Great Cheverell
| Great Cheverell | |
|---|---|
 Village centre | |
| Population | 987 (in 2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST982543 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Devizes |
| Postcode district | SN10 |
| Dialling code | 01380 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
Great Cheverell is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Devizes. In some sources the Latinized name of Cheverell Magna is used, especially when referring to the ecclesiastical parish.
The parish includes Great Cheverell Hill, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest consisting of unimproved species-rich chalk grassland on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain.
History
A large settlement of 111 households was recorded at Chevrel in the Domesday Book of 1086.[2] There were 73 taxpayers in 1377.[3] Population of the parish peaked around the time of the 1841 census, which recorded 295; then fell as agricultural employment decreased, reaching 174 at the 1951 census.[1] Subsequent increases reflect housebuilding and employment at HM Prison Erlestoke.[3]
The Manor House, next to the church, dates from c. 1690 with enlargement and alteration in the 18th century.[4] Glebe House, a former farmhouse north of the church, is from the late 17th century and early 18th.[5]
The Stert and Westbury Railway was built through the parish by the Great Western Railway Company in 1900, providing routes from London to Weymouth or Taunton. There was a station called Lavington, just beyond the east boundary of the parish, about one mile by road from Great Cheverell village. The line remains open but the station was closed in 1967 and no local stations remain; the nearest are Pewsey and Westbury.
To the south the parish extends onto higher ground at Cheverell Down, where the southernmost part has been part of the Imber Range military training area since 1933.[3]
Parish church
The Church of England parish church of St Peter is faced with limestone ashlar except for the oldest part, the chancel of malmstone and flint, which is probably from the 11th century. The nave and west tower are from the 14th century; in the 15th the south porch was added and the tower was raised, and gained an octagonal stair-tower. Restoration in 1868 by W.H. Woodman of Reading included re-roofing of the chancel, rebuilding of the chancel arch and addition of a north vestry. The octagonal font is 13th century.[6]
The tower carries six bells: one of c. 1500 and three from the 18th century.[7]
The church was designated as Grade I listed in 1962.[6] Today the parish is part of the benefice of the Lavingtons, Cheverells & Easterton.[8] The parish registers, now held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, cover the years 1653-1987 (baptisms), 1654-1994 (marriages), and 1654-1987 (burials).[9]
Schools
Under the Will of J. Townsend, a charity school was established at Great Cheverell in 1725 which provided for six poor children of the parish to be taught reading and the principles of the Church of England, free of charge. By 1834, the school also had about another forty "pay-scholars", for whom a charge was made.[10]
Local government
Great Cheverell (or Cheverell Magna) is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of the Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for most significant local government functions.
Notable residents
- Jane Gregory (1959–2011), Olympic dressage rider[11]
- Sir Charles Carter Chitham (1886–1972), policeman in British India[3]
References
- ^ a b "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ Great and Little Cheverell in the Domesday Book
- ^ a b c d A. P. Baggs, D. A. Crowley, Ralph B. Pugh, Janet H. Stevenson and Margaret Tomlinson, 'Parishes: Great Cheverell', in A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 10, ed. Elizabeth Crittall (London, 1975), pp. 41-53
- ^ Historic England. "Manor House, Church Street (1284714)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Glebe House (1182075)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St Peter (1035786)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Great Cheverell, S Peter". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "St Peter's, Great Cheverell". lavingtonchurch.org. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ Great Cheverell at Genuki
- ^ "Great Cheverell – Townsend's School" in Public Charities: Analytical digest of the Reports made by the Commissioners of inquiry into charities. Digest of schools and charities for education (W. Clowes & Son, 1842), p. 297
- ^ "Athlete Profile". www.olympics.org.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
Further reading
- Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.); Baggs, A.P.; Crowley, D.A.; Pugh, Ralph B.; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1975). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 10: An account of the parishes of Swanborough hundred, and of the borough of Devizes. pp. 41–53.
{{cite book}}:|first1=has generic name (help) - Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975). The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 259–260. ISBN 0140710264.
External links
- Wiltshire County Council Website page on Great Cheverell, retrieved 12 October 2004