You can learn a lot just by walking around a village, thinking about how it evolved and picking up clues from remains on the ground and in buildings. If you looked at both old and new maps before your walk you’ll make even more deductions. Most of our Wiltshire villages date from Saxon times, although some are on earlier settlements; again most have Saxon names and the study of street and field names can also be very rewarding. (see The Place-names of Wiltshire by J.E.B. Gover, 1939; and English Field Names by the appropriately named John Field, 1989)

On 18^th March at 2.15 the History Centre afternoon lecture will be Looking at Villages with Michael Marshman, who will talk about some of the skills that help you to become a landscape detective. Apart from his day job at the History Centre Michael has been writing the Village Life articles for Wiltshire Life for the last eight years! Some tickets are still available (Tel. 01249 705500).


Lacock [F0018] A 15^th century cruck building showing where the roof was later raised to allow the insertion of an upper floor.
 
All our villages are different and can be one of a number of types apart from the nucleated, linear or agglomerated that we may remember from geography lessons. Some villages, such as Shrewton, can be several medieval villages that have grown into one; these are known as polyfocal villages but others, such as Inglesham, may have shrunk and be much smaller than they were in earlier times. In others, like West Ashton, a landowner has cleared the original village from the proximity of his manor house and rebuilt it further away.

 
Steeple Ashton [F0045] The village green contains the market cross of 1679, when an attempt was made to revive the market, and the blind house (lock up) of 1773. Indications of the market site and of the hundred court of Whorwellsdown
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Some villages were once towns – early medieval planted ones like Hindon or ones that grew organically such as Steeple Ashton. Others, like Sherston and Downton, were existing villages that had a planted town added, but all have fallen back to village status. Other villages grew to serve an estate or religious house (Bradenstoke, Lacock, Horningsham) while others (Shaw, near Alton, and Rowley, near Westwood, have disappeared completely and are only shown by a few house platforms and a hollow way.


Rollestone [F0046] The Church of St. Andrew in the largely deserted old village of Rollestone that is now part of Shrewton. There are two other churches in the village with that of Maddington as well as Shrewton itself.


Broughton Gifford [F0004] Sunken path leading to the church from an area now only occupied by one farm but which once contained many cottages; the feet of those cottagers trod this path although the level of the churchyard also rose with centuries of burials.

A study of maps, aerial photographs and archaeological records can provide a really good background to a village exploration and help you interpret what you see. Fortunately these plus village archives, books and photographs are all available in the History Centre.