Fisherton Delamere
Encyclopedia
Fisherton Delamere, also spelt Fisherton de la Mere and Fisherton Delamare, is a small village and former civil parish on the River Wylye
, Wiltshire
, England
.
The parish came to an end in 1934 and was divided between Wylye and Stockton
, the latter gaining the hamlet
of Bapton
, while the village of Fisherton Delamere retained a separate identity within Wylye.
, mid-way between Salisbury
and Warminster
, and some ten miles south-west of Amesbury
.
Position:
of 1086, Fisherton is spelt Fisertone and had not yet gained its further name. "Delamere", variously spelt through the ages, was added later because this was the name of the lords of the manor
, the Delameres of Nunney Castle
.
in Somerset
, under which his Wiltshire manor was held. In the time of Edward the Confessor
, Fisherton had been owned by a man named Bondi.
The ancient parish of Fisherton Delamere formed a detached part of the Warminster
hundred of Wiltshire. It contained two villages, Fisherton itself, to the north of the River Wylye, and Bapton
, about a mile away and to the south of the river, and a combined total of 2,834 acres, of which 1,660 were in Fisherton. The civil parish
, was extinguished in 1934, when Fisherton was transferred to Wylye, and Bapton to Stockton
.
The former parish was a rough oblong stretching both north and south up into the downland
on each side of the river, each slope running down from an altitude of about 600 feet. At the south is a level area called the Bake. On the north-east the parish boundary ran along the old road from Chitterne
to Stapleford
, on the south along Grim's Dyke
, an ancient earthwork, while on the south-west the boundary cut through a combe
, Roakham Bottom.
The name Delamere, Delamare, or de la Mere, refers to the family which owned the manor
in the Middle Ages
, whose name was spelt in all of those ways. The last of the family was Sir John Delamare
(c. 1320–1383).
A detailed parish history was published in 1965 by the Wiltshire Victoria County History
.
, his niece Eleanor Delamare, who died in 1413, Fisherton passed into the Paulet family and thus to the William Paulet
who was Lord Chamberlain
and Secretary of State
to Henry VIII
, and Lord High Treasurer
to Edward VI
, Lady Jane Grey
, Mary I
, and Elizabeth I
. Fisherton continued to belong to the Paulets as Dukes of Bolton
.
The Fisherton estate was owned by the Dukes of Somerset
in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Bapton was owned by Sir Cecil Chubb
from 1927, and he lived at Bapton Manor. In 1939 his heirs sold his estate to Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
, who died in 1940.
parish church
, St Nicholas's Church
, built in the 14th century in a chequerboard pattern of flint
and Chilmark stone, sits on a hill overlooking the River Wylye
at the centre of the village. It is now a Grade II* listed building in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
The parish register
s survive in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
for the following dates: Christenings
1561–1895, Marriage
s 1566–1992, burials
1569–1992.
The village comes under the Wylye parish council and is in the area of the Wiltshire Council
unitary authority
, which is responsible for almost all significant local government functions. It forms part of the South West Wiltshire Parliament constituency, and the serving Member of Parliament
is Andrew Murrison
.
River Wylye
The River Wylye is a classic southern England chalk stream; champagne clear water flowing over gravel. Consequently, it is popular with anglers keen on fly fishing.- Course :...
, 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...
, England
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...
.
The parish came to an end in 1934 and was divided between Wylye and Stockton
Stockton, Wiltshire
Stockton is a small village in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England .-Location and extent:The village is close to Codford, south of the A36 road, between the town of Warminster and the city of Salisbury....
, the latter gaining the 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 Bapton
Bapton
Bapton is a hamlet in Wiltshire, England, part of the civil parish of Stockton, previously forming part of Fisherton Delamere.Bapton, consisting of 1,174 acres, almost all owned as a single estate, was part of Fisherton Delamere from the earliest times until that parish was extinguished in 1934,...
, while the village of Fisherton Delamere retained a separate identity within Wylye.
Location
The settlement lies just off the A36 roadA36 road
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 road to Bristol, thus enabling a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. Originally, the A36 continued onto Avonmouth, but...
