Pertwood is an ancient settlement and former parish, near

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and 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-century Minster Church of S ...

in the county of Wiltshire in the west of England.Pertwood
at Visions of Britain web site Its land and houses now lie in the parishes of

East Knoyle East Knoyle is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, in the south-west of England, just west of the A350 road, A350 and about south of Warminster and north of Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was the birthplace of the arch ...

Sutton Veny Sutton Veny is a village and civil parish in the Wylye valley, to the southeast of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England; the village is about from Warminster town centre. 'Sutton' means 'south farmstead' in relation to Norton Bavant, on ...

and

Chicklade Chicklade is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, South West England. The village is on the A303 road, about south of Warminster. The parish includes the hamlet of Upper Pertwood. The Great Ridge Wood, formerly also known as Chickl ...

, and have fewer than twenty inhabitants. The settlements are close together at Upper Pertwood (also called Higher Pertwood) and Lower Pertwood. Higher Pertwood is now Pertwood Manor Farm, while Lower Pertwood is Pertwood Organic Farm.

History

Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, the manor of Pertwood was held by a man named Wlward. At the

Domesday Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

survey of 1086, it was held by

Geoffrey de Mowbray Geoffrey de Montbray (Montbrai, Mowbray) (died 1093), bishop of Coutances ( la, Constantiensis), also known as Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman, trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and a great :wikt:secular, secular prelate, warr ...

, Bishop of

Coutances Coutances () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. History Capital of the Unelli, a Gauls, Gaulish tribe, the town was given the n ...

, and contained two hides, of which one and a half were in

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

and the rest was held of the manor by tenants. Two

villein A villein, otherwise known as ''cottar'' or ''crofter'', is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and social status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them ...

s, three

bordar Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develope ...

s, one

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

, twenty acres of

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

and four of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

were recorded. Pertwood later became a manor of the

Earls of Gloucester The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.'' Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121) *Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1100 ...

, which it remained until the early 15th century. Pertwood Down, on high ground to the west of Pertwood, has several barrows and traces of Celtic

field system The study of field systems (collections of fields) in landscape history is concerned with the size, shape and orientation of a number of fields. These are often adjacent, but may be separated by a later feature. Field systems by region Czech Republ ...

s, but all such remains lie outside the area of the former parish. Just to the north of Lower Pertwood Farm, the Romans, in building a straight road, unusually diverted their road around an ancient

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

instead of going through it.John Rutter, ''Delineations of the north western division of the county of Somerset, and of its antediluvian bone caverns, with a geological sketch of the district'' (1829)
p. 330
online In 1829, the Roman road near Pertwood was described as "still remarkably perfect". In 1808, a topographer wrote of Pertwood that it was "...a decayed parish in 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 de ...

... containing 2 houses and 15 inhabitants". The Revd John Marius Wilson's ''

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...

'' (1870–1872) said of Pertwood: In 1885 the parish of Pertwood was extinguished, with its southern part being added to

, its northern part to

. A detailed parish history was published in 1965 by the

Wiltshire Victoria County History The Wiltshire Victoria County History, properly called The Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire but commonly referred to as VCH Wiltshire, is an encyclopaedic history of the county of Wiltshire in England. It forms part of the overall Vic ...

in its volume 8. In April 1993, the

Tribal Gathering Tribal Gathering is the original British electronic dance music festival that between 1993 and 2004 catered for different types of dance music cultures such as techno, house and drum & bass. After 18 years, Tribal Gathering returns in 2023 for a ...

music festival took place at Pertwood, and in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000 it was the site of the

Big Green Gathering The Green Gathering, formerly known as the Big Green Gathering is a festival with an environmental and social justice focus, including workshops and talks on permaculture, politics, ecology and crafts, as well as art, live music and spoken word p ...

Church

The former

Church 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 each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

, which stands at Upper or Higher Pertwood, is called St Peter's. It was originally a small 12th-century stone building entered by a round-headed door on its south side, but in about 1812 it was "

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

" by the then

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

, Richard Ricward, so that by 1822 there was nothing ancient to be seen, except one stoop. In the restored church a round-headed arch lay between the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

and the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. In 1872 the church was rebuilt in

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

, dressed with stone, with a single church bell in a small structure over the roof at the western end. This small building contains a nave, a chancel, and a north

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

. In 1908 the bowl of a 14th-century

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

was found buried nearby and was returned to the church. Pertwood was a separate church parish until 1899, when the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

was held by the rector of

. In 1921, Chicklade with Pertwood was united with the parish of Hindon. The Victorian church became derelict and was closed in 1968, then declared redundant in 1972. However, the building was later restored.

