Wraysbury

Coordinates: 51°27′29″N 0°33′07″W / 51.458°N 0.552°W / 51.458; -0.552

Wraysbury is a village and civil parish on the east (left) bank of the River Thames, about midway between Windsor and Staines, and 18 miles (29 km) west by south-west of London. Until 1974 it was in the county of Buckinghamshire. It was administered by Berkshire County Council between 1974 and 1998, and now by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead; however the Wraysbury Reservoir is in the Spelthorne district of Surrey.

History

Investigation by Windsor and Wraysbury Archaeological Society of a field in the centre of Wraysbury to the east of St Andrew's Church revealed evidence of human activity in Neolithic times. Many hundreds of flint artefacts were found and are now in the care of the Windsor Museum collection.

The village name was traditionally spelt Wyrardisbury; it is Anglo Saxon in origin and means 'Wïgrǣd's fort'. Its name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wirecesberie and as Wiredesbur in 1195. The name is seen again as Wyrardesbury in 1422.