Wilton, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Wilton is a town in Wiltshire
, (of which it was once the county town
), England
, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons
. Today it is dwarfed by its larger and more famous neighbour, Salisbury
, but still has a range of notable shops and attractions, including Wilton House
.
The confluence of the rivers Wylye
and Nadder
is at Wilton.
in the 8th century AD, and by the late 9th century it was the capital of Wiltunscire, a region of the Kingdom of Wessex
. It remained the administrative centre of Wiltshire until the 11th century. Wilton was of significant importance to the church, with the founding of Wilton Abbey
in AD 771 and a number of other establishments. In AD 871 Alfred the Great
fought and lost an important battle there against the Danish armies, leaving him in retreat for several years.
Despite further attacks, Wilton remained a prosperous town, as recorded in the Domesday book
. The building of Salisbury Cathedral
nearby, however, caused Wilton's decline, as the new site of Salisbury, with a new bridge over the River Avon
, provided a convenient bypass around Wilton on the trade routes.
Wilton Abbey
was surrendered to Henry VIII
in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, and in 1541 much of the estate was granted to the Earl of Pembroke, upon which Wilton House
was built.
By the 17th century, weaving
had become a large trade, and the carpet
industry
began in 1741, when two French weavers were brought in by the 9th Earl of Pembroke
to teach the local people new skills. Carpet weaving prospered until 1815, when peace following the Napoleonic wars
introduced European competition. The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory was founded at the turn of the century, with the help of the then Lord Pembroke, to rescue the previous carpet factory that had fallen into financial difficulty. The carpet factory continued to operate until 1995, when it closed temporarily after a takeover. The factory re-opened, although it was unable to retain the Wilton Royal prefix.
An outbreak of smallpox
in 1737 killed 132 people. Local folklore claims that the outbreak was believed to be associated with the witchcraft of the four Handsel sisters, who were summarily murdered and buried in Grovely Wood
.
Wilton had two railway stations. One (later known as ) was opened by the Great Western Railway
in 1856 on their line from Westbury to Salisbury, and another (later known as ) opened by the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway
in 1859 on the West of England Main Line
from London to Exeter. The arrival of the railways led to increased prosperity. The stations closed in 1955 and 1966 respectively; the nearest station is now at .
In 1894 Wilton absorbed the western end of the neighbouring parish of Fugglestone St Peter
, the rest going into a new parish of Bemerton
.
The headquarters of Land Forces is at Wilton, taking advantage of the huge amount of military camps and the ranges of Salisbury Plain. The title of HQLF has varied several times since the 1960s.
of St Mary
and St Nicholas
was built as a replacement for St Mary's Church
between 1841 and 1844 at the instigation of the Countess of Pembroke and her younger son Baron Herbert of Lea
, designed by the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt
in the Romanesque
style, with considerable Byzantine
influences. For a small town, the church is enormous, representing the wealth of its benefactors.
The most notable external feature of the church is the 105 feet (32 m) campanile
. Many of the materials used in the church's construction were imported from Europe
, including marble columns from Italy
and 12th and 13th century stained glass
from France
.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, (of which it was once the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
), England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
. Today it is dwarfed by its larger and more famous neighbour, Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, but still has a range of notable shops and attractions, including Wilton House
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house situated at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire. It has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years....
.
The confluence of the rivers Wylye
River Wylye
The River Wylye is a classic southern England chalk stream; champagne clear water flowing over gravel. Consequently, it is popular with anglers keen on fly fishing.- Course :...
and Nadder
River Nadder
The River Nadder is one of the chalk stream rivers of southern England, much sought after by fly fishermen because of its clear waters and abundance of brown trout. It is one of the main tributaries of the River Avon, rising from a number of springs and small streams at Donhead St. Mary in south...
is at Wilton.
History
The history of Wilton dates back to the Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
in the 8th century AD, and by the late 9th century it was the capital of Wiltunscire, a region of the Kingdom of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
. It remained the administrative centre of Wiltshire until the 11th century. Wilton was of significant importance to the church, with the founding of Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
in AD 771 and a number of other establishments. In AD 871 Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
fought and lost an important battle there against the Danish armies, leaving him in retreat for several years.
