Wilsford is a small village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey in the English county of Wiltshire, about southwest of Pewsey. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 77. It shares a grouped parish council with the neighbouring parish of Charlton St Peter.

The Salisbury Avon forms part of the northern boundary of the parish. To the south, beyond the A342 from Devizes to Upavon, the parish extends onto Salisbury Plain.

History

Evidence of prehistoric activity on the high ground of Wilsford Down includes a round barrow, next to the ancient Ridgeway track which marks the southern boundary of the modern parish. Nearby is a series of banks and ditches of uncertain date. To the west of the village is evidence of a henge enclosure known as Wilsford Henge, although it can only be seen as a cropmark in aerial photographs. Excavations of the site began in 2015.

The ancient parish had two tithings: Wilsford and Manningford Bohune, a detached area some to the east. The latter became a separate civil parish in 1871 and is now part of Manningford parish.

In 1377, Wilsford had 77 taxpayers and Manningford Bohune 43. The population peaked in the mid 19th century, with around 300 at Wilsford and 280 at Manningford. and now the A342 – takes a more southerly route, towards the slope of the Plain. In 1897 the War Department bought the land south of the road for inclusion in the military training area. Children of all ages attended until 1934. The building was demolished after the school closed in 1965, and today the nearest primary school is at Rushall.

Manors

Domesday Book has no separate entry for Wilsford; in 1086 the estate was held by Ælfric of Melksham and mortgaged to Edward of Salisbury. Edward gave it to his daughter Maud and her husband Humphrey de Bohun, and it remained in that family who were later Earls of Hereford. In 1421 the estate passed to Anne, Countess of Stafford whose son Humphrey was made Duke of Buckingham. On the execution of his great-grandson Edward, 3rd Duke the land passed to the Crown. It was granted to Sir William Sandys, later Baron Sandys, and remained in Sandys ownership until 1654. Later owners included Sir John Hynde Cotton (d.1752) and Sir John Dugdale Astley (d.1841) whose great-grandson Sir John (d.1894) sold the estate. The manor house was at the east end of the village, near the church and mill; the present Wilsford Manor is a three-bay brick house from the early 19th century.

In the 13th century, the Earls of Hereford subinfeudated part of their estate, which came into the Dauntsey family whose descendants include Sir John Dauntsey (d.1391), soldier and Member of Parliament for Wiltshire. Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England of 1858 used the name Wilsford-Dauntsey for the parish. From the 17th century the estate passed through several hands, and by 1808 had been acquired by Francis Dugdale Astley and thus reunited with the main manor. The manor house was at the west end of the village, where the present Wilsford House – four bays, in brick – is from the late 18th century or early 19th.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Charlton St Peter, at parish and unitary authority level: Charlton St Peter and Wilsford Joint Parish Council, and Wiltshire Council. The parish council is a grouped parish council, also covering the neighbouring parish of Charlton St Peter.

Notable buildings

Beside the church, the oldest houses in the village include the following timber-framed cottages, with thatched roofs. Cruck End has an exposed cruck truss and is classed as "late Medieval" by Historic England. The Malt House has been tree-ring-dated in part to 1410. Number 18 has at its core an early hall house, tree-ring-dated to 1308–9.

Parish church

thumb|St Nicholas' Church

The parish church of St Nicholas is built in ashlar under slate roofs, and has a west tower with a stair-turret. A church at Wilsford is first mentioned in the earlier 12th century, although the present building is from the next century. In the 15th century the tower was added and the nave largely rebuilt. During restoration in 1864 the south porch was rebuilt and the nave re-roofed, resting on earlier corbels depicting alternating kings and bishops. or 13th-century The church was designated as Grade II* listed in 1964. The chapel was separated from Wilsford in 1924, and at the same time Wilsford benefice was united with that of Charlton, although the parishes of Wilsford and Charlton remained distinct. North Newnton was added to the union in 1963, and today the parish is part of the Cannings and Redhorn team ministry, alongside seven others.

References

  • Charlton St Peter & Wilsford Joint Parish Council