, mid-way between Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
, and some ten miles south-west of Amesbury
Amesbury
Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002...
.
Position:
Name
In the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, Fisherton is spelt Fisertone and had not yet gained its further name. "Delamere", variously spelt through the ages, was added later because this was the name of the lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
, the Delameres of Nunney Castle
Nunney Castle
Nunney Castle is a castle in Nunney, Somerset, England. Built in the late 14th century by Sir John Delamare on the profits of his involvement in the Hundred Years War, the moated castle's architectural style, possibly influenced by the design of French castles, has provoked considerable academic...
.
History
In 1086, Fisherton was owned by Roger de Corcelle. He was also the owner of Curry MalletCurry Mallet
Curry Mallet is a village and parish in Somerset, England. It is on the Fivehead River , east of Taunton in the South Somerset district...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, under which his Wiltshire manor was held. In the time of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, Fisherton had been owned by a man named Bondi.
The ancient parish of Fisherton Delamere formed a detached part of the Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
hundred of Wiltshire. It contained two villages, Fisherton itself, to the north of the River Wylye, and Bapton
Bapton
Bapton is a hamlet in Wiltshire, England, part of the civil parish of Stockton, previously forming part of Fisherton Delamere.Bapton, consisting of 1,174 acres, almost all owned as a single estate, was part of Fisherton Delamere from the earliest times until that parish was extinguished in 1934,...
, about a mile away and to the south of the river, and a combined total of 2,834 acres, of which 1,660 were in Fisherton. The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, was extinguished in 1934, when Fisherton was transferred to Wylye, and Bapton to Stockton
Stockton, Wiltshire
Stockton is a small village in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England .-Location and extent:The village is close to Codford, south of the A36 road, between the town of Warminster and the city of Salisbury....
.
The former parish was a rough oblong stretching both north and south up into the 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....
on each side of the river, each slope running down from an altitude of about 600 feet. At the south is a level area called the Bake. On the north-east the parish boundary ran along the old road from Chitterne
Chitterne
Chitterne is a village and parish in the County of Wiltshire, in the south west of England. The village lies in the middle of Salisbury Plain, to the south of the abandoned village of Imber...
to Stapleford
Stapleford, Wiltshire
Stapleford is a village and civil parish about north of Wilton, Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Till just above its confluence with the River Wylye...
, on the south along Grim's Dyke
Grim's Dyke
Grim's Dyke is the name of a house and estate located in Harrow Weald, in Northwest London, England, built in 1872 by Norman Shaw, and named after the nearby pre-historic earthwork known as Grim's Ditch. The house is best known as the home of dramatist W.S. Gilbert, who lived there for the last...
, an ancient earthwork, while on the south-west the boundary cut through a combe
Combe
-English place names:* Combe, Berkshire* Combe, Buckfastleigh, Devon* Combe, Yealmpton, Devon* Combe, Herefordshire* Combe, Oxfordshire* Combe, Somerset-Places in England with combe as one word in part of their name:Cumbria* Black CombeDevon...
, Roakham Bottom.
The name Delamere, Delamare, or de la Mere, refers to the family which owned the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, whose name was spelt in all of those ways. The last of the family was Sir John Delamare
John Delamare
Sir John Delamare was a knight at the court of King Edward III of England and the builder of Nunney Castle in Somerset.He gained permission to turn his manor house at Nunney into Nunney Castle in 1373...
(c. 1320–1383).
A detailed parish history was published in 1965 by the Wiltshire Victoria County History
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...
.
Owners
Through the heiress of Sir John DelamareJohn Delamare
Sir John Delamare was a knight at the court of King Edward III of England and the builder of Nunney Castle in Somerset.He gained permission to turn his manor house at Nunney into Nunney Castle in 1373...
