The High Street, Highworth, Wiltshire - geograph

Highworth is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

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 Borough of Swindon, England, about northeast of Swindon town centre. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 8,151. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael's.

Etymology

The root ''High'' references the geography of the town, as it sits on a hill above the Upper

Thames Valley The Thames Valley is an informally-defined sub-region of South East England, centred on the River Thames west of London, with Oxford as a major centre. Its boundaries vary with context. The area is a major tourist destination and economic hub, ...

. The suffix ''-worth'' is derived from the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

''𐍅𐌰𐍂'', which is

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...

as ''warō'' in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

and as ''worth'' in

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

. It means "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend".

History

Highworth is on a hill in a strategic position above the Upper

, and seems to have been occupied almost continuously for 7,000 years. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Wrde', which derives from the Old English word 'worth' meaning enclosure. The prefix 'High', owing to it being situated on a hill, was not added until around 1200 AD. On John Speed's map 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 ...

(1611), the name is spelt both ''Highwoth'' (for the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

) and ''Hiworth'' (for the town itself). In 1206 it was granted a charter for its market, which is still held weekly. The origins and layout of Highworth are medieval. Highworth was a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

stronghold in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, but on 17 June 1645 Sir

Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...

captured it and Parliamentarian troops garrisoned it until October the next year. The occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

. Traders moved their business to Swindon, and Highworth market did not recover until the end of the 17th century. Highworth benefited from the economic boom in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, and many of the houses in the town centre date from this time. From 1894 to 1974 there was a Highworth Rural District but the town is now part of Swindon

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

. Highworth was once larger than neighbouring Swindon, when Highworth's population exceeded 12,000.

Geography

Highworth is on a hill above the Upper

, and at above sea level it is the highest town in Wiltshire. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands. Highworth is the most north-easterly town in Wiltshire, near the border with Oxfordshire. The town is 39 miles (63 km) north-northeast of

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, the same distance east-northeast of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Swindon and 69 miles (109 km) west of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Culture and community

The town is twinned with

Pontorson Pontorson () is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Macey and Vessey were merged into Pontorson. Geography Pontorson is situated about 10 kilometres from the Mont Saint-Miche ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and

Wassenberg Wassenberg (; li, Wasseberg ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Rur, approx. 6 km north-east of Heinsberg and 15 km south-east of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Highworth Community Centre opened in the former Northview Primary School in June 2011.

Landmarks

The Church of England parish church of St Michael (see below) is at the centre of the town, at the corner of the High Street and the

A361 The A361 is an A class road in southern England, which at is the longest three-digit A road in the UK. History When first designated in 1922, the A361 ran from Taunton (Somerset) to Banbury (Oxfordshire). It was later extended west through B ...

Swindon Road. The centre of the old town, with many fine

and Queen Anne houses, has been a conservation area since 1976. The Old Manor House in the High Street, parts of which date back to the late 15th century, is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Transport

Highworth was the terminus of a Great Western Railway branch line from , the Highworth branch line, which was closed to passengers in 1953 and to goods in 1962. Nowadays, the nearest station is at Swindon, to the southwest. The Great Western Main Line passes through open countryside around 3 miles south of the town, en route to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

and London. The

A361 road The A361 is an A class road in southern England, which at is the longest three-digit A road in the UK. History When first designated in 1922, the A361 ran from Taunton (Somerset) to Banbury (Oxfordshire). It was later extended west through ...

forms a north–south route through Highworth, while the B4019 is on an east–west axis passing through the suburb of Hampton.

Education

Highworth Warneford School Highworth Warneford School is a mixed academy status secondary school in the small town of Highworth, north of Swindon, Wiltshire, England for pupils aged 11 to 16. Since July 2011, the school has been an academy. History The modern Highwo ...

is a secondary school on Shrivenham Road. Southfield Junior School borders it, and Eastrop Infant School is nearby.

Churches

St Michael's Church, Highworth - geograph

The Church of England parish church is dedicated to

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

and All Angels. The parish includes the churches of St James, Sevenhampton and St John the Baptist,

Inglesham Inglesham is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, notable for the Grade-I listed St John the Baptist Church. The village is just off the A361 road about south-west of Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Mos ...

. The Highworth Community Church was founded more than 30 years ago and is based in the Community Centre. Two

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

chapels were built in 1838 and 1842. The first one proved too small so a new one was built on the Elms in 1856. In 1964 the two congregations combined to build a larger chapel on the current site. This church was in turn enlarged in 1992.

Sport

Highworth Town F.C. Highworth Town Football Club is a football club based in Highworth, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Elms Recreation Ground History The club was established in 1893.Non-League football club that plays at the Elms Recreation Ground. Highworth Cricket Club are in the

Wiltshire County Cricket League The Wiltshire County Cricket League (WCCL) is the feeder cricket league for the Wiltshire section of the West of England Premier League (WEPL). , the league has nine divisions of ten teams, who play 45-over matches on Saturdays. The winner of Div ...

and South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Village League (Sundays). The club play at the Elms Recreation Ground.

Public services

Highworth was first recorded as a

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

in 1673. From 1835 to 1839 there was a

Penny Post The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny. Five such schemes existed in the United Kingdom while the United States initiated at least three such simple fixed rate postal arrangements. U ...

between Highworth and Cold Harbour, a village on the Swindon –

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

road near

Broad Blunsdon Blunsdon is a civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, in Wiltshire, England, about north of the centre of Swindon, with the A419 forming its southern boundary. Its main settlement is the village of Broad Blunsdon, with Lower Blunsdon nearby; ...

. Mrs Mabel Stranks, who was postmistress here in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, was a key contact for members of the Auxiliary Units, a resistance organisation.''Hitler's Britain'', Channel 5, 3 July 2003 A memorial plaque on the wall of the former post office records her contribution.

Notable people

Highworth geograph-2564823-by-Ben-Brooksbank

William Joscelyn Arkell William Joscelyn Arkell FGS, FRS (9 June 1904 – 18 April 1958) was a British geologist and palaeontologist, regarded as the leading authority on the Jurassic Period during the middle part of the 20th century. Childhood Arkell was born in Hi ...

, geologist and palaeontologist *

Eric Buller Major Eric Tremayne Buller (3 January 1894 – 8 August 1973) was an English cricketer and decorated British Army officer. Early life and military career Born in Highworth, Wiltshire, he was educated at Harrow School, where he represented t ...

MC (1894–1973), British Army officer and cricketer * William Goudge (1877–1967), cricketer * Joseph Knight (1896–1974), cricketer *

Narcissus Marsh Narcissus Marsh (20 December 1638 – 2 November 1713) was an English clergyman who was successively Church of Ireland Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, Archbishop of Cashel, Archbishop of Dublin and Archbishop of Armagh. Marsh was born at Hannin ...

, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh * Helen Shapiro, singer *

Samuel Wilson Warneford Samuel Wilson Warneford (1763 – 11 January 1855) was an astute and eccentric English cleric and philanthropist from an old but generally impoverished family. He married into money, as his father had done, and thereafter spent his life trying to ...

, philanthropist *

Alfred Williams Alfred Hamilton Williams (born November 6, 1968) is a former American football player. He was a linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. His nicknames ...

(1877–1930), "The Hammerman Poet" of South Marston

Notes

References

External links

*
Highworth Town CouncilHistoric Highworth photos at BBC Wiltshire
{{authority control Towns in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire Market towns in Wiltshire Borough of Swindon