Shillingford is a hamlet that takes its name from its role as a crossing point of the river, where scillingas (coins) were paid. The earliest evidence of human activity in Shillingford dates from the prehistoric period, when flint tools and pottery fragments were found in the area. In the Roman period, a villa was built near the river, and a road ran through the hamlet, connecting Dorchester and Wallingford. In the medieval period, Shillingford became a separate manor, held by various lords and religious institutions. The hamlet had a chapel dedicated to St Mary, which was later demolished. Shillingford’s location on the Thames made it a centre of trade and transport, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, when barges carried goods to and from London and other towns. The hamlet also witnessed the construction of the Shillingford Bridge in 1827, which replaced the old wooden bridge and improved the road communication. Shillingford has some 18th-century houses with brick dressings and flared headers, such as the Shillingford Farmhouse, Riverside House, and The Loans.