Sedgehill is a former civil parish, with scattered small settlements, now within Sedgehill and Semley

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 southwest of the English 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 ...

. It lies to the west of the A350 primary route, about north of

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

, Dorset.

History

In the 12th century, and possibly the 11th, the lands which became Sedgehill parish were part of the estates of

Shaftesbury Abbey Shaftesbury Abbey was an abbey that housed nuns in Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was founded in about 888, and dissolved in 1539 during the English Reformation by the order of Thomas Cromwell, minister to King Henry VIII. At the time it was the second ...

. After the

Dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

, Sedgehill manor was bought by

Thomas Arundell of Wardour Castle Sir Thomas Arundell of Wardour Castle in Wiltshire (c. 150226 February 1552) was a Cornish administrator and alleged conspirator. Arundell was connected by birth and marriage to the crown and to several of the most important families in England, ...

(c. 1502 – 1552) and then in 1573 by William Grove (died 1582) who was briefly MP for

. The estate remained in the Grove family (from 1874 the

Grove baronets The Grove Baronetcy, of Ferne House, in the parish of Donhead St Andrew in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 18 March 1874 for Thomas Grove, Liberal Member of Parliament for Wiltshi ...

), although reduced in size as farms were sold, until the death of

Gerald Grove Sir Gerald Grove, 3rd Baronet (18 December 1886 – 3 March 1962) was an army officer and filmmaker.Desmond Hawkins (1995). ''The Grove diaries: the rise and fall of an English family, 1809–1925.'' University of Delaware Press, He was one o ...

in 1962. The population of the parish rose to 216 at the 1871 census, and by 1961 had declined to 130. In 1986, on recommendation of Salisbury District Council, the parish was amalgamated with Semley to form Sedgehill and Semley civil parish.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of St Catherine has origins in the 14th century. In 1395 it became a chapelry of the church at

Berwick St Leonard Berwick St Leonard is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about southeast of Warminster and west of Salisbury. Geography A small stream rises near that village and flows intermittently, under wet conditions. Soon after le ...

, which was connected with

. This pertained until 1914, when Sedgehill was made a parish and supplemented with 318 acres transferred from

East Knoyle East Knoyle is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, in the south-west of England, just west of the A350 and about south of Warminster and north of Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was the birthplace of the architect Sir Christopher Wren. The parish ...

. Today the parish is part of the Benefice of St Bartholomew, which covers six churches including St Leonard's at

Semley Semley is a village in Sedgehill and Semley civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about north-east of Shaftesbury in neighbouring Dorset. The hamlet of Sem Hill lies about a quarter of a mile west of the village. The River Sem, from which the v ...

. The church is in limestone with slate roofs. The west tower was built in the 15th century; work in the 17th included rebuilding of the tower's upper stage, and the porch was rebuilt in 1765. In 1845 the chancel and nave were rebuilt, and the vestry added. The tower has five bells, including two from the 17th century, but they are said to be unringable. The church was recorded as Grade II* listed in 1966.

References

Villages in Wiltshire Former civil parishes in Wiltshire {{Wiltshire-geo-stub