Barkham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England, located around southwest of the town of Wokingham.
History
Barkham dates back to 951, when a Saxon thane gave Bloreham to the monks of Abingdon Abbey. In Saxon times, it passed from the rule of the Abbey, and during the time of King Edward the Confessor, it was owned by a Saxon thane named Ælmer. After the Conquest, it was taken possession of by William the Conqueror.
In 1630 and 1655, the inhabitants petitioned the constable of Windsor Castle against enclosures made by Richard Arrowsmith who, under licence from James I, had built a hunting lodge and formed a deer park at Bear Wood. This would later become Barkham Manor. meaning "birch home" referring to the birch trees on the edge of Windsor Great Park. The name evolved via forms including Berkham in the 14th century and Barcombe in the 18th century. Barkham had two moated farm-houses. dates from 1220. The chancel and transepts were added of Cripplegate in the City of London.
A number of members of the Leveson-Gower family are buried in the church, including Lady Mary Tufton, Countess Gower, widow of the first Earl Gower; her son Admiral John Leveson-Gower (d.1792); his son, General John Leveson-Gower and daughter-in-law Isabella Mary Leveson-Gower (née Broke); as well as his grandson, John Leveson-Gower (d.1883), with his wife Charlotte (d.1876), son Sackville (d.1874), and mother-in-law the Right Hon. Lady Harriet Mitchell (d.1855). He was a Freemason, historian and prolific author. With William Page he co-edited three Berkshire volumes of the Victoria County History, which were published in 1907, 1923 and 1924.
Social and economic history
Another prominent farming family, that of Ball, is erroneously said to be that of George Washington's mother, Mary Ball Washington. They lived in the parish from the late 15th to the mid-17th century, but William Lee Ball, the man once thought to have emigrated to Virginia and become Mary's great grandfather, may have actually died in London and his family lived in the East Berkshire area for at least two more generations. This is still disputed by Americans relatives of Mary Ball. It has 10 councillors that are elected by the parish residents for a term of four years.
Schools
Bohunt School Wokingham, opened at Arborfield Green in Barkham parish in 2016, is a mixed-sex independent academy.