Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from old English Windles-ore, Windlesora, or winch by the riverside. The village was originally called Windsor, until the (now larger) town of New Windsor, from the village, assumed the name. Windsor is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. History Kingsbury Old Windsor was once the site of an important palace of the Saxon Kings. The settlement is documented as a defended royal manor in Edward the Confessor's time, but archaeological evidence suggests royal connections had existed since at least the 9th century. The Saxon royal site was excavated between 1953 and 1958, and the finds are at Reading Museum. Edward gave the manor to the Abbot of Westminster in 1066, but it was soon taken back into royal possession by William the Conqueror. Old Windsor was popular with the monarch because of its convenient location; near to the River Thames for transport and Windsor Forest for hunting. Old Windsor was also an early minster location and market, probably associated with a lock, and important riverside mill complex. The Saxon palace was eventually superseded by the Norman Windsor Castle, at 'New' Windsor. The palace, however, became a popular royal hunting lodge while Windsor Castle was still a fortress rather than a comfortable residence. The Beaumont Estate At the southern end of the village is the historic Beaumont Estate. First mention of the estate is recorded around the year 1300, when the estate, and much of the surrounding area was under the ownership of Hugo de Remenham. The estate was, at the time, known as Remenham, and occupied a larger area than it does now, stretching all the way down to the river Thames, and including the historic pub, the Bells of Ouzeley. After changing hands a few times, the estate was bought by Henry Frederick Tynne who had the house redesigned in 1705 by architect James Gibbs, renamed it Bowman's Lodge. The estate was acquired in the mid-eighteenth century by Sophia, Duchess of Kent. In 1751 the estate was bought by the Duke of Roxburghe for his son, the Marquess of Beaumont, who renamed it Beaumont Lodge. It was bought in 1786 by Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of