Introduction to Horton

Horton is a village in Berkshire, England. It is located between Windsor and Staines, to the south-west of the M4 and M25 intersection.

It may be that the name Horton is Anglo Saxon in origin and is derived from the two words 'horh' and 'tun', meaning 'dirty farm'.  However the Domesday book records a different meaning.  In the Domesday book the name Horton is written Hortune Its derivation is from Ort or Wort, meaning herbs or vegetables; and tun an inclosure or garden. Ortgeare, Hortgeard, Hortus. Tun means hedge in Gaelic, hence dun a fort or town.

The parish of Horton contains an area of 1,366 acres. There are 803 acres of arable land and 580 of permanent grass.
The slope of the land is almost uniformly from 57 ft. to 67 ft. above the ordnance datum, and the maximum height attained is 80 ft. in the extreme north of the parish.

The soil is loam, the subsoil gravel, and the chief crops are wheat, oats, barley and roots.
Horton is well watered by various small feeders of the Rivers Thames and Colne. The Colne separates it on the east from the county of Middlesex. The village of Horton occupies a central position in the parish.