Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) west of Newbury, 9 miles (14 km) east of Marlborough, 27 miles (43 km) northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the River Dun, a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north of the centre whence canal and river both continue east. Amenities include schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, and facilities for the main national sports. Hungerford railway station is a minor stop on the Reading to Taunton Line.
Hungerford is on the River Dun. It is the westernmost town in Berkshire, on the border with Wiltshire. It is in the North Wessex Downs. The highest point in the entire South East England region is the 297 m (974 ft) summit of Walbury Hill, 4 mi (6.4 km) from the town centre. The Kennet and Avon Canal separates Hungerford from what might be described as the town’s only suburb, the hamlet of Eddington. The town has, as its western border, a county divide which also marks the border of the South East and South West England regions; it is 60 mi (97 km) west of London and 55 mi (89 km) east of Bristol on the A4. It is almost equidistant from the towns of Newbury and Marlborough. Freeman’s Marsh, on the western edge of the town, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Hungerford is the only place in the country to have continuously celebrated Hocktide or Tutti Day (the second Tuesday after Easter). Today it marks the end of the town council’s financial and administrative year, but in the past it was a more general celebration associated with the town’s great patron, John of Gaunt. Its origins are thought to lie in celebrations following King Alfred‘s expulsion of the Vikings. The “Bellman” (or town crier) summons the Commoners of the town to the Hocktide Court held at Hungerford Town Hall, while two florally decorated “Tutti Men” and the “Orange Man” visit every house with commoners’ rights (almost a hundred properties), accompanied by six Tutti Girls, drawn from the local school. Originally they collected “head pennies” to ensure fishing and grazing rights. Today, they largely collect kisses from each lady of the house. In the court, the town’s officers are elected for the coming year and the accounts examined. The court manages the town hall, the John of Gaunt Inn, the Common, Freeman’s Marsh, and fishing rights in the River Kennet and river Dun.
There is an old legend that “Hingwar the Dane”, better known as Ivarr the Boneless, was drowned accidentally while crossing the Kennet here, and that the town was named after him. This stems from the, probably mistaken, belief that the Battle of Ethandun took place at Eddington in Berkshire rather than Edington, Wiltshire, or Edington, Somerset.
