Wiltshire Victoria County History

The Wiltshire Victoria County History is an encyclopaedic history of the county of Wiltshire in England. It forms part of the overall Victoria County History of England founded in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria. With eighteen volumes published, the Wiltshire VCH is now the most substantial of the Victoria County Histories.

Overview

The project is promoted by the Wiltshire Victoria County History Committee, currently in a five-year partnership with the University of the West of England. Work is overseen, and volumes published, by the Institute of Historical Research of the University of London. The principal funders of the work are Wiltshire County Council and the four district councils within its area.

The Wiltshire VCH employs a county editor and an assistant county editor, whose offices are at the Wiltshire County Council headquarters in Trowbridge. Beyond writing the history itself, the staff promote local history by giving talks and presentations to local societies.

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County Editor

Dr Virginia Bainbridge BA (Cantab.) PhD (London) was appointed in 2006. She joined VCH Wiltshire in 2004 after working as assistant editor of VCH Oxfordshire 1999-2004. Her work for the V.C.H. has given her a broad perspective on changing social patterns and local institutions and her research interests focus on the Reformation. She is the author of Gilds in the Medieval Countryside: Religious and Social Change in Cambridgeshire 1350-1558 (Boydell and Brewer 1996) and is currently writing a book on English Nuns 1400-1600.

Assistant Editor

Dr James Lee, BA PhD (University of the West of England), was appointed in 2006. He has worked on several research projects, spanning the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. His research interests focus on urban history and the history of the south west region. He has published essays and articles on a variety of political and social history themes such as oath-taking and oath-breaking in early modern towns. His book, Preachers and Politics: The Later Stuarts, the Church and Public Political Culture will be published in 2007 and his book on politics and society in Tudor Bristol is nearing completion.

Retired County Editor

Dr Douglas Crowley BA PhD (University of Sheffield) was assistant editor at VCH Wiltshire from 1968 and was County Editor 1977-2006. His early research on manorial administration prepared him for his work on the VCH, where he developed an expert knowledge of all aspects of local history. As editor he directed research on volumes 11-18 of the series. He was Honorary Editor of the Wiltshire Record Society 1972-76. His publications include an edition of The Wiltshire Tax List of 1332 (Wiltshire Record Society, xlv, 1989). He is currently working on a volume of manorial court rolls for the Wiltshire Record Society.

List of County Editors

* 1947 - 1969: Mr R.B. Pugh MA FSA
* 1969 - 1977: Miss Elizabeth Crittall MA
* 1977 - 2006: Dr Douglas Crowley BA PhD (University of Sheffield) (assistant editor 1968 - 1977)
* 2006 to date: Dr Virginia Bainbridge BA (Cantab.) PhD (London) (assistant editor 2004 - 2006)

Volumes published

General volumes

* Volume I, Part 1 (1957): Archaeological gazetteer; prehistoric, Pagan Saxon, and early medieval remains.
* Volume I, Part 2 (1973): Settlement and agriculture during the prehistoric, Roman, and Pagan Saxon periods.
* Volume II (1955): Anglo-Saxon Wiltshire, the Wiltshire Domesday, the Wiltshire Geld Rolls, fiefs in the Exon Domesday.
* Volume III (1956): Ecclesiastical history, Roman Catholicism and Protestant Nonconformity, religious houses.
* Volume IV (1959): Economic history, agriculture, industries, roads, canals, railways, taxation, population, sport, spas, freemasonry, royal forests, Cranborne chase.
* Volume V (1957): Medieval government, feudal Wiltshire, parliamentary representation, county government, public health, education.

Topographical volumes

* Volume VI (1962): Wilton, Old Salisbury, New Salisbury, and Underditch hundred (Stratford-sub-Castle, Wilsford, Woodford)

* Volume VII (1953): Bradford hundred (Bradford on Avon, Broughton Gifford, Great Chalfield, Monkton Farleigh, Wingfield); Melksham hundred (Erlestoke, Hilperton, Melksham, Poulshot, Trowbridge, Whaddon); and Potterne and Cannings hundred (Bromham, Bishop's Cannings, Highway, West Lavington, Potterne, and Rowde).

* Volume VIII (1965): Warminster hundred (Bishopstrow, Corsley, Dinton, Fisherton de la Mere, Norton Bavant, Pertwood, Sutton Veny, Teffont Magna, Upton Scudamore, Warminster); Westbury hundred (Westbury); and Whorwellsdown hundred (Steeple Ashton, North Bradley, East Coulston, Edington, Keevil).

* Volume IX (1970): Kingsbridge hundred (Chiseldon, Clyffe Pypard, Draycot Foliat, Hilmarton, Liddington, Lydiard Tregoze, Lyneham, Swindon, Tockenham, Wanborough, Wootton Bassett)

* Volume X (1975): Swanborough hundred (Alton Barnes, Beechingstoke, All Cannings, Charlton, Great Cheverell, Little Cheverell, Chirton, Etchilhampton, Huish, Market Lavington, Manningford Abbots, Manningford Bruce, Marden, North Newnton, Rushall, Stanton St Bernard, Stert, Upavon, Urchfont, Wilcot, Wilsford, Woodborough), and Devizes.

