News

Photo of Heytesbury by Diane Vose

Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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…

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

Christmas Charity in Whiteparish

Donating to charity at Christmas isn’t new. Read all about the charitable donations made in Whiteparish throughout the years.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

Experience a Victorian Christmas in Langley Burrell through Francis Kilvert’s eyes.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

Moated Site at Kellaways

A second moated high-status dwelling has been found within the parish of Langley Burrell.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.  

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.

Read More
Wiltshire History Wiltshire History

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.

Read More