Present day

Upper Pertwood, on high

downland Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...

in the southern half of the former parish, is approached by a drive from the

A350 road The A350 is a north–south primary route in southern England, that runs from the M4 motorway in Wiltshire to Poole in Dorset. Route Starting at junction 17 of the M4 motorway north of Chippenham, the first three miles are a dual carriageway to ...

and consists of the original

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, known as Manor Farm, five farm cottages, and other buildings, all now in the parish of

. About one mile away on the other side of the A350 is Lower Pertwood, now in

Brixton Deverill Brixton Deverill is a small village and civil parish about south of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. The parish is in the Deverill Valley which carries the upper waters of the River Wylye. The six villages of the valley – Kingston Deverill, ...

, the heart of a large

organic farm Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...

of called Lower Pertwood Farm or Pertwood Organic Farm.home page
of pertwood.co.uk web site The organic farming model was introduced by Mark Houghton Brown, largely to conserve the thin soil, and was continued by him until 2005 and thereafter by new owners. The farm is managed under

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

's Higher Level Stewardship scheme. Apart from the farmhouse and farm buildings, there are six cottages at Lower Pertwood, of which numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 no longer belong to the farm.

Governance

Almost all local government functions are carried out by the

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 ...

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 ...

. Pertwood is represented in

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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 ...

Notable people

In 1560, Sir John Mervyn of Pertwood was

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Gov ...

. Lancelot Morehouse, a 17th-century Rector of Pertwood, has been described as

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the ''Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist, ...

's "most familiar learned acquaintance".

Percy Scawen Wyndham The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

(1835–1911), a younger son of the first Lord Leconfield, owned Pertwood from 1877 until his death in 1911. He was a soldier,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician, antiquarian, and intellectual, one of the founding members of

the Souls The Souls was a small loosely-knit but distinctive elite social and intellectual group in the United Kingdom from 1885 to the turn of the century. Many of the most distinguished British politicians and intellectuals of the time were members. Th ...

.'Wyndham, the Hon. Percy Scawen', in ''Who was Who 1897–1915'' (A. & C. Black, 1988 reprint: )

Owners

*1400–1419: John Britte, of Hindon *1433: William Elys *1450: John Elys *Late 15th & early 16th centuries: William Fletcher *Agnes Maton and Margaret Ingram, daughters of William Fletcher **1539: John Mervyn, son of Margaret Ingram, a

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

**Robert Temmys, probably Agnes Maton's son-in-law, a moiety (which later passed to George Ludlow, who in 1553 sold it to John Mervyn) *1553: John Mervyn *c. 1570–1601: John Mervyn (son of above) *1601: Thomas Mervyn (son of above) *George Mervyn (brother of above) *to 1692: John Mervyn, grandson of George Mervyn *1692–1736: Sir James Howe (purchase) *1736–1804: Henry Lee, commonly called Lee Warner (nephew of above) *1804–1805: James Woodward (nephew of above), who assumed the name of Lee Warner *1805–1810: John Benett of Pythouse (purchase) *1810: Richard Ricward of Longbridge Deverill (purchase) *1838: Henry Seymour *Alfred Seymour (son of above) *1877–1911:

(purchase) *1911–1913:

George Wyndham George Wyndham, PC (29 August 1863 – 8 June 1913) was a British Conservative politician, statesman, man of letters, and one of The Souls. Background and education Wyndham was the elder son of the Honourable Percy Wyndham, third son of Ge ...

, son of Percy Scawen Wyndham *1913–1919: Guy Richard Charles Wyndham, grandson of Percy Scawen Wyndham *1919–1939: Arthur Mitchell (purchase) *1939–1945: Paul Weldon (purchase) *1945: Colonel Scrope Egerton (purchase) *1963: Colonel Jack Houghton Brown *Mark Houghton-Brown'' Practical Farm Ideas quarterly: volumes 13–15 (Mido Publications, 2004-5), p. 24''

References

External links

North from the A350 near Higher Pertwood
– photograph at geograph.org.uk {{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Former civil parishes in Wiltshire Organic farming in the United Kingdom Environmentalism in England