West Knoyle is a small 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 southwest
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 ...
, England, close to the southern edge of
Salisbury Plain. The village is about east of
Mere and south 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 ...
. The
A303
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...
trunk road passes about north of the village.
History
A prehistoric
bowl barrow
A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...
, 8 m in diameter, lies on high ground northeast of the village. A
Romano-British
The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...
pavement was found at Willoughby Hedge during widening of the A303. The
Domesday Book
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 manus ...
recorded 23 households at ''Chenvel'' in 1086, and land owned by
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury, probably on the site now occupied by Wilton House. It was active from the early tenth century until 1539.
History Foundation
Wilton Abbey is first reco ...
.
Wilton Abbey held the manor until 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 ...
; later landowners include
Christopher Willoughby (c.1508–1570), a Member of Parliament.
Past names for the parish include Knoyle Hodierne or Odierne – after
Hodierna of St Albans
Hodierna of St Albans (fl. 1150–1210) was the mother of Alexander Neckam and wet nurse of Richard I of England. Hodierna is also known as Audierne.
According to legend, Richard I and Alexander Neckam were born on the same day. The astrologica ...
,
wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...
of
Richard I of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
, who had an estate at
Chippenham – and Little Knoyle.
Manor Farmhouse, with 16th-century origins and altered in the 17th and 19th, may have material and fittings from the manor house which stood north of the church and was demolished in 1745.
Parish church
The
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 Mary the Virgin, in the north of the present village, is a
Grade II* listed building. It has 13th-century origins but was heavily
restored in 1876–78, except for the 15th-century west tower.
Four of the five bells are from the 17th century; they are said to be unringable and out of tune.
The parish was a
chapelry of
North Newnton
North Newnton is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, southwest of Pewsey. The parish is in the Vale of Pewsey which carries the upper section of the Salisbury Avon.
The parish includes the small village of Bottlesford and the hamlet of Hil ...
, over twenty miles to the northeast (another holding of Wilton Abbey), until the two parishes were separated in 1841.
The benefice was united with
Mere in 1929, and a curate was appointed to live at West Knoyle; in 1976
Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley is a village in south-west Wiltshire, England, about south-west of Warminster and bordering the county of Somerset. The B3092 road between Frome and Mere forms the village street. Bradley House, the seat of the Duke of Somerse ...
was added to the united benefice, which continues today.
Amenities
The Victorian former school is used as the village hall.
The
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Su ...
long-distance footpath passes through the village.
Hang Wood, to the southeast, is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
References
External links
West Knoyle Parish Council
{{authority control
Villages in Wiltshire
Civil parishes in Wiltshire