle of the parish and joins into Burghfield Brook
further to the Northeast, this in turn feeds into Foudry Brook
, a tributary of the Kennet and Avon Canal
. There is much woodland in the area, including Starvale Woods, Wokefield Common and Holden Firs.
The three main roads in Mortimer are The Street, West End Road and Victoria Road.
by William I
shortly after the Norman Conquest and held it throughout the Middle Ages, as recorded in the Domesday Book
. Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March
was for three years de facto ruler of England after leading a successful rebellion against Edward II
, before being overthrown and executed in 1330 by Edward III
, with his lands (including Mortimer) seized by the crown. The Mortimers came close, during the reign of Richard II
, to the English throne again, but the claims of the family were ignored and the throne was vested in Henry IV
instead.
During the Tudor period Mortimer was one of the lands granted to each of the wives of Henry VIII
.
There are several Bronze Age burial mounds in the area. Excavations at one have shown that it was later used for burials when the Anglo-Saxons moved into the area.
Mortimer FC is currently in the Reading Football League Senior Division, in tier 11 of the football pyramid. Mortimer has won the League four times; in 1993-4, 1994-5, 1996-7 and 2001-02.
Mortimer has amateur cricket and tennis clubs, cubs, scouts, girl guides and brownies clubs as well as the Mortimer Dramatic Society. A community centre was completed in the autumn of 2009, which is used as a cricket pavilion.
On taking over from Sewards Supermarket, Budgens also took over the tradition of arranging the annual 'fun run', a 10 kilometer race around the village, which generally takes place on the last Sunday of September. The central Common grounds are also used for travelling funfares.
In terms of shops and restaurants and other amenities Mortimer offers a hair-dresser, a gift shop, a travel agency a hardware store (Dads Shop), a Budgens
supermarket (formerly Sewards), a newsagents McColls (formerly Forboys), The Loon Tin Chinese take away, The Cinnamon Tree Indian restaurant, a café, and two estate agencies.
Mortimer has three public houses: The Victoria Arms, The Turners Arms and The Horse and Groom.
There are four churches including a Methodist churst, St. Saviours Church, and the Church of England parish church of St John the Evangelist. Next to the church is St John's Infant School, being one of the two schools in Mortimer
Stratfield Mortimer
Stratfield Mortimer is a village and civil parish, just south of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire.Strictly speaking, the village of Stratfield Mortimer sits at the foot of Mortimer Hill which rises westward from the Foudry Brook. The much larger, and better known, village of Mortimer...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Mortimer is in the local government district of West Berkshire
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
and is seven miles south-west of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
.
Geography
Mortimer stands at the top of Mortimer Hill, at the bottom of which is Stratfield MortimerStratfield Mortimer
Stratfield Mortimer is a village and civil parish, just south of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire.Strictly speaking, the village of Stratfield Mortimer sits at the foot of Mortimer Hill which rises westward from the Foudry Brook. The much larger, and better known, village of Mortimer...
. To the North lies Burghfield Common and Wokefield
Wokefield
Wokefield is a civil parish in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England, south of the borough of Reading. The parish includes the hamlets of Grazeley Green, Goddard's Green and Bloomfield Hatch, and the 18th century mansion of Wokefield Park...
. To the West lies Mortimer West End
Mortimer West End
Mortimer West End is a village and civil parish in north Hampshire in England.At one time it was the Hampshire part of the cross-county parish of Stratfield Mortimer . It became an independent ecclesiastical parish in 1870 - the church of St Saviour having been built in 1854 - and a civil parish in...
and Padworth Common
Padworth Common
Padworth Common is a hamlet and common in the English county of Berkshire, within the civil parish of Padworth. It is bounded by Burghfield Common to the East Aldermaston to the West. To the North lies Padworth, and to the South is Mortimer West End....
