P. H. Ditchfield

Peter Hampson Ditchfield (1854–1930) was an English clergyman, antiquary and prolific writer on rural history. Educated at Oriel College, Oxford, he served for more than forty years as rector of Barkham in Berkshire, and was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He wrote dozens of books on English country life and its past, including Old English Customs, The Parish Clerk, The Manor Houses of England, The Cottages and Village Life of Rural England and English Villages, and he edited volumes of the Victoria County History of Berkshire. His aim was to make villagers proud of the history around them.