An Outline History of Stanford in the Vale
Browse Chapters: Introduction Prehistory Romano-British Anglo-Saxon	Domesday Stanford Medieval Stanford Reformation and Tudor Stanford Civil War Stanford Early Modern Stanford	19th Century Stanford The First World War The Inter-War Years The Second World War Post-War Stanford
Church and Chapel Schools and Libraries Civic Administration Newsletters	Health and Social Services, and Young People Village Halls Fairs, Festivals and Fetes	Clubs and Societies Businesses Acknowledgements & Further Reading
Additional articles: BBC Domesday 1986	Church Green Fire 2005 Coat Of Arms	Virtual Tour 2003

Civic Administration

In 1892 Stanford purchased 12 oil lamps for evening illumination of its streets, and these were erected in January 1893 (Howse, 1: 21 ); a telegraph line was brought in from Faringdon a few months later (Howse, 4: 212).

The Local Government Act of 1894 specified that Parish Councils should be elected in rural areas with a population of over 300, and Stanford's (civic) Parish Council dates from 1895, with the first meeting being on 3 January in the School Room, with Rev. H A. Cotton as Chairman and Harry Albion Cox as Clerk.

The Berks County Constabulary was set up in 1856-57, but it is not clear when Stanford first had a police presence. In the VWH Directory for 1894, two retired 'P.C.'s' are listed (George Holliday and Samuel White), and in Kelly's Directory for 1895 one William Butcher, constable, appears to be present in the Police Station. (Howse (2: 44) puts the first police station in the village at Burn Orchard, with P.C. Hannsworth its first occupant, in about 1900). Later, the Police Station was in the building subsequently known as 'The Limes', and more recently as 'Stanford Cottage', on Chapel Road (Howse 2: 40), until 1954. The last police constable in the village was P.C. Mayall, in the 1950s.

Stanford's Fire Brigade was disbanded on 11 May 1908.

The Stanford in the Vale Benefit Society was established in January 1904.

One hundred years ago the principal landowners in the parish were Sidney Edward Bouverie-Pusey (1839-1911) of Pusey; Charles Morrison (1817-1909), merchant banker, of Basildon Park; George Basil Eyston (1820..;1904); John Perry; Albert Whitfield; and Joseph Cowderoy Richards (1850-1924) of Appleton (Lord of the Manor).