Hello, my name is Clare and I'm the Modern Records Officer at the History centre. My job is to collect together all of the records of the four District councils that have been combined with the County council to make the new Wiltshire Council.

Although the majority of the records I am dealing with are from after 1974 (when the District Councils were set up), whilst trawling through the boxes and filing cabinets I also sometimes find earlier items.

The map shown above came from the legal section of the former North Wiltshire District Council. It shows Chippenham in 1820. The burgage plots (the long, thin areas of land associated with some of the buildings) are shown and each of the buildings has a key number. The index at the side lists the tenants of each of the numbered buildings. Chippenham was incorporated as a Borough in the 16^th century, and so it is likely that many of the burgage plot boundaries were established before this date.

For an update from the Modern Records officer, please visit From Walk in Safes to Nuclear Bunkers...