Location and general description
This tiny village lives in the shadow of the Swallowfield Park estate, to the south of Reading, Berks.
Buildings
Swallowfield Park
In 1689 Henry HYDE, the 2nd Earl of Clarendon, aquired Swallowfield Park by marriage and built the current house. The HYDE family were also connected with Cornbury Park, Charlbury, Oxon. and the journal of the second Earl mentions social contact with the JORDAN's of Witney, Oxon.In 1777, Thomas 'Diamond' PITT, bought the Park from Henry's son, Edward HYDE, 3rd Earl of Clarendon.
Thomas 'Diamond' PITT sold the property to John DODD for £20,000, and it remained in his family until 1783.
In 1783 the house was bought by Silvanus BEVAN who then sold it again in 1789.
By 1825 it was in the posession of Sir Henry RUSSELL, whose son Sir Charles RUSSELL inherited it in 1852.
People
The HATTON family
In 1830, Sarah HATTON, nee KILLMESTER, wrote her will whilst residing at Swallowfield. Her daughter Mary married Henry William BULL who was for a time based in Binfield, Berks. At this point she had married daughters in nearby Binfield, Berks (Mary BULL, nee HATTON) and Reading, Berks (Esther SKEAT WHITE, nee HATTON).Related links
A selection of links to other sites with information about this place
- Wickipedia page for Swallowfield Park.
- David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History, Swallowfield Park.
- The Georgetown University web site contains a summary of the contents of the RUSSELL papers.
Bibliography
- NASH FORD, David, Berkshire History : Swallowfield Park. Nash Ford Publishing (2002), URL:http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/swallowfield_park.html, accessed 2/Aug/2008.