The hamlet was first documented in 1617 as Chapel Rewe[2] and subsequently featured on Roque's Map of Berkshire in 1761.[3][4]
There was a chapel in the area built sometime before the 12th century, which led to the naming of the hamlet. The chapel was in decay by the 12th century, but extant as ruins in the 18th century. It no longer exists.[4][5]
Since the mid 17th century, an inn has stood near to the locality's green.[6] The site is now occupied by The Bladebone Inn.
Chapel Row Revels
In the 18th century, Chapel Row became known for its revels, which were held on the Monday following the feast of Saint Anne.[citation needed] The revels featured events such as backswording (described by Joseph Addison in The Spectator as "a ring of cudgel players who broke one another's heads in order to make some impression on their mistresses' hearts"). The sport was not featured in a number of later fayres as at least one contender was reported to have been killed.[citation needed] An 1812 Reading Mercury article on the fayre focusses primarily on agriculture, stating that the event was an opportunity to trade cattle and employ farmhands.[7]
^Ingram, Christine; Ingram, Tony; Ridley, Pamela, eds. (1976). The History of Some Berkshire Inns and Their Signs. Reading: The Berkshire Federation of Women's Institute. pp. 23–24, 48–49.
