© Maggie Kilbey 2025
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Berkshire
*Abingdon
now Oxfordshire
(St Nicholas)
:
Flight & Robson barrel organ installed 1815.
Converted to finger organ. Ref: Nigel Hammond,
First Organ at St Nicholas Church
www.aaahs.org.uk/files/Newsletters/Spring05.pdf
[accessed 7 Mar. 2022]
*Aldermaston
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Flight & Robson barrel organ. Part-exchanged 1851.
Arborfield
(St Bartholomew)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Arborfield WI,
History, Stories & Customs
of the Parish of Arborfield and the Liberty of Newland
(1922)
www.arborfieldhistory.org.uk/Arborfield_WI.htm
[accessed 7 Mar. 2022]
Ascot :
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Reading Mercury
(28 Oct. 1865) p.6
*Ashbury
now Oxfordshire
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Notes & Queries
, CXLVII (15 Nov. 1924) p.363
*Barkham
(St James)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref: P.H. Ditchfield,
The Parson's Pleasaunce
(1810) p.7;
Hampshire Observer & Basingstoke
News
(31 Aug. 1910) p.6;
MacDermott (1948) p.67
Basildon
(St Bartholomew)
:
Gray & Davison improved barrel & finger organ installed
1848. Ref: BOA, Gray & Davison Ledger 4 (1848) p.158
Bisham
(All Saints)
:
Barrel organ installed c.1845.
Ref:
Reading Observer
(20 Aug. 1881) p.2;
South Bucks Standard
(8 Jan. 1897) p.7;
Maidenhead Advertiser
(13 Feb. 1901) p.6
Boxford
(St Andrew)
:
See
Surviving instruments
Buckland
now Oxfordshire (St Mary the Virgin)
:
Daniel Gray barrel & finger organ installed 1851. Barrel mechanism removed.
Ref: NPOR, D05928
*Coxwell, Great
or
Little
? now Oxfordshire
:
Barrel organ. Converted to finger organ.
Ref:
Suffolk and Essex Free Press
(24 Aug. 1898) p.1; H. Prosser Chanter, Letter,
Notes & Queries
, X (3 Jun. 1922) p.437
*Cumnor
now Oxfordshire
(St Michael)
:
Elliot & Hill barrel & finger organ transferred from
Eynsham
(Oxon.). Removed c.1924.
East Garston
(All Saints)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Newbury Weekly News and General Advertiser
(6 Mar. 1902) p.3
Enborne
(St Michael & All Angels)
:
Henry Bevington barrel organ.
Ref:
Reading Mercury
(31 Dec. 1892) p.2
Greenham
(St Mary)
:
Barrel organ. Ref:
Berkshire Chronicle
(29 Jun. 1861) p.4
Hampstead Norreys
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Bevington & Sons barrel organ installed 1840. Converted to finger organ.
Ref: NPOR, N09941
*Hamstead Marshall
(St Mary)
:
Bevington & Sons barrel organ installed c.1840.
Ref:
Newbury Weekly News and General Advertiser
(23 Feb. 1893) p.6
Old Windsor
(St Peter)
:
Barrel organ. Ref:
Windsor and Eton Express
(25 May 1889) p.3
Shellingford
(St Faith)
:
Gray & Davison barrel organ installed 1850.
Ref: BOA,
Gray & Davison Ledger 5 (1850) p.179
Shrivenham
(St Andrew)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
E.F. Hill,
A Record of the Parish of Shrivenham
(1928) p.10
Sonning
(St Andrew)
:
Barrel organ transferred to a church in Lincolnshire 1849.
Ref: Hugh Pearson,
Memorials of the Church and Parish of Sonning
(1890) pp.xiv & 50
Streatley
(St Mary)
:
J.C. Bishop barrel organ installed 1836.
Ref:
NPOR, D01790
Sulham
(St Nicholas)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
NPOR, D02126
*Sunninghill
(St Michael & All Angels)
:
Barrel organ. Removed 1861.
Thatcham
(St Mary)
:
Gray & Davison barrel organ installed 1844.
Ref:
BOA, Gray & Davison Ledger 4 (1844 ) p.220
Tilehurst
(St Michael)
:
Barrel organ installed 1836.
Ref:
Berkshire Record Office, D/P 132/5/7 Vouchers and papers (1836)
Warfield
(St Michael)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref: ‘Parishes: Warfield’, A
History of the County of Berkshire: vol.3
(London, 1923) pp.184-191,
BHO
www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp184-191
*
Listed in
Lyndesay G. Langwill & Noel Boston,
Church and Chamber Barrel Organs
, 2nd edn (Edinburgh, 1970)
p.70
Photo: M. Kilbey
Bisham
© Maggie Kilbey 2025
Barrel Organs in English Parish Churches
Berkshire
*Abingdon
now Oxfordshire (St Nicholas)
:
Flight & Robson
barrel organ installed 1815. Converted to finger organ.
