Thatcham: village or town?

Many locals still call Thatcham a village, but we have a Town council, so what is it?
At the time of Domesday, 1086, Thatcham was the administrative centre of a Hundred (an administrative area). By the 12th Century, it had a market and by c.1300 had became a Borough. The exact details and charters have since been lost to time. However in 1445 there is the record of “Ralph Castell, Constable of the town of Thatcham.” There are many other records, such as court proceedings from 1502 that note the “Towne of Thatcham.”

The market appears to have died out in the 16th Century and it seems that the use of both Borough and Town, with a few exceptions, ceased by the time of the English Civil War where some records record Thatcham as a village. With a population of c.2,500 in 1900 Thatcham retained the village status, however a post-war population boom saw a rise from c.5,000 residents in 1951 to over 10,000 in 1971. This allowed the parish council to apply to become a town officially in 1974.
To find out more contact us via email [email protected] or visit our website thatchamhistoricalsociety.org.uk