When working on a parish for the VCH, one of the first things to establish is its boundaries, because these define the parameters of the task in hand.

Every September cups and saucers, mugs and plates, are pressed into service for cancer charity Macmillan’s Coffee Morning. This nationwide event raises much-needed funds for the charity, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was tea, rather than coffee, that was the beverage of choice for fund-raising events.

An insight into how historians prejudices can effect the way our local history is recorded

Little is known of nursing care in Whiteparish until the very end of the 19th century. A midwife was working in Whiteparish by 1811, who was required to attend to the poor, but most nursing would have been provided informally by family members, friends and neighbours.

Set on an isolated hillside, far from any village or public road, the ruins of medieval Clarendon Palace are a romantic and atmospheric sight. Once a palace for medieval kings, who came here to enjoy hunting deer in Clarendon Park, the buildings fell into disuse under the Tudors.

Find out more about the kindness of Robert Sadler and the duffle coat

A concern for the environment and awareness of environmental change is nothing new. In the seventeenth century, the Wiltshire antiquarian, John Aubrey, was aware of the changing landscapes around his childhood home at Kington St Michael

An article by John Chandler about his meeting and the life of Heather Tanner.

Did you know: around 15% of property was being controlled directly by widows across southern England. Mark Forrest explores more, including the complications of wills and passing manors through the female line

It was pitch-black, one imagines, in wartime Chippenham market place, when at 9.55 pm on 22 December 1940 a double-decker bus bound for Hullavington, its headlamps masked in accordance with blackout regulations, attempted to depart. But the journey wasn’t a smooth one…

John Chandler is beginning to edit our work on the outlying parts of Chippenham, he spent a couple of days between Christmas and New Year exploring on foot some of the places he had not visited before, or not for many years. Join him on his exploration.