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Let’s look at it in more detail. Silverley stands at the junction of the boulder clay and chalk soils, not far from the River Kennett valley, which would have made it ideal for one of the many Anglo Saxon bases for forest clearance. There were 3 places of worship in the immediate area, being All Saint’s Church, Silverley; St Mary’s Church, Ashley and Ashley chapel.
This gives rise to an interesting theory. We all assume Ashley has been in its current location for ever and so has Silverley, but St Mary’s Church, Ashley is at least a mile from the present village. Either Ashley was in a different location, or there was a third settlement in the area.
There is an indirect record in the institution registers of the Diocese of Norwich of the advowson being presented to the priory of Silverley in 1177, which could be the earliest evidence of a church in the village but the first specific reference to churches in both villages is contained in the Norwich Valuation of 1254, which recorded both villages as separate parishes.
The chapel, according to the plaque embedded in the wall which now marks the site, was founded on October 25th 1277. This date could be taken as marking the start of the migration from the St. Mary’s and All Saints areas to the present Ashley site, because in 1300 at a Quo Warranto enquiry, the jurors of Chiltern Hundred declared Silverley to be a hamlet.
Just to put things into proportion, here are 2 valuations for the villages. In 1254, Silverley was worth £10 6s 8d (£10.33p), Ashley 20s. (£1.00p) In 1291, Silverley was valued at £17 6s 8d (£17.33p), Ashley, £6 13s 4d (£6.67p). It’s easy to see Silverley was the largest settlement by a good margin. So did 1277, when the need for a place of worship in Ashley was identified, see the start of the decline of Silverley? This is a good example of how confusing old records can be. In 1291 Silverley is 3 times the value of Ashley, but in 1300 is it declared a hamlet.
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