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Devizes
Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between Stephen of England and Empress Matilda, and again during the English Civil War when the Cavaliers lifted the siege at the Battle of Roundway Down and the Roundhead, Parliamentarian Army of the West under Sir William Waller was routed. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was Slighting, destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament, and today little remains of it. From the 16th century Devizes became known for its textiles, and by the early 18th century it held the largest corn market in the West Country, constructing the Corn Exchange, Devizes, Corn Exchange in 1857. In the 18th century, brewing, curing of tobacco, and Snuf ...
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Battle Of Roundway Down
The Battle of Roundway Down was fought on 13 July 1643 at Roundway Down near Devizes, in Wiltshire during the First English Civil War. Despite being outnumbered and exhausted after riding overnight from Oxford, a Royalist cavalry force under Lord Wilmot won a crushing victory over the Parliamentarian Army of the West under Sir William Waller. Viewed as their most decisive victory of the war, the Royalists secured control of South West England which they held until late 1645. Two weeks later they captured the port of Bristol, allowing them to establish links with supporters in Ireland. Prelude After the hard fought Battle of Lansdown, the Royalists withdrew from Lansdown to Marshfield, hoping to obtain reinforcements and supplies from their wartime capital of Oxford. They arrived in Chippenham on 7 July. Meanwhile, despite his retreat, Waller's army was largely intact after the battle and losses were quickly replaced by the Parliamentarian garrison in Bristol. Hopton's pr ...
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Devizes Castle
Devizes Castle was a medieval fortification in the town of Devizes, Wiltshire, England, on a site now occupied by a Victorian-era castle. It is a Grade I listed building. The original castle (not currently visible) was overbuilt by the current structure. Records indicate that the first castle on the site had its origins in about 1080 as an early Norman motte and bailey with wooden pallisade and tower. Medieval building The first motte-and-bailey castle on this site was probably built around 1080 by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury. It is first mentioned in 1106, when Robert of Normandy was imprisoned in it, and, despite reports, it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It became known by its Latin name ''Castrum ad divisas'', the castle at the boundaries, because it was located at a place where three parishes joined. That later evolved into the word Devizes. The town grew around the castle. The original structure burned down in 1113 and was rebuilt in stone by Roger, Bisho ...
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Corn Exchange, Devizes
The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in the Market Place, Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange and is now used as an events venue, is a Grade II listed building. History Until the mid-19th century, corn merchants in the town traded their goods in the open, with sacks piled around the market cross. In the mid-19th century, civic officials decided to commission a purpose-built corn exchange: the site they selected was occupied by the Bear Assembly Rooms. The old assembly rooms were demolished and new assembly rooms were erected at the rear of the Bear Hotel. The current building was designed by William Hill of Leeds in the neoclassical style, built by John Rendall of Devizes in ashlar stone at a cost of £3,456 and was officially opened by the mayor, Henry Butcher, on 3 December 1857. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto the Market Place. The central section of three bays featured three ro ...
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Melksham And Devizes (UK Parliament Constituency)
Melksham and Devizes is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election, when it was won by Brian Mathew of the Liberal Democrats. He defeated Conservative former cabinet minister Michelle Donelan, who had been MP for Chippenham from 2015 to 2024. Boundaries The constituency is composed of the following electoral districts of Wiltshire (as they existed on 4 May 2021): * Bowerhill; Box & Colerne; Bradford-on-Avon North; Bradford-on-Avon South; Bromham, Rowde & Roundway; Calne South; Devizes East; Devizes North; Devizes Rural West; Devizes South; Holt; Melksham East; Melksham Forest; Melksham South; Melksham Without North & Shurnhold; Melksham Without West & Rural; The Lavingtons; Urchfont & Bishops Cannings; Winsley & Westwood. It comprises the following areas: * The towns of Melksham and Bradford-on-Avon, transferred from Chi ...
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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 the west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town. The county has an area of and a population of 720,060. The county is mostly rural, and the centre and south-west are sparsely populated. After Swindon (183,638), the largest settlements are the city of Salisbury (41,820) and the towns of Chippenham (37,548) and Trowbridge (37,169). For local government purposes, the county comprises two unitary authority areas: Swindon and Wiltshire. Undulating chalk downlands characterize much of the county. In the east are Marlborough Downs, which contain Savernake Forest. To the south is the Vale of Pewsey, which separates the downs from Salisbury Plain in the centre of the county. The south-west is also downland, ...
