History of the Village of Warfield
in the Royal County of Berkshire
by David Nash Ford
W A R F I E L D
Berkshire
Two possible derivations of the
name Warfield have been put forward: Woer-Feld
meaning "Weir Field" or Woernawell-Feld
meaning "Wren's Stream Field".
There was a chapel here in
Saxon times: Queen Emma tried to give it to the
Bishop of Winchester. It was replaced by a new
building in the 12th century but the two may have
been very similar in appearance. The later church
was small and narrow with an eastern apse just
like Saxon models. It has been greatly enlarged
in later years (it is mostly 15th century), but
the old Norman building still remains as the
north aisle. The present decorated chancel is one
of the delights of all Berkshire churches. It was
attached to it in about 1330 as a private chapel
for the monks of Hurley Priory. The local Manor
was a grange of this community and, when constant
flooding drove the monks from their monastery,
they chose Warfield as their home. They not only
built the chapel but many domestic buildings
where the Rectory stables now stand. There is
thought to have been a cloister connecting the
two that may have lain against the 17th
almshouses (or Parish Rooms). The monks
stayed here for nearly a century. During this
period the Great Plague took a great toll on the
parish. Two parsons died in succession in 1350
and tradition says local people were buried in
two plague pits in Hatch Lane.
The church has many treasures:
the chancel has 14th century glass, a superb
sedilla, a much damaged Easter Sepulchre and a
relic chamber behind the restored screen for use
by the Hurley monks; the north chapel has the
most fantastic late medieval rood screen complete
with loft, the only one in the county; it also
has a fine 16th century Armada Chest and
once had three canopied tomb recesses. This north
chapel is usually called St.Katherine's or the
Staverton Chapel after the family whose memorials
litter its floor and walls. They lived at the
Manor House at Hayley Green.
See also Warfield Hamlets.
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