Alton, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Alton is a civil parish in the English
county of Wiltshire
. It comprises the twin villages of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, together with the nearby hamlet
of Honeystreet on the Kennet and Avon Canal
.
The United Kingdom Census 2001
recorded the parish population as 229.
unitary authority
, which is responsible for all significant local government functions, and is represented in the council by Brigadier Robert Hall
.
army led by Ceawlin in the year 592.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint Mary
in Alton Barnes is partly Saxon
.
All Saints Church, Alton Priors
dates from the 12th century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The presence in the floor of the church of trapdoors giving access to Sarsen
stones, and the presence of the 1,700 year old Yew tree in the churchyard, suggest it was a sacred site long before the church was built. There is also an unusual brass plaque to local landowner William Button, with a complex inscription. It has been speculated that the message on the plaque, and Sarsen stones may be connected with the nearby Milk Hill
.
which can be seen on Google Maps It was made in 1812. It is based on another white horse hill figure in Wiltshire, the Cherhill White Horse
, but the two horses have a lot of differences.
The Wansdyke
runs on the high downland
, the Pewsey Downs
to the north.
The figure is the third largest white horse in Wiltshire. The Pewsey White Horse can be seen from Milk Hill
(the location of the horse). The figure is featured in Staying Out for the Summer (a music video for a song of the same name by Dodgy
).
As of today, the figure still exists. It has been scoured recently. The March 2002 scour was not a complete scour but rather a cutting of nearby grass, thus making the figure much more visible.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. It comprises the twin villages of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, together with the nearby hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Honeystreet on the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
.
The United Kingdom Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded the parish population as 229.
Local government
Alton is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of the Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary authority
Unitary authorities of England
Unitary authorities of England are areas where a single local authority is responsible for a variety of services for a district that elsewhere are administered separately by two councils...
, which is responsible for all significant local government functions, and is represented in the council by Brigadier Robert Hall
Robert Hall (British Army officer)
Robert Wallace Strachan Hall is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, having previously served as a British Army officer, rising to the rank of Brigadier. He is currently Chairman of Wiltshire Council and of Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority...
.
History
Alton may have been the site of a bloody defeat of a SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
army led by Ceawlin in the year 592.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
in Alton Barnes is partly Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
.
All Saints Church, Alton Priors
All Saints Church, Alton Priors
All Saints Church in Alton Priors, Wiltshire, England, dates from the 12th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
dates from the 12th century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The presence in the floor of the church of trapdoors giving access to Sarsen
Sarsen
Sarsen stones are sandstone blocks found in quantity in the United Kingdom on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs, in Kent, and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Hampshire...
stones, and the presence of the 1,700 year old Yew tree in the churchyard, suggest it was a sacred site long before the church was built. There is also an unusual brass plaque to local landowner William Button, with a complex inscription. It has been speculated that the message on the plaque, and Sarsen stones may be connected with the nearby Milk Hill
Milk Hill
Milk Hill, located near Alton Priors east of Devizes, is the highest point in the county of Wiltshire, southwest England, at some 295 m / 968 ft above sea level...
.
Alton Barnes White Horse
There is a chalk hill figureHill figure
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural...
which can be seen on Google Maps It was made in 1812. It is based on another white horse hill figure in Wiltshire, the Cherhill White Horse
Cherhill White Horse
The Cherhill White Horse is a hill figure on Cherhill Down, 3.5 miles east of Calne in Wiltshire, England. Dating from the late 18th century, it is the third oldest of several such white horses in Great Britain, with only the Uffington White Horse and the Westbury White Horse being older...
, but the two horses have a lot of differences.
The Wansdyke
Wansdyke
Wansdyke may refer to:*Wansdyke *Wansdyke *Wansdyke...
runs on the high downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
, the Pewsey Downs
Pewsey Downs
Pewsey Downs is a 305.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs north of Pewsey in Wiltshire, notified in 1951.-Source:* -External links:*...
to the north.
The figure is the third largest white horse in Wiltshire. The Pewsey White Horse can be seen from Milk Hill
Milk Hill
Milk Hill, located near Alton Priors east of Devizes, is the highest point in the county of Wiltshire, southwest England, at some 295 m / 968 ft above sea level...
(the location of the horse). The figure is featured in Staying Out for the Summer (a music video for a song of the same name by Dodgy
Dodgy
Dodgy are an English power pop rock trio, that rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s, who are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough"...
).
As of today, the figure still exists. It has been scoured recently. The March 2002 scour was not a complete scour but rather a cutting of nearby grass, thus making the figure much more visible.
Sources
- Wiltshire County Council Website page on Alton, retrieved 12:50 Oct 7, 2004 (UTC)