Despite further attacks, Wilton remained a prosperous town, as recorded in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The building of Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
nearby, however, caused Wilton's decline, as the new site of Salisbury, with a new bridge over the River Avon
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
, provided a convenient bypass around Wilton on the trade routes.
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
was surrendered to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, and in 1541 much of the estate was granted to the Earl of Pembroke, upon which Wilton House
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house situated at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire. It has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years....
was built.
By the 17th century, weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
had become a large trade, and the carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
began in 1741, when two French weavers were brought in by the 9th Earl of Pembroke
Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke
Lt.-Gen. Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke, 6th Earl of Montgomery PC FRS was the heir and eldest son of Thomas Herbert and his first wife Margaret...
to teach the local people new skills. Carpet weaving prospered until 1815, when peace following the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
introduced European competition. The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory was founded at the turn of the century, with the help of the then Lord Pembroke, to rescue the previous carpet factory that had fallen into financial difficulty. The carpet factory continued to operate until 1995, when it closed temporarily after a takeover. The factory re-opened, although it was unable to retain the Wilton Royal prefix.
An outbreak of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in 1737 killed 132 people. Local folklore claims that the outbreak was believed to be associated with the witchcraft of the four Handsel sisters, who were summarily murdered and buried in Grovely Wood
Grovely Wood
Grovely Wood is one of the largest woodlands in southern Wiltshire. It is situated on a chalk ridge above the River Wylye to the south of the village of Great Wishford, within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
.
Wilton had two railway stations. One (later known as ) was opened by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
in 1856 on their line from Westbury to Salisbury, and another (later known as ) opened by the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway
Salisbury and Yeovil Railway
The Salisbury and Yeovil Railway linked Salisbury , Gillingham and Yeovil in England. Opened in stages in 1859 and 1860, it formed a bridge route between the main London and South Western Railway network and its lines in Devon and Cornwall. Its trains were operated by the LSWR and it was sold to...
in 1859 on the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
from London to Exeter. The arrival of the railways led to increased prosperity. The stations closed in 1955 and 1966 respectively; the nearest station is now at .
In 1894 Wilton absorbed the western end of the neighbouring parish of Fugglestone St Peter
Fugglestone St Peter
Fugglestone St Peter was a small village, manor, and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, lying between the town of Wilton and the city of Salisbury...
, the rest going into a new parish of Bemerton
Bemerton
Bemerton, once a separate village to the west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, is now virtually a suburb of that city. George Herbert was Rector of Fugglestone with Bemerton and is buried at Bemerton....
.
The headquarters of Land Forces is at Wilton, taking advantage of the huge amount of military camps and the ranges of Salisbury Plain. The title of HQLF has varied several times since the 1960s.
Parish church
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
and St Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
was built as a replacement for St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Wilton
St Mary's Church in the Market Place of Wilton, Wiltshire, England, was built in the 15th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust....
between 1841 and 1844 at the instigation of the Countess of Pembroke and her younger son Baron Herbert of Lea
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea PC was an English statesman and a close ally and confidante of Florence Nightingale.-Early life:...
, designed by the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
in the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style, with considerable Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
influences. For a small town, the church is enormous, representing the wealth of its benefactors.
The most notable external feature of the church is the 105 feet (32 m) campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
. Many of the materials used in the church's construction were imported from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, including marble columns from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and 12th and 13th century stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Notable people
- Edward SlowEdward SlowEdward Slow was a poet born in Wilton, Wiltshire, England. By profession he was a carriage builder. He wrote many poems and tracts based on his everyday observations of contemporary Victorian and Edwardian rural life...
(1841-1925), poet and carriage builder - A. G. StreetA. G. StreetArthur George Street , who wrote under the name of A. G. Street, was an English farmer, writer and broadcaster. His books were published by the literary publishing house of Faber and Faber...
, country author, farmed at Ditchampton Farm, Wilton