Berwick Bassett

Berwick Bassett is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Marlborough and 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Swindon. The village is on the west bank of a headstream of the River Kennet and close to the A4361 road, formerly the A361, which links Devizes and Avebury with Wroughton and Swindon.

Berwick Bassett
Berwick Bassett is located in Wiltshire
Berwick Bassett
Berwick Bassett
Location within Wiltshire
Population43 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSU099733
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSWINDON
Postcode districtSN4
Dialling code01793
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
Websitebbwmpc.org

Geography

The parish of Berwick Bassett is part of Calne Hundred and comprises about 1400 acres about 3 mi (5 km) north of Avebury. It has a slender rectangular shape, oriented east and west, and is crossed from north to south by the upper part of the River Kennet, which flows only in the winter months. The village of Berwick Basset lies to the west of the stream and has a small village green close to the bridge, around which are clustered the Manor, Home Farm and Berwick House Farm.[2]

History

There are a number of ancient sites in the parish; these include flint tools, Romano-British pottery fragments, cropmarks, enclosures, a round barrow and a medieval farmstead.[2] The ancient trackway known as the Ridgeway forms the eastern boundary of the parish.

Berwick was not recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was probably part of the king's Calne estate.[3] The Bassett suffix arose after the manor was granted in 1206 to Alan Basset. He was succeeded by three of his sons in turn: Gilbert, Fulk (who went on to become Bishop of London), and Philip (Chief Justiciar). The Wiltshire Victoria County History recounts the later landowners.[3]

Manor Farmhouse or Old Manor House, next to the church, is from the late 15th century or early 16th.[4] The newer Manor House, near the stream, is from the early 17th.[5]

The population of the parish peaked at 203 at the time of the 1851 census.[1] A National school was built near the church in 1847 and was in use until 1922.[3]

Local government

Berwick Bassett is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. It elects a joint parish council with the adjacent parish of Winterbourne Monkton.[6]

Church

St Nicholas's Church dates from the early 13th century.[3] Having been declared redundant in 1972, the Grade II* listed building[7] is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[8] The parish of Winterbourne Monkton with Berwick Bassett is part of the Upper Kennet benefice.[9][10]

References
  1. "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  2. "Berwick Bassett". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  3. Crowley, D. A., ed. (2002). "Berwick Bassett". A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 17. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 9–17. Retrieved 19 October 2021 – via British History Online.
  4. Historic England. "Manor Farmhouse, Berwick Bassett (1033872)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  5. Historic England. "Manor House, Berwick Bassett (1033873)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  6. "Berwick Bassett and Winterbourne Monkton Joint Parish Council". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St. Nicholas (1365565)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  8. "St Nicholas' Church, Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire". Churches Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  9. "St Nicholas Berwick Bassett". Upper Kennet Benefice. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  10. "Winterbourne Monkton with Berwick Bassett". A Church Near You. The Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 19 October 2021.

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