Wilton is a town 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, England. Lying about west of the city of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, and until 1889 the
county town
In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of Wiltshire, it has a rich heritage dating back to the
Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
. The parish had a population of 4,305 at the 2021 census, an increase from the 3,579 recorded in 2011.
Carpets have been manufactured at Wilton since the 18th century. The town is home to
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution ...
, country seat of the Earls of Pembroke, and has a large Romanesque Revival parish church. The rivers
Wylye and
Nadder meet at Wilton.
History

The history of Wilton dates back to the
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
s in the 8th century, and by the late 9th century it was the capital of ''Wiltunscire'', a
shire
Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...
of the
Kingdom of Wessex
The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886.
The Anglo-Saxons beli ...
. It remained the administrative centre of Wiltshire until the 11th century. Wilton was of significant importance to the church, with the founding of
Wilton Abbey in 771 amongst other establishments. In 871
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...
fought and lost an important battle here against the
Danish armies, leaving him in retreat for several years.
Despite further attacks, Wilton remained a prosperous town, as recorded in the 11th-century
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
. The building of
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
nearby, however, caused Wilton's decline, as the new site of Salisbury, with a new bridge over the
River Avon, provided a convenient bypass around Wilton on the trade routes.
Wilton Abbey was surrendered to
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
in 1539 during the
Dissolution of the Monasteries, and in 1541 much of the estate was granted to
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who began to build
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution ...
.
An outbreak of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
in 1737 killed 132 people.
The
Old Town Hall was completed in 1738.
Wilton was anciently the seat of the county court, and for parliamentary elections it was the venue for elections of county members until the
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
seat was abolished in 1832. On the formation of
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire in South West England, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge. Since 2009 it has bee ...
in 1889, Wilton lost its role as
county town
In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
to
Trowbridge
Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England; situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, close to the border with Somerset. The town lies south-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, south-west of Swindon and south-east of Brist ...
, which could be more easily reached by rail from all parts of the county.
Economy
By the 17th century,
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
had become a busy trade, and the carpet industry began in 1741 when two French weavers were brought in by
Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke to teach the local people new skills. Carpet weaving prospered until 1815, when peace following the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
introduced European competition. Machinery to produce
Axminster carpets
Axminster Carpets Ltd is an Axminster, Devon based English manufacturer of carpets, particularly the same-named Axminster carpets.
Background
Whilst visiting Cheapside Market, London, Devon-based weaving, weaver Thomas Whitty was impressed by a ...
was installed in 1835. The Wilton Royal Carpet Factory was founded at the turn of the century, with the help of the then Lord Pembroke, to rescue the previous carpet factory that had fallen into financial difficulty. The factory continued to operate until 1995, when it closed temporarily after a takeover before re-opening under another name.
Today the site is used as a shopping outlet.
Transport
The arrival of the railways led to increased prosperity. Wilton once had two railway stations: the first (later known as ) opened by the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
in 1856 on their
line from Westbury to Salisbury; the second (later known as ) by the
Salisbury and Yeovil Railway in 1859 on the
West of England line
The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
from
London Waterloo to
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
. The stations closed in 1955 and 1966 respectively, although the lines remain open; the nearest station is now at .
Public transport access to Wilton is now provided by several bus routes operated by
Go South Coast under the
Salisbury Reds brand, which ply between Salisbury and several places west of Wilton. A dedicated
Park & Ride service operates from the car park between Kingsway and The Avenue, towards Salisbury city centre.
Media
Local TV coverage is provided by
BBC South and
ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Salisbury and
Rowridge TV transmitters. Local radio stations are
BBC Radio Wiltshire on 103.5 FM and
Greatest Hits Radio South
Greatest Hits Radio South is a regional radio station broadcasting across the South of England, as part of Bauer Radio, Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio network.
Coverage
The seven local stations broadcast to Salisbury, Dorset, West Sussex, North Ha ...
(formerly
Spire FM) on 102 FM. The town is served by the local newspaper,
Salisbury Journal.
Military connections
The headquarters of
Land Forces (and predecessors) was at
Erskine Barracks
Erskine Barracks was a military installation at Fugglestone St Peter, in Wilton, Wiltshire, Wilton parish some northwest of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.
History
The site, which had been farmland until used for temporary army buildings durin ...
, northeast of Wilton, from 1949 to 2010. After the headquarters moved to
Marlborough Lines near
Andover the site was sold for housing.
Governance
The boundaries of the modern civil parish originate with the Borough of Wilton, defined in 1885. The parish includes the villages of Bulbridge and Ditchampton. In 1894 Wilton absorbed the western part of the neighbouring parish of
Fugglestone St Peter, the rest going into a new parish of
Bemerton.
The parish elects a
town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
. It is in the area of
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire in South West England, and has its headquarters a ...
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. As of 2021, Wilton is in the 'Wilton'
electoral division
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...
, which also includes nearby
Quidhampton and
Netherhampton. The total division population taken at the
2011 census was 4,806.
Parish church

The
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
Church of St Mary and St Nicholas was built as a replacement for
St Mary's Church between 1841 and 1844 at the instigation of
Catherine Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (the daughter of
Semyon Vorontsov
Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov (or Woronzow; ; 9 July 1832) was a Russian diplomat from the aristocratic Vorontsov family. He resided in Britain for the last 47 years of his life, from 1785 until his death in 1832, during which time he was the ...
, Russian ambassador to Britain) and her younger son
Sidney Herbert. It was designed by the architect
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt (9 May 1807 – 5 August 1880) was an Anglo-Irish architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected president of the Royal Institute of British Architects for 1870–1873 and being awarded its Royal Gold Me ...
in
Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
style with considerable
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
influences, and includes a
campanile
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
.
The church's unusually large size for the community it serves reflects the wealth of its original benefactors. Many of the materials used in its construction were imported from continental Europe, including marble columns from Italy and 12th and 13th century
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
from France.
Bordering areas
Notable people
*
Dudley Cockle (1907–1986), cricketer
*
Edith Olivier
Edith Maud Olivier MBE (Order of the British Empire), MBE (31 December 1872 – 10 May 1948) was an English writer, also noted for acting as hostess to a circle of well-known writers, artists, and composers in her native Wiltshire.
Family and ch ...
(1872–1948), first woman mayor of Wilton, writer
*
Sydney Olivier
Sydney Haldane Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier, (16 April 1859 – 15 February 1943) was a British civil servant. A Fabian and a member of the Labour Party, he served as Governor of Jamaica and as Secretary of State for India in the first gover ...
(1870–1932), cricketer
*
Edward Slow (1841–1925), poet and carriage builder
[Figgetty Pooden, The Dialect Verse of Edward Slow, Ed. John Chandler, Wiltshire Library & Museum Service, 1982, .]
*
A. G. Street, country author, farmed at Ditchampton Farm
References
External links
Wilton Town CouncilHistoric Wilton photosa
BBC Wiltshire
{{authority control
Towns in Wiltshire
Civil parishes in Wiltshire
British rugs and carpets
Former county towns in England