Pinhills is an old farmhouse tucked away in the heart of the Bowood Estate. It has a very interesting history. There are a number of ancient trees in the woodlands around, including at one time the pine trees which John Aubrey claimed gave the settlement its name, a corruption of ‘Pine hill’. However, the name is now thought more likely to be simply a corruption of ‘Pen’, the Celtic word for hill, reflecting the settlement’s prominent position, to which over time the repetition of ‘hill’ has been added, when understanding of the meaning of ‘pen’ faded, as has happened with Pendle Hill, in Lancashire.

 
Taken from the Calne tithe map, 1844

The manor of Pinhills was held for a long time by the Blake family, who had connections with other noble local families, such as the Goddards, Baynards and Hungerfords. Their coat of arms could be seen in a stained glass window in Calne Church until the steeple fell in on it in 1639.

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