, his niece Eleanor Delamare, who died in 1413, Fisherton passed into the Paulet family and thus to the William Paulet
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester
Sir William Paulet was an English Secretary of State and statesman who attained several peerages throughout his lifetime: Baron St John , Earl of Wiltshire , and Marquess of Winchester .-Family origins and early career in Hampshire:William Paulet was eldest son of Sir John Paulet of...
who was Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
and Secretary of State
Secretary of State (England)
In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary....
to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and Lord High Treasurer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
to Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, and Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. Fisherton continued to belong to the Paulets as Dukes of Bolton
Marquess of Winchester
Marquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. He had already been created Baron St John in 1539 and Earl of Wiltshire in 1550, also in the Peerage of England...
.
The Fisherton estate was owned by the Dukes of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Bapton was owned by Sir Cecil Chubb
Cecil Chubb
Sir Cecil Herbert Edward Chubb, 1st Baronet was the last private owner of Stonehenge, which he donated to the British government in 1918....
from 1927, and he lived at Bapton Manor. In 1939 his heirs sold his estate to Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
Lieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL was a Scottish nobleman and sailor.-Life and Succession:...
, who died in 1940.
Church
The Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, St Nicholas's Church
St Nicholas's Church, Fisherton de la Mere
St Nicholas's Church in Fisherton Delamere, Wiltshire, England was built in the 14th 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...
, built in the 14th century in a chequerboard pattern of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and Chilmark stone, sits on a hill overlooking the River Wylye
River Wylye
The River Wylye is a classic southern England chalk stream; champagne clear water flowing over gravel. Consequently, it is popular with anglers keen on fly fishing.- Course :...
at the centre of the village. It is now a Grade II* listed building 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 parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
s survive in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre is a building in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, which serves as a focal point for heritage services relating to Wiltshire and Swindon. It is funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council...
for the following dates: Christenings
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
1561–1895, Marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s 1566–1992, burials
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
1569–1992.
Governance
Almost all of the present village of Fisherton Delamere is now part of the parish of Wylye. However, as the River Wylye is the parish boundary, Fisherton Mill (lying on the south of the river) is in Stockton.The village comes under the Wylye parish council and is in the area of the Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire 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 authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, which is responsible for almost all significant local government functions. It forms part of the South West Wiltshire Parliament constituency, and the serving Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is Andrew Murrison
Andrew Murrison
Dr Andrew William Murrison is a doctor and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. After serving as the Member of Parliament for Westbury from 2001 to 2010, at the 2010 general election he was elected for the new seat of South West Wiltshire.-Early life:The son of William Gordon...
.
Notable people
- Sir Elias Delamere, of Fisherton Delamere, High Sheriff of WiltshireHigh Sheriff of WiltshireThis is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in 1413 - William PauletWilliam Paulet, 1st Marquess of WinchesterSir William Paulet was an English Secretary of State and statesman who attained several peerages throughout his lifetime: Baron St John , Earl of Wiltshire , and Marquess of Winchester .-Family origins and early career in Hampshire:William Paulet was eldest son of Sir John Paulet of...
, later Lord ChamberlainLord ChamberlainThe Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, Secretary of StateSecretary of State (England)In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary....
, Lord High TreasurerLord High TreasurerThe post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
and first Marquess of WinchesterMarquess of WinchesterMarquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. He had already been created Baron St John in 1539 and Earl of Wiltshire in 1550, also in the Peerage of England...
, was probably born at Fisherton Delamere - Granville RyderGranville Ryder (1833–1901)Granville Richard Ryder was a British Conservative Party politician.Ryder was the second son of the Hon. Granville Ryder, second son of Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby. His mother was Lady Georgiana Augusta, daughter of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort. He was educated at the University of...
, a former Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for SalisburySalisburySalisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, owned Fisherton Delamere House from 1895 until his death in 1901.
List of Vicars
- William de Beloney: 1314
- John Conge: early 15th century
- Joel Doughty: 1596–1613
- Thomas Crockford: 1613–1634
- Edward Seymour: 1793
- William Davis: 1807
- Edward Graves Meyrick: 1813
- William Davison Thring DDDoctor of DivinityDoctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
: 1844 - Thomas John Davis: 1854–1868
- W. G. N. Fenwick: 1868–1883
- Thomas Ratcliffe:1885–1893
- Raymond Williams: 1897