Previous publications
Photo of some of the 18 VCH volumes at Trowbridge Library in County Hall by Paul Deal
Between the mid 1950s and 2011, Wiltshire Victoria County History published 18 of the 25 volumes which, when complete, will tell the fascinating story of our county from early pre-history to the present day.
Brief details of volumes 1 to 18 are set out below. Volumes 1 to 5 cover general topics and volume 6 onwards provide the detailed history of each area of the county, divided into the ancient hundreds. The areas covered by each volume from 6 onwards are shown on the map.
All but volumes 1 and 2 can be accessed free online at British History Online and the red headlines above the descriptions of volumes 3 to 18 contain clickable links.
You can find the “big red books” at Swindon, Trowbridge, Salisbury, and Chippenham libraries, at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham and the Wiltshire Museum library in Devizes. Warminster and Devizes libraries have all but one volume and other libraries in the county have part collections. The books are also available at many academic and large public libraries worldwide.
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 1 Part 1
Subject matter: The ‘physique’ of the county - the physical background to human settlement - followed by a gazetteer of archaeological sites.
Date of publication: 1957
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 1 Part 2
Subject matter: Settlement and agriculture during the prehistoric, Roman, and Pagan Saxon periods.
Date of publication: 1973
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 2
Subject matter: Anglo Saxon Wiltshire, Anglo Saxon art, introduction to the Wiltshire Domesday, translation of the Wiltshire Domesday, introduction to the Wiltshire geld rolls, text and translation of the Wiltshire geld rolls, summaries of the fiefs in the Exon Domesday, index of the Domesday survey and the geld rolls.
Date of publication: 1955
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 3
Subject matter: Ecclesiastical history, Roman Catholicism and Protestant Nonconformity, religious houses. (Only the text on religious houses is available online, including an account of Salisbury Cathedral to the 20th century.)
Date of publication: 1956
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 4
Subject matter: A thematic account of the agricultural, industrial, social and sporting history of the county. Also includes an account of the royal forests and Cranborne Chase.
Date of publication: 1959
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 5
Subject matter: Contains thematic accounts of the parliamentary and governmental history of the county, and the development of public health and medical services.
Date of publication: 1957
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 6
Area covered: Old and new Salisbury, Wilton and the parishes of Underditch hundred (Stratford sub Castle, Wilsford and Woodford)
Date of publication: 1962
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 7
Area covered: Bradford hundred (Bradford on Avon with Broughton Gifford, Great Chalfield, Holt, Limpley Stoke, Monkton Farleigh, South Wraxall, Wingfield and Winsley)
Melksham hundred (Trowbridge, Melksham with Erlestoke, Hilperton, Poulshot and Whaddon)
Potterne and Cannings hundred (Potterne, Bishop’s Cannings, Bromham, Highway, Rowde and West Lavington.)
Date of publication: 1953
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8
Area covered: Warminster hundred (Warminster with Bishopstrow, Corsley, Dinton, Fisherton de la Mere, Norton Bavant, Pertwood, Sutton Veny, Teffont Magna and Upton Scudamore)
Westbury hundred (Westbury)
Whorwellsdown hundred (Steeple Ashton, North Bradley, East Coulston, Edington and Keevil)
Date of publication: 1965
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 9
Area covered: Kingsbridge hundred, including Swindon and Chiseldon, Clyffe Pypard, Draycot Foliat, Hilmarton, Liddington, Lydiard Tregoze, Lyneham, Tockenham, Wanborough and Wootton Bassett.
Date of publication: 1970
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 10
Area covered: Devizes borough and Swanborough hundred (includes All Cannings, Alton Barnes, Beechingstoke, Charlton, Chirton, Etchilhampton, Great Cheverell, Huish, Little Cheverell, Manningford Abbots, Manningford Bruce, Marden, Market Lavington, North Newnton, Rushall, Stanton St Bernard, Stert, Upavon, Urchfont, Wilcot, Wilsford and Woodborough)
Date of publication: 1975
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 11
Area covered: Downton Hundred (Downton with Bishopstone, Barford, Charlton, East Knoyle, Fonthill Bishop, Hamptworth, Hindon, Nunton and Bodenham, Standlynch, Wick and Witherington)
Elstub and Everleigh Hundred (Collingbourne Ducis, Enford, Everleigh, Fittleton, Ham, Little Hinton, Netheravon, Overton, Patney, Rollestone, Stockton, Westwood and Wroughton)
Date of publication: 1980
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 12
Area covered: Marlborough
Ramsbury hundred (Ramsbury with Axford, Baydon and Bishopstone)
Selkley hundred (Aldbourne, Avebury, Broad Hinton, East Kennett, Mildenhall, Ogbourne St Andrew, Ogbourne St George, Preshute, Winterbourne Bassett and Winterbourne Monkton
Date of publication: 1983
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 13
Area covered: Chalke hundred (Alvediston, Berwick St John, Bower Chalke, Broad Chalke, Ebbesborne Wake, Fifield Bavant, Semley and Tollard Royal)
Dunworth hundred (Ansty, Berwick St Leonard, Chicklade, Chilmark, Donhead St Andrew, Donhead St Mary, Fonthill Gifford, Sedgehill, Swallowcliffe, Teffont Evias and Tisbury)
Date of publication: 1987
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 14, Malmesbury Hundred
Area covered: Malmesbury with Bremilham, Brinkworth, Brokenborough, Charlton, Corston, Crudwell, Dauntsey, Draycot Cerne, Foxley, Garsdon, Hankerton, Hullavington, Lea and Cleverton, Norton, Oaksey, Rodbourne, Seagry, Great Somerford, Little Somerford, Stanton St Quintin, Sutton Benger and Westport
Date of publication: 1991
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 15
Area covered: Amesbury hundred (Amesbury with Allington, Biddesden, Boscombe, Bulford, Cholderton, Durnford, Durrington, Figheldean, Ludgershall, Milston, Newton Tony and North Tidworth)
Branch and Dole hundred (Berwick St James, Little Langford, Steeple Langford (with Bathampton, Hanging Langford), Maddington, South Newton, Orcheston St Mary, Sherrington, Shrewton, Stapleford, Tilshead, Winterbourne Stoke, Great Wishford and Wylye)
Date of publication: 1995
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 16
Area covered: Kinwardstone hundred includes Great Bedwyn, Little Bedwyn, Burbage, Buttermere, Chilton Foliat, Chute, Chute Forest, Collingbourne Kingston, Easton, Froxfield, Milton Lilbourne, Pewsey, Savernake, Tidcombe (With Fosbury and Hippenscombe) and Wootton Rivers.
Date of publication: 1999
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 17
Area covered: Calne hundred, comprising Calne with Berwick Bassett, Blackland, Bowood, Calstone Wellington, Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington and Yatesbury.
Date of publication: 2002
A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 18
Area covered: The borough of Cricklade with its surrounding settlements, together with the historic parishes of Ashton Keynes, Eisey, Latton, Leigh, Lydiard Millicent Marston Meysey, Minety and Purton with Braydon.
Date of publication: 2011