Ref: Nigel Hammond,
First Organ at St Nicholas Church
www.aaahs.org.uk/files/Newsletters/Spring05.pdf
[accessed 7
Mar. 2022]
*Aldermaston
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Flight & Robson barrel
organ. Part-exchanged 1851.
Arborfield
(St Bartholomew)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref: Arborfield WI,
History, Stories & Customs of the Parish of
Arborfield and the Liberty of Newland
(1922)
www.arborfieldhistory.org.uk/Arborfield_WI.htm
[accessed 7
Mar. 2022]
Ascot :
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Reading Mercury
(28 Oct. 1865) p.6
*Ashbury
now Oxfordshire
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Notes & Queries
, CXLVII (15 Nov. 1924) p.363
*Barkham
(St James)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref: P.H. Ditchfield,
The
Parson's Pleasaunce
(1810) p.7;
Hampshire Observer &
Basingstoke News
(31 Aug. 1910) p.6;
MacDermott (1948) p.67
Basildon
(St Bartholomew)
:
Gray & Davison improved barrel
& finger organ installed 1848.
Ref: BOA, Gray & Davison Ledger 4 (1848) p.158
Bisham
(All Saints)
:
Barrel organ installed c.1845.
Ref:
Reading Observer
(20 Aug. 1881) p.2;
South Bucks Standard
(8 Jan. 1897) p.7;
Maidenhead Advertiser
(13 Feb. 1901) p.6
Boxford
(St Andrew)
:
See
Surviving instruments
Buckland
now Oxfordshire
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Daniel Gray
barrel & finger organ installed 1851. Barrel mechanism
removed. Ref: NPOR, D05928
*Coxwell, Great
or
Little
? now Oxfordshire
:
Barrel organ.
Converted to finger organ.
Ref:
Suffolk and Essex Free Press
(24 Aug. 1898) p.1; H. Prosser
Chanter, Letter,
Notes & Queries
, X (3 Jun. 1922) p.437
*Cumnor
now Oxfordshire)(St Michael)
:
Elliot & Hill barrel &
finger organ transferred from
Eynsham
(Oxon.). Removed
c.1924.
East Garston
(All Saints)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Newbury Weekly
News and General Advertiser
(6 Mar. 1902) p.3
Enborne
(St Michael & All Angels)
:
Henry Bevington barrel
organ. Ref:
Reading Mercury
(31 Dec. 1892) p.2
Greenham
(St Mary)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Berkshire Chronicle
(29 Jun. 1861) p.4
Hampstead Norreys
(St Mary the Virgin)
:
Bevington & Sons
barrel organ installed 1840. Converted to finger organ.
Ref: NPOR, N09941
*Hamstead Marshall
(St Mary)
:
Bevington & Sons barrel
organ installed c.1840. Ref:
Newbury Weekly News and General
Advertiser
(23 Feb. 1893) p.6
Old Windsor
(St Peter)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
Windsor and Eton Express
(25 May 1889) p.3
Shellingford
(St Faith)
:
Gray & Davison barrel organ installed
1850. Ref: BOA, Gray & Davison Ledger 5 (1850) p.179
Shrivenham
(St Andrew)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref: E.F. Hill,
A Record of the Parish of Shrivenham
(1928) p.10
Sonning
(St Andrew)
:
Barrel organ transferred to a church in
Lincolnshire 1849. Ref: Hugh Pearson,
Memorials of the Church
and Parish of Sonning
(1890) pp.xiv & 50
Streatley
(St Mary)
:
J.C. Bishop barrel organ installed 1836.
Ref: NPOR, D01790
Sulham
(St Nicholas)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
NPOR, D02126
*Sunninghill
(St Michael & All Angels)
:
Barrel organ.
Removed 1861.
Thatcham
(St Mary)
:
Gray & Davison barrel organ installed
1844. Ref: BOA, Gray & Davison Ledger 4 (1844 ) p.220
Tilehurst
(St Michael)
:
Barrel organ installed 1836.
Ref:
Berkshire Record Office, D/P 132/5/7 Vouchers and papers
(1836)
Warfield
(St Michael)
:
Barrel organ.
Ref:
‘Parishes: Warfield’,
A
History of the County of Berkshire: vol.3
(London, 1923)
pp.184-191,
BHO
www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp184-191
*
Listed in
Lyndesay G. Langwill & Noel Boston,
Church and Chamber
Barrel Organs
, 2nd edn (Edinburgh, 1970)
p.70
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