SPEEN, a parish comprising the tythings of Benham
and Church-Speen, in the hundred of KINTBURY-EAGLE,
and the township of Wood-Speen with Bagnor,
and the tything of Speenhamland, in that of FAIRCROSS,
county of BERKS, and containing 2392 inhabitants, of
which number, 600 are in the tything of Church-Speen, f
of a mile (W.) from Speenhamland. The living is a vicarage,
in the archdeaconry of Berks, and diocese of Salisbury,
rated in the king's books at £ 14.0.10., and in the
patronage of the Bishop of Salisbury. The church, dedicated
to St. Mary, contains some curious monumental
figures. The parish is bounded on the south by the river
Kennet and the Kennet and Avon canal, and on the north
by the river Lambourn. This was the Spines of the
Romans, a station on the road from Gloucester to Silchester.
To the north of the church traces of an agger,
or fortification, are distinctly visible; and on Speen moor
a large urn was found under a tumulus of earth eight
feet high; a Roman altar, consecrated to Jupiter, was
also discovered, in 1730, at Fulsham, in this neighbourhood.
This was the principal scene of the second battle
of Newbury, fought October 27th, 1644, between what
is now the castle and the village. Here was formerly
a market on Monday, but it has been long disused.