How did Thatcham get its name?

Thatcham has a long history – as previously stated, it is the oldest continuously inhabited place in Britain.

It was also has the remains from Mesolithic, Bronze and Iron Age settlements.

But how exactly did it get it’s name?

Well, according to some, it was derived after a Saxon chief called Tace established the village in about 500. ‘Tac’ or ‘Tace’ after the Saxon chief and ‘ham’ – the Saxon word for village.

So, actually the original name was ‘Taceham’. This name stayed the same until after the Norman Conquest in 1066. After going through several minor changes until being changed to ‘Thatcham’ in the 16th century.