Chapmanslade is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the county of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, in the southwest of England. The parish is on the county border with

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and includes the hamlets of Huntenhull Green, Short Street and Thoulstone. The village lies about from each of three towns: southwest of Westbury, northwest of

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-c ...

, and east of

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

(in Somerset).

Features

The village High Street is a section of the A3098 between Westbury and Frome and is some 2 km long. Near the centre of the village are the village school and the Anglican parish church. The parish includes the site of Thoulstone Park Golf Club and Hotel, which closed in 2001 and (as of 2016) awaits refurbishment or redevelopment. The site has been used for events such as the Sunrise Celebration.

History

The civil parish of Chapmanslade was established in 1934 from parts of Corsley,

Dilton Marsh Dilton Marsh is a village and civil parish in the far west of the county of Wiltshire, in the southwest of England. The village is about southwest of the centre of the town of Westbury; Dilton Marsh remains a distinct settlement with its own c ...

and

Upton Scudamore Upton Scudamore is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village lies about north of the town of Warminster and about the same distance south of Westbury. The parish includes the hamlet of Halfway. The village occupies a ridge w ...

parishes. Prior to this, the village High Street formed the boundary between Corsley (historically part of Warminster) and Dilton Marsh (historically part of Westbury). The name Chapmanslade has referred to the village since the 14th century at least. A '' was a travelling merchant or pedlar, and a '' was a valley or glade. The principal local industries were weaving and agriculture, but the employment profile of the village is now very similar to Southern England generally.

Religious sites

The

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St Philip and St James was built in 1866–7 to designs of

G.E. Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford, London, Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Gothic Revival architecture, Vi ...

, in the Gothic Revival style. The interior has its original fittings, designed by Street and of high quality, with stained glass by

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832 ...

. Originally a chapel of ease to

church, the district was transferred to Corsley ecclesiastical parish in 1924, which now forms part of the Cley Hill benefice. A

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

gathering was formed at Chapmanslade in 1761, and built a chapel in 1771. In the mid-19th century a disagreement between minister and congregation caused the entire congregation to join the Baptists at their chapel. A new chapel, a stone building in Gothic style, was built in the east end of the village in 1867. In the later 20th century this building was sold and became a private house.

Particular Baptist Reformed Baptists (sometimes known as Particular Baptists or Calvinistic Baptists) are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology (salvation). The first Calvinist Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith w ...

s came to Chapmanslade in 1777 and built a chapel in brick and stone on Wood Lane, north of the High Street. Sometime in the 20th century this too became a private house.

Amenities

The village's primary school is next to the church and was designed by the same architect, G.E. Street. It opened in 1872 as a National School, was enlarged in 1894 and has a further modern extension. Control passed to the county council in 1906 and the school has

Voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

status. The village has a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the ''Three Horseshoes''.

Governance

Most local government services are provided by

Wiltshire Council Wiltshire Council is a council for the unitary authority of Wiltshire (excluding the separate unitary authority of Swindon) in South West England, created in 2009. It is the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council (1889–2009) and the ...

, which has its offices in

Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southeas ...

. Chapmanslade also has its own elected parish council of five members, which is almost entirely a consultative body. The village is represented in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

by the MP for South West Wiltshire,

Andrew Murrison Andrew William Murrison (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, naval officer and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Wiltshire, previously Westbury, since the 2001 ...

, and in Wiltshire Council by Fleur de Rhé-Philipe.

Notable people

Clara Grant Clara Ellen Grant OBE (21 June 1867 – 10 October 1949), known as 'The Farthing Bundle Woman of Bow', was an educator, a pioneer in London of infant children's education,Maria Castrillo'Unlocking the power of youth: Clara Grant and her pionee ...

(1867–1949), educational pioneer and social reformer, was born in the village. Kate French, modern pentathlon gold medallist at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, lives in the village.

References

External links

Village website
{{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire