Edington, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Edington is a small village
and civil parish in Wiltshire
, England
, about five miles east of Westbury
.
The parish includes two principal settlements, Edington village and Tinhead, which lies between the main village and Coulston
and contains the parish's only surviving public house, The Paulet Arms. However, many recent residents no longer make a distinction between the two settlements, calling both ‘Edington’.
, and is believed to hold a vital place in English history, for it was probably here that King Alfred the Great
won a decisive battle against the Danes at the Battle of Ethandun, thus saving the foundations of England
. Two miles away is the Westbury White Horse
, a famous chalk figure on the side of Westbury Hill, which is visible from Westbury
and much of western Wiltshire, although not from Edington.
The origin of the parish church
, Edington Priory
, is that it formed part of a monastery
of the Brothers of Penitence
, or Bonshommes.
Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, much of Edington was the manor
of ‘Edington Romsey’, a property of Romsey Abbey
.
William Gullick
, the man who designed the New South Wales Coat of Arms, was baptised here in 1858.
of Trowbridge
, which, with Devizes
and Westbury, is a convenient local shopping centre.
It has a village common. There is one public house. Formerly The Lamb Inn, it reopened in December 2010 as The Paulet Arms and is situated in Tinhead. The coat of arms for the Paulet Arms contains three daggers. As such the name was changed again in November, 2011 to simply The Three Daggers. The new Three Daggers website was launched around the same time. The medieval parish church
is the home of the nationally famous annual Edington Music Festival
.
Many children from Edington go to the primary school in the neighbouring village of Bratton. Secondary school
options include Trowbridge, Lavington
, and Matravers School at Westbury.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish 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 five miles east of Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
.
The parish includes two principal settlements, Edington village and Tinhead, which lies between the main village and Coulston
Coulston
Coulston is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, five miles North East of the town of Westbury, just north of the B3098 road....
and contains the parish's only surviving public house, The Paulet Arms. However, many recent residents no longer make a distinction between the two settlements, calling both ‘Edington’.
History
The parish was part of the hundred of WhorwellsdownWhorwellsdown (hundred)
Whorwellsdown was a hundred of the English county of Wiltshire, lying in the west of the county to the south of the towns of Bradford on Avon and Melksham and to the north and east of Westbury...
, and is believed to hold a vital place in English history, for it was probably here that King Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
won a decisive battle against the Danes at the Battle of Ethandun, thus saving the foundations of 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...
. Two miles away is the Westbury White Horse
Westbury White Horse
The Westbury or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately east of Westbury in England. Located on the edge of Bratton Downs and lying just below an Iron Age hill fort, it is the oldest of several white horses carved in Wiltshire...
, a famous chalk figure on the side of Westbury Hill, which is visible from Westbury
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
and much of western Wiltshire, although not from Edington.
The origin of the 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....
, Edington Priory
Edington Priory
Edington Priory in Wiltshire, England, was founded by William Edington, the bishop of Winchester, in 1332 in his home village of Edington. The priory church was built between 1352 and 1361.-History:...
, is that it formed part of a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Brothers of Penitence
Brothers of Penitence
The Brothers of Penitence or Fratres Saccati were an Augustinian order also known as Boni Homines, Bonshommes or Bones-homes. They were also known as the "Bluefriars" on account of the colour of their robes.-History:...
, or Bonshommes.
Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, much of Edington was 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...
of ‘Edington Romsey’, a property of Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the dissolution it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery.-Background:...
.
William Gullick
William Gullick
William Applegate Gullick was a publisher and inspector of stamps in New South Wales, Australia. He was an early photographer and designed the Coat of arms of New South Wales.-Biography:...
, the man who designed the New South Wales Coat of Arms, was baptised here in 1858.
Amenities
The village is some six miles from the county townCounty town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
, which, with Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
and Westbury, is a convenient local shopping centre.
It has a village common. There is one public house. Formerly The Lamb Inn, it reopened in December 2010 as The Paulet Arms and is situated in Tinhead. The coat of arms for the Paulet Arms contains three daggers. As such the name was changed again in November, 2011 to simply The Three Daggers. The new Three Daggers website was launched around the same time. The medieval 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....
is the home of the nationally famous annual Edington Music Festival
Edington Priory
Edington Priory in Wiltshire, England, was founded by William Edington, the bishop of Winchester, in 1332 in his home village of Edington. The priory church was built between 1352 and 1361.-History:...
.
Many children from Edington go to the primary school in the neighbouring village of Bratton. Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
options include Trowbridge, Lavington
Lavington
Lavington may refer to:Villages in England* East Lavington, West Sussex* West Lavington, West Sussex* West Lavington, Wiltshire* Market Lavington, Wiltshire* Lenton, Lincolnshire Places elsewhere...
, and Matravers School at Westbury.