Swallowcliffe
Encyclopedia
Swallowcliffe is a small village located approximately 13 miles west of Salisbury
, Wiltshire
, England
. Its centre is one mile north of the A30
and it has a population of about 180.
escarpments and greensand
terraces to the south and upper greensand wooded hills to the south west; also to the north east, where Swallowcliffe Wood is prominent. Cutting through the hills south to north is the spring filled valley where the village first developed.
, survived until the Enclosures of the late 18th century. From 1742, with the new Pembroke
ownership of SWALLOWCLIFT manor, the 18th century estate maps show the developing settlement pattern, with the Norman
church at the hub.
The 19th century was a period of reform and renewal. In 1843 a new church was built away from the spring soaked valley and soon afterwards, the tannery
by the stream was closed and the house became the “Royal Oak” (public house). With Pembroke patronage a new vicarage and a school were built to the west of the old village heralding, in that direction, 20th century development. The sale of the Swallowcliffe Pembroke Estate in 1918, mainly to tenants, marked the end of an era of aristocratic landlords in the locality. The population of Swallowcliffe had reached a peak of 371 in 1871, before falling in consequence of agricultural depression and changes in farming methods.
The Modern Development of Swallowcliffe stemmed from the rapid social change of the 20th century, accelerated by improvements in transport and two world wars. Mechanisation played its part in the exodus from agricultural employment. Already by c.1908, a new principal farm house had been built on the outskirts of Swallowcliffe and the Manor Farmhouse, like the Mill, (c.1900) shifted to private ownership and use. This set the trend within the village for the rest of the century, with small farmsteads, labourer's cottages, wheelwright and blacksmith shop, village general store, post office, schoolhouse and barns to follow. The exodus from the land continued, while the demand by incomers for the accessible country abode, to “improve” for full or weekend use, expanded. Social change is mirrored in this change of ownership. By the Millennium, the transformation of the old village was clear, with only a few of its inhabitants “born and bred” in Swallowcliffe or working in its ancient tradition of agriculture
.
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...
, 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...
. Its centre is one mile north of the A30
A30 road
The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
and it has a population of about 180.
Geography
The Parish of Swallowcliffe is composed of chalkChalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
escarpments and greensand
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
terraces to the south and upper greensand wooded hills to the south west; also to the north east, where Swallowcliffe Wood is prominent. Cutting through the hills south to north is the spring filled valley where the village first developed.
History
From medieval times to the 20th century Swallowcliffe was a rural backwater, its inhabitants engaged in agriculture and associated crafts and trades. Much of the Open Field system, possibly 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...
, survived until the Enclosures of the late 18th century. From 1742, with the new Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
ownership of SWALLOWCLIFT manor, the 18th century estate maps show the developing settlement pattern, with the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
church at the hub.
The 19th century was a period of reform and renewal. In 1843 a new church was built away from the spring soaked valley and soon afterwards, the tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
by the stream was closed and the house became the “Royal Oak” (public house). With Pembroke patronage a new vicarage and a school were built to the west of the old village heralding, in that direction, 20th century development. The sale of the Swallowcliffe Pembroke Estate in 1918, mainly to tenants, marked the end of an era of aristocratic landlords in the locality. The population of Swallowcliffe had reached a peak of 371 in 1871, before falling in consequence of agricultural depression and changes in farming methods.
The Modern Development of Swallowcliffe stemmed from the rapid social change of the 20th century, accelerated by improvements in transport and two world wars. Mechanisation played its part in the exodus from agricultural employment. Already by c.1908, a new principal farm house had been built on the outskirts of Swallowcliffe and the Manor Farmhouse, like the Mill, (c.1900) shifted to private ownership and use. This set the trend within the village for the rest of the century, with small farmsteads, labourer's cottages, wheelwright and blacksmith shop, village general store, post office, schoolhouse and barns to follow. The exodus from the land continued, while the demand by incomers for the accessible country abode, to “improve” for full or weekend use, expanded. Social change is mirrored in this change of ownership. By the Millennium, the transformation of the old village was clear, with only a few of its inhabitants “born and bred” in Swallowcliffe or working in its ancient tradition of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.