* Volume XI (1980): Downton hundred (Bishopstone, Downton, including Barford, Bodenham, Charlton, Hamptworth, Nunton, Standlynch, Wick, Witherington, Fonthill Bishop, East Knoyle, including Hindon); Elstub and Everleigh hundred (Collingbourne Ducis, Enford, Everleigh, Fittleton, Ham, Little Hinton, Netheravon, Overton, Patney, Rollestone, Stockton, Westwood, Wroughton).

* Volume XII (1983): Ramsbury hundred (Bishopstone, Ramsbury, including Axford, Baydon); Selkley hundred (Aldbourne, Avebury, Broad Hinton, East Kennett, Mildenhall, Ogbourne St Andrew, Ogbourne St George, Preshute, Winterbourne Bassett, Winterbourne Monkton); and Marlborough.
* Volume XIII (1987): Chalke hundred (Alvediston, Berwick St John, Bower Chalke, Broad Chalke, Ebbesborne Wake, Fifield Bavant, Semley, Tollard Royal); Dunworth hundred (Ansty, Berwick St Leonard, Chicklade, Chilmark, Donhead St Andrew, Donhead St Mary, Fonthill Gifford, Sedgehill, Swallowcliffe, Teffont Evias, Tisbury).

* Volume XIV (1991): Malmesbury hundred (Bremilham, Brinkworth, Brokenborough, Charlton, Crudwell, Dauntsey, Draycot Cerne, Foxley, Garsdon, Hankerton, Hullavington, Lea and Cleverton, Malmesbury, including Corston, Rodbourne, Norton, Oaksey, Seagry, Great Somerford, Little Somerford, Stanton St Quintin, Sutton Benger, Westport).

* Volume XV (1995): Amesbury hundred (Allington, Amesbury, Boscombe, Bulford, Cholderton, Durnford, Durrington, Figheldean; Ludgershall, including Biddesden; Milston, Newton Tony, North Tidworth); Branch and Dole hundred (Berwick St James, Little Langford, Steeple Langford, including Bathampton, Hanging Langford, Maddington, South Newton, Orcheston St Mary, Sherrington, Shrewton, Stapleford, Tilshead, Winterbourne Stoke, Great Wishford, and Wylye).

* Volume XVI (1999): Kinwardstone hundred (Great Bedwyn, Little Bedwyn, Burbage, Buttermere, Chilton Foliat, Chute, Chute Forest, Collingbourne Kingston, Easton, Froxfield, Milton Lilbourne, Pewsey, Savernake, Tidcombe, including Fosbury, Hippenscombe, Wootton Rivers).
* Volume XVII (2002): Calne hundred (Berwick Bassett, Blackland; Calne, including Derry Hill, Quemerford, Sandy Lane, Stock, Stockley, Studley, Whetham, and Whitley, Bowood, Calstone Wellington, Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington, Yatesbury).

Volume in preparation

* Volume XVIII (in progress): Part of Highworth, Cricklade, and Staple hundred (Ashton Keynes, Cricklade, Eisey, Latton, Leigh, Lydiard Millicent, Marston Meysey, Purton, including Braydon, Minety).

Wiltshire Victoria County History Committee

The Committee was established in 1947. It does not control the day-to-day work of the staff (who are employees of the University of the West of England and before that were employed by the University of London), but since the early days of the Wiltshire County History project the committee has been responsible for ensuring that funding is available for staff salaries and other expenses, offices provided, suitable projects undertaken, and partnerships entered into. The members of the Committee represent the main financial contributors to the project (Wiltshire County Council, Kennet District Council, North Wiltshire District Council, Salisbury District Council, West Wiltshire District Council and the University of the West of England), and also the Central Committee of the Victoria County History, the University of Winchester, the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society and the Wiltshire Local History Forum. The Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, as Custos rotulorum, is also an honorary member of the Committee.

Chairmen of the Committee

*Alderman W.R. Robins OBE CC (1947–1960)
*Major S.V. Christie-Miller CBE DL CC (1960–1970)
*Sir Henry Langton DSO DSC DL CC
*Group Captain F.A. Willan CBE, DFC, DL CC (1974–1981)
*Mr Nigel J.M. Anderson MBE CC (1981–1985)
*Miss D.J. Matthews CC (1985–1989)
*Mrs V.C.S. Landell-Mills CC (1989–2001)
*Miss Patricia E.G. Courtman (2001–2002)
*Mr Christopher Newbury CC (2002- )

Wiltshire Victoria County History Appeal Trust

The Trust, established in 2004, is a registered charity and is responsible for raising funds for the work of the County History which is beyond its core activities.

References

* [http://www.wiltshirepast.net/ Wiltshire Past — the official site of the Wiltshire VCH]
* [http://www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk/Wiltshire/ Wiltshire at victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18026 Wiltshire Victoria County History at British-History.ac.uk]
* [http://www.englandpast.net/ Victoria County History online]
* [http://www.historyfootsteps.net/ History Footsteps, England’s Past for schools from the Victoria County History]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1373/12_49/58170497/p1/article.jhtml History Today article about the Victoria County History] ----