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Wadworth Brewery
Wadworth is a brewery company founded in 1875 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, best known for their 6X beer brand. History Wadworth & Co. was founded in 1875 when Henry Wadworth purchased the Northgate Brewery in Devizes. It was not long before they exceeded their capacity at the Northgate Brewery and in 1885 they moved premises to a new facility close to their original site. Since then, the brewer has been a major influence on the economy of Devizes and a major provider of ale in the south of England. The present Northgate Brewery is a tower brewery opened in 1885. Beers While 6X is the brewer's best known beer, the company also produce other beers, including several seasonal ales. Beers available throughout the year: * 6X (4.1% abv on draught, 4.3% abv cans and bottles) * Henry's Original IPA (3.6%abv) * Horizon – Golden Ale (4.0% abv) * Bishop's Tipple – Golden ale, full flavoured (5.0% abv on draught, 5.5% abv in bottle) * Swordfish – A stronger version of ...
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Market Place, Devizes
Market Place is a town square in the centre of Devizes in Wiltshire, England. In a northwards direction it merges into Northgate Street heading towards the Wadworth Brewery, while southwards St John's Street connects it to the Devizes Town Hall, Town Hall. It was sited close to the historic Devizes Castle, but it was not until the demolition of its outer fortifications that it could fully develop. During the eighteenth century the area developed many coaching inns as it was located on one of the main routes between the capital London and the fashionable spa town of Bath, Somerset, Bath. From 1857 to 1966 it was served by Devizes railway station in nearby Station Road. Buildings facing on to it today include The Shambles market hall, the Victorian era, Victorian Corn Exchange and several banks. While some of the old coaching inns have been converted to other uses, the square still prominently features the Bear Hotel, Pelican Inn and Black Swan Hotel, Devizes, Black Swan. The Mar ...
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Vale Of Pewsey
The Vale of Pewsey or Pewsey Vale is an area of Wiltshire, England to the east of Devizes and south of Marlborough, centred on the village of Pewsey. Geography The vale is an extent of lower lying ground separating the chalk downs of Salisbury Plain to the south from the Marlborough Downs to the north. It is around long and around wide. At the western end is the town of Devizes. Larger settlements in the vale include Pewsey and Burbage with many smaller villages, the larger ones including Bishops Cannings, Etchilhampton, Urchfont, Chirton, Alton Priors, Woodborough, Milton Lilbourne, Easton Royal and Wootton Rivers. Although not itself part of the downs, the vale is included as part of the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The vale is a major east–west feature opening to the west towards the Bristol Channel, but is drained by the headwaters of the Salisbury Avon, rather than the westward-flowing Bristol Avon. The river cuts through ...
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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 towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market, Market Rasen, or Market Drayton). Modern markets are often in special halls, but this is a relatively recent development. Historically the markets were open-air, held in what is usually called (regardless of its actual shape) the market square or market place, sometimes centred on a market cross ( mercat cross in Scotland). They were and are typically open one or two days a week. In the modern era, the rise of permanent retail establishments reduced the need for periodic markets. History The primary purpose of a market town is the provision of goods and services to the surrounding locality. Al ...
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The Anarchy
The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin (the only legitimate son of Henry I of England, Henry I), who drowned in the White Ship disaster, ''White Ship'' disaster of 1120. Henry sought to be succeeded by his daughter, known as Empress Matilda, but was only partially successful in convincing the nobility to support her. On Henry's death in 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois seized the throne with the help of Stephen's brother Henry of Blois, who was the bishop of Winchester. He was crowned as Stephen, King of England, King Stephen, and his early reign saw fierce fighting with disloyal English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders, and Scottish invaders. Following a major rebellion in the southwest of England, Matilda invaded in 1139 with the help of her half-brother Robert, 1st Earl o ...
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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 towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market, Market Rasen, or Market Drayton). Modern markets are often in special halls, but this is a relatively recent development. Historically the markets were open-air, held in what is usually called (regardless of its actual shape) the market square or market place, sometimes centred on a market cross ( mercat cross in Scotland). They were and are typically open one or two days a week. In the modern era, the rise of permanent retail establishments reduced the need for periodic markets. History The primary purpose of a market town is the provision of goods and services to the surrounding locality. Al ...
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Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to Germany as a child when she was married to the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. She travelled with the emperor to Italy in 1116, was controversially crowned empress in St Peter's Basilica, and acted as the imperial regent in Italy. Matilda and Henry V had no children, and when he died in 1125, the imperial crown was claimed by his rival Lothair of Supplinburg. Matilda's younger and only full brother, William Adelin, died in the ''White Ship'' disaster of 1120, leaving Matilda's father and realm facing a potential succession crisis. Upon her widowhood in the Holy Roman Empire, Matilda was recalled to Normandy by her father, who arranged for her to marry Geoffrey of Anjou to form an alliance to protect his southern borders in Franc ...
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