Little John's Farm (Reading): Difference between revisions

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Little John's Farm

At Little John's Farm, when it is not hosting the Reading Festival / Graham Horn, 2007, Creative Commons via Geograph.

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-07-17.

Little John's Farm is situated between the Thames and the tracks of the Great Western Railway in an area that is now a well-known venue for outdoor concerts, most famously the annual Reading Festival.

On O.S. maps of the area published in 1882, 1897 and 1899 (see Maps section below), the locality is indicated as "Little John's" tout court. The EPNS volume on this part of Berkshire also lists it under that short form but refers as its source to John Snare's c. 1846 map of Reading and environs on which the name is cited as "Little Johns Farm" (see Maps section below).^[1] I have found a slightly older source: the 1843 tithe award for Tilehurst lists the plot as "Little John'shomest^d" (sic), i.e. Little John's homestead, with an area of 21 perches (Template:AcreRoodPerchToM2 m²), the owner a Knollys John Weldale, the occupier a John Clarke, leaving "State of cultivation" blank, since as a homestead it was not under cultivation.^[2]

It is not known how Little John's farm acquired its name. Perhaps it was once owned/occupied by a family surnamed Littlejohn? In all events, Little John's Lane, leading to the farm, seems much more likely to have been named after it than vice versa.Template:PnItemQry

Gazetteers

Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), p. 295.

MS sources

The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe award, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Image 025 (1843) (subscription required)
The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe map, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Sub-Image 001 (1843) (subscription required).

Printed sources

Gelling, Margaret. The Place-Names of Berkshire (English Place-Name Society, vols. XLIX-LI) (Cambridge, 1973; [s.l.], 1974-76), pt. I, p. 178; p. xviii for source ref. expansion.

Maps

Snare, John; Dodd, Moses, ed. Snare's Map of the Country Ten Miles round Reading (Reading, c. 1846).
25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (c. 1878; surveyed: c. 1876). No Copy in NLS
25" O.S. map Oxfordshire XXIX.14 (c. 1879; surveyed: c. 1876). No Copy in NLS
25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1899; rev. 1897)
25" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.14 (1899; rev. 1897) (georeferenced)
25" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.14 (1913; rev. 1910)
25" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.14 (1934; rev. 1932)
25" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.14 (1938; rev. 1936)
6" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI (1882; surveyed 1877-78)
6" O.S. map Oxfordshire LVI.SW (1900; rev. 1897) (georeferenced)
6" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.SW (1914; rev. 1910)
6" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.SW (x. 1934; rev. 1931-32)
6" O.S. map Berkshire XXIX.SW (c. 1945; rev. 1938)

Background

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Notes

↑ Gelling, Margaret. The Place-Names of Berkshire (English Place-Name Society, vols. XLIX-LI) (Cambridge, 1973; [s.l.], 1974-76), pt. I, p. 178; p. xviii for source ref. expansion.
↑ The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe award, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Image 025 (1843) (subscription required); The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe map, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Sub-Image 001 (1843) (subscription required). The missing space after "John's" is due to lack of space in the form.

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[1] Gelling, Margaret. The Place-Names of Berkshire (English Place-Name Society, vols. XLIX-LI) (Cambridge, 1973; [s.l.], 1974-76), pt. I, p. 178; p. xviii for source ref. expansion.

[2] The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe award, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Image 025 (1843) (subscription required); The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe map, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Sub-Image 001 (1843) (subscription required). The missing space after "John's" is due to lack of space in the form.

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@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 On O.S. maps of the area published in 1882, 1897 and 1899 (see Maps section below), the locality is indicated as "Little John's" ''tout court''. The EPNS volume on this part of Berkshire also lists it under that short form but refers as its source to John Snare's ''c.'' 1846 map of Reading and environs on which the name is cited as "Little Johns Farm" (see Maps section below).<ref>{{:Gelling, Margaret 1973a}}, pt. I, p. 178; p. xviii for source ref. expansion.</ref> I have found a slightly older source: the 1843 tithe award for Tilehurst lists the plot as "Little John'shomest<sup>d</sup>" (''sic''), ''i.e.'' Little John's homestead, with an area of 21 perches ({{AcreRoodPerchToM2|0|0|21}} m<sup>2</sup>), the owner a Knollys John Weldale, the occupier a John Clarke, leaving "State of cultivation" blank, since as a homestead it was not under cultivation.<ref>[https://www.thegenealogist.com The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe award, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Image 025 (1843)] (subscription required); [https://www.thegenealogist.com The Genealogist: Tilehurst tithe map, Piece 2, Sub-Piece 132, Sub-Image 001 (1843)] (subscription required). The missing space after "John's" is due to lack of space in the form.</ref>
-It is not known how Little John's farm acquired its name. Perhaps it was once owned/occupied by a family surnamed Littlejohn? In all events, [[Little John's Lane (Reading) (1)|Little John's Lane]], leading to the farm, seems much more likely to have been named after it than vice versa.{{#ask:[[Category:Records ({{#ifeq:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}||{{PAGENAME}}|{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|0| {{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}-1}} }},{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|{{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}-1}}|1}}{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|{{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}+1}}}}}}]]| format=embedded|embedformat=h3|columns=1|limit=1000|sort=Utitle|intro=<h2>Records</h2><div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed records" data-expandtext="Show records" data-collapsetext="Hide records">|outro=</div>}}{{#ask:[[Category:Allusions ({{#ifeq:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}||{{PAGENAME}}|{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|0| {{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}-1}} }},{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|{{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}-1}}|1}}{{#sub:{{PAGENAME}}|{{#expr:{{#pos:{{PAGENAME}}|(|}}+1}}}}}}]]| format=embedded|embedformat=h3|columns=1|limit=1000|sort=Utitle|intro=<h2>Allusions</h2><div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed allusions" data-expandtext="Show allusionss" data-collapsetext="Hide allusions">|outro=</div>}}
+It is not known how Little John's farm acquired its name. Perhaps it was once owned/occupied by a family surnamed Littlejohn? In all events, [[Little John's Lane (Reading) (1)|Little John's Lane]], leading to the farm, seems much more likely to have been named after it than vice versa.{{PnItemQry}}
 == Gazetteers ==
 * {{:Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a}}, p. 295.