Ebbesbourne Wake
Encyclopedia
Ebbesbourne Wake is a civil parish
in Wiltshire
, England
, about twelve miles (19 km) south-west of Salisbury
.
Handley Street, and the parish church of St John the Baptist.
is derived from the Old English "brunna".
The Domesday Book
in (1086) described it as Eblesborne. Geoffrey de Wak became Lord of the manor in 1204, but although his relationship to Hereward the Wake
is unknown, the shield of Hereward's coat of arms can today be seen on the church tower. By 1249 it was known as Ebbelburn Wak. By 1785 it was known as Ebesborne Wake.
In the 12th century the area was known primarily as the Stowford Hundred then subsequently as the Chalke Hundred. This included the parishes of Berwick St John, Ebbesbourne Wake, Fifield Bavant
, Semley
, Tollard Royal
and 'Chalke'.
Although the name Ebbesbourne Wake has developed over time, the spelling has never been completely settled. The Ordnance Survey
of 1889 and 1927 used Ebbesborne Wake, whilst the 1963 and 1974 maps used the 'orne' spelling for the parish, but named the village Ebbesbourne Wake.
Historian Peter Meers notes in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages that Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage of both 1926 and 1965 describes the spelling of 'bourne/borne' as inconsistent.
and Broadchalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett
), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (Odstock
), Stradford (Stratford Tony
and Bishopstone
) and Trow (circa Alvediston
and Tollard Royal
).
Peter Meers, in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages, translates the village's Domesday entry, as:
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...
in 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...
, about twelve miles (19 km) south-west of 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...
.
Village life
Village life today, for the population of 226, centres around the unassuming Horseshoe Inn inHandley Street, and the parish church of St John the Baptist.
Origins
It is not known when Ebbesbourne was first inhabited or what it was called but fragmentary records from Saxon times (circa 826 AD) indicate that the whole Chalke Valley area was thriving, and the village was called Eblesburna. It is surmised that the land adjacent to the bourne (river) was once owned by a man called Ebbel. Note that the word bourneBourne
-General:*A winterbourne * Bourne , a surname*The Bourne shell, in Unix*Jason Bourne, a fictional character who is the protagonist of a trilogy of novels by Robert Ludlum and of a film series based on the books*Bourne Co...
is derived from the Old English "brunna".
The Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
in (1086) described it as Eblesborne. Geoffrey de Wak became Lord of the manor in 1204, but although his relationship to Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake , known in his own times as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile, was an 11th-century leader of local resistance to the Norman conquest of England....
is unknown, the shield of Hereward's coat of arms can today be seen on the church tower. By 1249 it was known as Ebbelburn Wak. By 1785 it was known as Ebesborne Wake.
In the 12th century the area was known primarily as the Stowford Hundred then subsequently as the Chalke Hundred. This included the parishes of Berwick St John, Ebbesbourne Wake, Fifield Bavant
Fifield Bavant
Fifield Bavant /'fʌɪfiːld 'bavənt/ is a very small village and former civil parish in Wiltshire, England, seven miles south west of Wilton, midway between Ebbesbourne Wake and Broad Chalke....
, Semley
Semley
Semley is a village in Sedgehill and Semley civil parish in Wiltshire. The village is about north-east of Shaftesbury in neighbouring Dorset.-Manor:...
, Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury....
and 'Chalke'.
Although the name Ebbesbourne Wake has developed over time, the spelling has never been completely settled. The Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
of 1889 and 1927 used Ebbesborne Wake, whilst the 1963 and 1974 maps used the 'orne' spelling for the parish, but named the village Ebbesbourne Wake.
Historian Peter Meers notes in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages that Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage of both 1926 and 1965 describes the spelling of 'bourne/borne' as inconsistent.
Domesday book
The Domesday Book divided the Chalke Valley into eight manors, Chelke (Chalke - BowerchalkeBowerchalke
Bowerchalke or Bower Chalke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about southwest of Salisbury. It is in the south of Wiltshire, about from the county boundary with Dorset and from that with Hampshire. It is in the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding...
and Broadchalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett
Coombe Bissett
Coombe Bissett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, at . It is one of the villages in the River Ebble valley.-Description:...
), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (Odstock
Odstock
Odstock is a village and civil parish about south of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.In the woods about Odstock are earthworks. The meaning of the name is probably "Odo's stockade".Odstock's parish population was 118 in 1801, 158 in 1901 and 535 in 1971...
), Stradford (Stratford Tony
Stratford Tony
Stratford Tony, also spelt Stratford Toney, formerly known as Stratford St Anthony and Toney Stratford, is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England...
and Bishopstone
Bishopstone, Salisbury
Bishopstone is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, one of the villages in the River Ebble valley. It is located about south-west of Salisbury. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 614....
) and Trow (circa Alvediston
Alvediston
Alvediston is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 91 . It is about eight miles east of Shaftesbury, at , and is the source of the River Ebble....
and Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury....
).
Peter Meers, in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages, translates the village's Domesday entry, as:
Robert holds Eblesborne from Robert. Aluard and Fitheus
held it before 1066 as two manors. (TRE = tempore Regis Edwardii, the time of
Edward the Confessor, 1042-1066) Taxed for 14 hides.
Land for ten ploughs. In lordship ten hides, there six ploughs.
Four slaves (serfs). Eighteen villeins (villagers). Seven bordars (smallholders) with four ploughs.
Fourteen acres of meadow, pasture fourteen furlongs long, 4 furlongs wide.
Woodlands two leagues length and width. Value £12, now £14.
Population
- 29 in 1086, Domesday book, four slaves (serfs); eighteen villeins (villagers) and seven bordars (smallholders).
- 278 in 1831
- 221 in 1951
- 226 at the 2001 censusCensusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...