News
Photo of Heytesbury by Diane Vose
Ladies of the Manor
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
A RUNAWAY CHIPPENHAM BUS
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…
Exploring Wiltshire History
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.
Christmas Carol for the Year 1780 by Michael Burrough
The author of this Christmas carol was mayor of Salisbury, whose attempts at verse remained unpublished.
Wiltshire Christmas Carols
An excerpt from A Wessex Nativity compiled by John Chandler, we look at 3 Christmas Carols from Poulton, Castle Eaton and Britford.
Christmas Day – The Family Sitting by John Meade Falkner
An excerpt from A Wessex Nativity compiled by John Chandler - this poem was written by John Meade Falkner in the 1900’s
Christmas Charity in Whiteparish
Donating to charity at Christmas isn’t new. Read all about the charitable donations made in Whiteparish throughout the years.
Christmas Charity in Chippenham
Christmas is a time for giving, not only presents to family and friends, but an opportunity for charities to appeal for funds. This is not new
Moated Site at Kellaways
A second moated high-status dwelling has been found within the parish of Langley Burrell.
The Langley Burrell body snatch
Truth or lie? The curious story of body snatching in Langley Burrell.
The Comfort of Guests
Take a peek inside Langley Hall in the 1760’s when Rev. Robert Ashe spared no expense, including all of the latest facilities.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Wiltshire Victoria County History Trust wishes to congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the event of her Platinum Jubilee.
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Whiteparish
Celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee where a more relaxed affair in Whiteparish, with donations for the celebrations high and a strong focus on food.
William Plenderleath on Queen Victoria’s Jubilee
Dear old William Plenderleath, rector of Cherhill 1860-91, generally spoke his mind and here we discover his thoughts and feelings on Queen Victoria’s Jubilee.
CHIPPENHAM ANNUAL HERITAGE LECTURE – 14 JUNE 2022
A lecture by Louise Ryland-Epton on ‘Bremhill Parish Through the Ages’ at St Andrew’s Church in Chippenham.
‘The Chapels and Meeting-houses of Somerset’ by Julian Obrach
Julian Obrach’s latest talk about the architecture of nonconformist denominations in Somerset, on 28th April at 7.30pm, will focus on the chapels and meeting-houses of the Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists, Quakers and Unitarians.
Mary Ferris and the Campaign Against the Corn Laws
March is Women’s History Month. It is a time to think about and celebrate the role of women in the past. In the Bremhill Parish History Project, we highlighted the stories of many women who stood up against injustice or did not conform to the social or economic expectations of their time. Unfortunately, not all of these narratives were featured in our book. The story of Mary Ferris of Charlcutt, Bremhill is one.
Bremhill Book Award & Talk
We are pleased to announce that Bremhill Parish Through the Ages, published in December 2021 has jointly won the Alan Ball Local History Book of the year 2021. Louise and Martin Nye, will be talking about this community history project at an online talk on 14 March.
A Forbidden Christmas
The third in our “Christmas over the Centuries” series was written by Rosalind Johnson and talks about the secret Christmas services held in Wiltshire in the 17th Century.