One of the volunteers working on the Lacock Abbey archives asked me to help with reading two unusual documents (2664bx61/60). They were two orders issued in June 1631 by Star Chamber, a much feared court which vigorously protected royal rights and privileges and became synonymous with misuse and abuse of power by the King and his circle.  The documents offer indemnity from arrest for any violence used in assisting the sheriff and trained band to apprehend several persons who were believed ‘in the night season’ to have destroyed the fences and enclosures in Braydon Forest, near Cricklade, and to have threatened similar action in Blackmore or Melksham forest. These royal forests had been recently disafforested, Braydon the previous year and Blackmore 19 years ago. This was a process which removed them from the jurisdiction of forest law and gave it the status of ordinary land. In effect it allowed the land to be divided into enclosed fields and coppices held by individual farmers, who paid rents to the royal agents who in turn paid the crown for the franchise. This was a controversial move, motivated to raise revenue for the crown, which ended common rights in the forest. The disaffected in Blackmore Forest were believed to have met the ‘Ryotters and Mutiners’ of Braydon Forest and thus posed a threat which prompted this pre-emptive action. The royal farmer had built ‘several faire houses’ for the tenants, and also a church for the inhabitants ‘to repaire to to heare devyne service’. Allowances had been given to the ‘pretended commoners’ and the tenants who by their great labours, charges industry have brought the ground into good tillage and pasture land. It was claimed that the would-be rioters were believed to come from Lacock. Of the seven named, four were among the fifty-five listed in the Braydon forest document, and were presumably the 17^th century equivalent of ‘flying pickets’.

Where was this church? I could find no reference to the licensing or serving of this church in the diocesan archives, or any indication of how long it lasted. This appears to be the only evidence of it that has come to light. Evidence of its probable location is provided by a deed of division of what remained of the forest, which appears to be the eastern part, in 1818 between Thomas Bruges and Edward Philips in another collection in Wiltshire and Swindon Archives (1985/1/1).


The map associated with the deed of dvision, 1818
Ref:1985/1/1

 The associated map describes Chapel Ground and Chapel Mead on the site of what became the grounds of Sandridge Park. By 1838, and the tithe apportionment, Chapel Ground has become The Park, although Chapel Mead retained its original name.


Section of the map showing Chapel Ground and Chapel Mead

 This little piece of research illustrates extremely well the importance of having different archives brought together in the History Centre. We do not know whether the church was built of wood or stone, and what evidence of its foundations may be discernable to archaeological investigation, although house platforms have been identified on the site. The documentary evidence suggests that this might be the hamlet established in the 1620’s for the forest land tenants, and this will be added to the Historic Environment Record maintained by the Archaeology Service also based in the History Centre. If you have enjoyed this article, the following entries may also be of interest:

The King of Limbs

A Hunting Lodge for King John?

New technology helps us appreciate Wiltshire's past

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The name Shrewton, the village set in the middle of Salisbury Plain, means the sheriff’s farm; the sheriff being Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wiltshire who held the manor in the late 12^th and early 13^th centuries. But the present village of Shrewton is made up of seven medieval villages and hamlets, three of which were separate manors in 1086. One of these was Maddington – the maidens’ farm. The maidens were the nuns of Amesbury Abbey, later Priory, who held land here from Saxon times until the dissolution in 1539.

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Back in March we had an enquiry from a gentleman trying to establish the date of a couple of photographs of the bridge at Bradford on Avon. They were amongst his grandfather’s collection of 598 ‘magic lantern’ slides, many of which were unnamed. He had been unsure of the location of the photographs, but the bridge happened to be featured in a TV programme he was watching called ‘Country Tracks’, and it looked like a good candidate!
The first of two photographs of the bridge at Bradford On Avon
Our Ref: P53801  

Upon receipt of the images, it took just one look to realise that they were indeed of the bridge at Bradford. To try to date the images we used two books from our Local Studies Collection, ‘Bradford on Avon: a pictorial record’ edited by Harold Fassnidge and Peter Maundrell, and ‘Bradford in Avon in old Picture Postcards’ by Adrian Powell. Both included pictures of the bridge, one dated c. 1892 and the other 1900. Walter’s photograph showed some metal work in a cross pattern appearing on the blind house. The image of 1900 showed the cross in place but by about 1916 it had disappeared. The other image (taken in or before 1892) had been taken from a slightly different angle but showed the river bank without the ornate metal fence in the picture dated 1900. This fence was also missing in our photograph, suggesting a date of c.1890. 

His grandfather, Walter J Pearce, had been taking photographs from at least 1889, when he took some at the Paris Exhibition. He was part of a delegation of craftsmen sent by the Lord Mayor of London to report on his craft of painting, decorating and gilding. His grandson told us that Walter had actually climbed onto the outside of the Eiffel Tower to look at the paintwork; it had been painted lighter towards the top to make the tower appear slimmer! To discover more about the photographer and the bridge, please 'read more'...

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The Wiltshire Community History web site – http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/ - has scored a century this week. 100 completed communities are now on the site with the recent appearance of Langley Burrell. This is the parish where the diarist Francis Kilvert served his father as curate in the 1870s and recorded many local people and events.

The Church of St. Peter, Langley Burrell, where the diarist Francis Kilvert was curate

Every completed community has short histories of the civil parish and of each church, chapel and school. There are maps from 1773, prints and photographs old and new, population tables, and information on historic buildings, local authors and literary associations. Links take you to all archaeological sites in each parish and to all wills proved at Salisbury Diocesan Court between the 1530s and 1857.
You can also ask us local history questions and get e-mailed replies, look at about 9,400 pages from important early books on Wiltshire, find the words of over 1,000 folk songs and over 40 Mummers’ plays collected in the county, and see locations of photographs and sites plotted on aerial photographs and maps.
Back in Langley Burrell you find information on another famous resident, Maud Heath. In 1474 she gave property and land to finance a causeway from the top of Wick Hill in Bremhill to Chippenham Market. The trust she set up continued to maintain it and you can still walk this 15th century pathway today.


Part of the 1811 structure of 64 arches that carries Maud Heath’s Causeway over the lowlands by the river Avon



In 1698 the Maud Heath Trust erected this 12 foot high monument by the river at Kellaways. This features a three faced block sundial with Latin inscriptions


1966 Memorial plaque to Francis Kilvert in Langley Burrell Church

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