. The Lockram Brook
Lockram Brook
Lockram Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Berkshire village of Mortimer within various areas of woodland and farmland, including Wokefield Common, Starvale Woods and Lukin's Wood. It travels North East towards Wokefield, passing under Lockrams Lane near Wokefield Farm...
flows through the middle of the parish and joins into Burghfield Brook
Burghfield Brook
Burghfield Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises in Wokefield Common between the Berkshire villages of Mortimer and Burghfield Common. The Burghfield Brook forms Burghfields southern border with Wokefield Parish. A notable feature of this watercourse within Wokefield Common is...
further to the Northeast, this in turn feeds into Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook
Foudry Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Hampshire village of Baughurst named as Beaumonts Stream or Beaumonts Brook.-Geography:...
, a tributary of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
. There is much woodland in the area, including Starvale Woods, Wokefield Common and Holden Firs.
The three main roads in Mortimer are The Street, West End Road and Victoria Road.
History and name
Historian David Nash Ford believes the name Mortimer stems from the Lords of the Manor, the Mortimer family, a powerful magnate family and the Earls of March from Wigmore, Herefordshire. The family were given the manor, along with Wigmore CastleWigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
by William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
shortly after the Norman Conquest and held it throughout the Middle Ages, as recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March
Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March
Roger de Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March , was an English nobleman and powerful Marcher lord, who had gained many estates in the Welsh Marches and Ireland following his advantageous marriage to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville. In November 1316, he was...
was for three years de facto ruler of England after leading a successful rebellion against Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, before being overthrown and executed in 1330 by Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, with his lands (including Mortimer) seized by the crown. The Mortimers came close, during the reign of Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, to the English throne again, but the claims of the family were ignored and the throne was vested in Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
instead.
During the Tudor period Mortimer was one of the lands granted to each of the wives of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
There are several Bronze Age burial mounds in the area. Excavations at one have shown that it was later used for burials when the Anglo-Saxons moved into the area.
Sport and Leisure
Mortimer has several senior football teams including Mortimer FC and Victoria Arms Reserves FC as well as two youth football teams; Mortimer Stingers and Mortimer Hornets.Mortimer FC is currently in the Reading Football League Senior Division, in tier 11 of the football pyramid. Mortimer has won the League four times; in 1993-4, 1994-5, 1996-7 and 2001-02.
Mortimer has amateur cricket and tennis clubs, cubs, scouts, girl guides and brownies clubs as well as the Mortimer Dramatic Society. A community centre was completed in the autumn of 2009, which is used as a cricket pavilion.
On taking over from Sewards Supermarket, Budgens also took over the tradition of arranging the annual 'fun run', a 10 kilometer race around the village, which generally takes place on the last Sunday of September. The central Common grounds are also used for travelling funfares.
Amenities
Mortimer has a village hall, a surgery, a chemist, a dentist, a bank (Natwest), a library, a post office, a fire station, and a community police station.In terms of shops and restaurants and other amenities Mortimer offers a hair-dresser, a gift shop, a travel agency a hardware store (Dads Shop), a Budgens
Budgens
Budgens Stores Ltd is a chain of foodstores in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1872 by John Budgen, who opened the first store at Maidenhead, Berkshire. Budgens supermarket chain operates over 227 stores and employs over 6,000 staff...
supermarket (formerly Sewards), a newsagents McColls (formerly Forboys), The Loon Tin Chinese take away, The Cinnamon Tree Indian restaurant, a café, and two estate agencies.
Mortimer has three public houses: The Victoria Arms, The Turners Arms and The Horse and Groom.
There are four churches including a Methodist churst, St. Saviours Church, and the Church of England parish church of St John the Evangelist. Next to the church is St John's Infant School, being one of the two schools in Mortimer
Notable people
- Herbert St Maur CarterHerbert St Maur CarterLieutenant Colonel Herbert St Maur Carter D.S.O., M.D. was an Irish-born British military officer, doctor and surgeon, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and the British Red Cross, and was decorated by both the British and Serbian governments.He was born in Ireland, the son of Major...
D.S.O., M.D., R.A.M.C. officer and surgeon who was decorated by the British and Serbian governments. - Jonathan 'Mad John' Phethean (died October 2003)
- Legless Bob (formerly one legged Bob, (formerly Bob))