Oxfordshire was brought into existence during the Anglo-Saxon period, the original county being confined to the north bank of the Thames. However, local government reorganisation in 1974 meant that the Vale of White Horse district was transferred from Berkshire to Oxfordshire, and the county boundary was thereby extended southwards into the vale and downland area on the south side of the Thames. The area which we have defined as the Vale of White Horse includes the present-day Vale of White Horse District Council area, together with a handful of locations on the north side of the river. Around thirty different locations have been included, some of these being small towns or villages such as Wantage and Faringdon, while others are rural villages such as Clifton Hampden, Uffington and Blewbury.