Fifield Bavant
Encyclopedia
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
.
The small Church of England
parish church
is dedicated to Saint Martin
.
The population is now about 20, although it was 49 in 1831.
was a thriving area.
The Domesday Book
in 1086 records the Chalke Valley as divided into eight manors
, Chelke (Chalke - Broad Chalke
and Bowerchalke
), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake
), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett
), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (Odstock
), Stradford (Stratford Tony
and Bishopstone
) and Trow (circa Alvediston
).
The name of Fifield Bavant has evolved over the centuries. The Domesday Book records the manor as Fifehide (probably representing Five Hides
). By 1264 it was called Fifield Scudamore because Peter de Scudamore was lord of the manor
. By 1463 it was recorded as Fiffehyde Beaufaunt when ownership had passed to the Beaufaunt family, later usually spelt Bavant.
The name Fifehide probably derives from 'five hides'. A hide was once an area of land which would support a household, varying according to time and place and land quality, but typically ranging from 40 to 160 acre
s, or 16 to 65 hectares. Later in Anglo-Saxon England it was a unit used for assessing land tax.
Peter Meers, in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages, translates Fifield's Domesday entry as:
In 1840, Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary said of the parish:
Fifield Bavant was a separate parish
for eight centuries. In 1885, it lost its southern area of some 283 acres to Bowerchalke
, and in 1894 the parish was extinguished, when the remaining 870 acres of the northern part were annexed to Ebbesbourne Wake
. In 1923 the separate ecclesiastical parish also came to an end, when the benefice
of St Martin's, the 12th century Norman church, was united with that of St John the Baptist in Ebbesbourne.
The parish register
s, held in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
, record christenings
from 1696 to 1991, marriages from 1699 to 1922, and burials from 1696 to 1913.
A detailed parish history was published by the Wiltshire Victoria County History
in 1987, as part of its Volume XIII: Chalke hundred.
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...
, seven miles south west of Wilton
Wilton
- England :*Wilton, Cumbria, a place in the county of Cumbria*Wilton, Herefordshire, a village in south Herefordshire*Wilton, North Yorkshire, a place in the county of North Yorkshire*Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland, a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland...
, midway between Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about twelve miles south-west of Salisbury.-Village life:Village life today, for the population of 226, centres around the unassuming Horseshoe Inn in...
and Broad Chalke
Broad Chalke
Broad Chalke, sometimes spelled Broadchalke , Broad Chalk or Broadchalk, is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles west of the city of Salisbury. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 652 but this has now risen to around 850...
.
The small Church of England
Church 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....
is dedicated to Saint Martin
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
.
The population is now about 20, although it was 49 in 1831.
History
Fragmentary records from Saxon times indicate that the Ebble valleyRiver Ebble
The River Ebble is one the five rivers of the English city of Salisbury.Rising at Alvediston 12 miles to the west it joins the River Avon 2 miles south of Salisbury at Bodenham , after flowing through Ebbesbourne Wake, Fifield Bavant, Little London, Knapp, Mount Sorrel, Broad Chalke, Stoke...
was a thriving area.
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 records the Chalke Valley as divided into eight manors
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...
, Chelke (Chalke - Broad Chalke
Broad Chalke
Broad Chalke, sometimes spelled Broadchalke , Broad Chalk or Broadchalk, is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 8 miles west of the city of Salisbury. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 652 but this has now risen to around 850...
and Bowerchalke
Bowerchalke
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...
), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about twelve miles south-west of Salisbury.-Village life:Village life today, for the population of 226, centres around the unassuming Horseshoe Inn in...
), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), 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....
).
The name of Fifield Bavant has evolved over the centuries. The Domesday Book records the manor as Fifehide (probably representing Five Hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
). By 1264 it was called Fifield Scudamore because Peter de Scudamore was lord 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...
. By 1463 it was recorded as Fiffehyde Beaufaunt when ownership had passed to the Beaufaunt family, later usually spelt Bavant.
The name Fifehide probably derives from 'five hides'. A hide was once an area of land which would support a household, varying according to time and place and land quality, but typically ranging from 40 to 160 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s, or 16 to 65 hectares. Later in Anglo-Saxon England it was a unit used for assessing land tax.
Peter Meers, in his book Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages, translates Fifield's Domesday entry as:
Alvred [of Marleborough] holds Fifehide, Ralph from him. TREEdward the ConfessorEdward 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....
it paid tax for five hides. Land for four ploughs. In lordship three hides, there one plough and three slaves. Nine villagers (villeins) and six smallholders (bordars) with two ploughs. Two acres of meadow, pasture half a league long and half a furlong wide. Value £4, now £5. One forge pays 12dPennyA penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
a year and two WiltonWilton, WiltshireWilton is a town in Wiltshire, , England, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. Today it is dwarfed by its larger and more famous neighbour, Salisbury, but still has a range of notable shops and attractions, including Wilton House.The confluence of the rivers Wylye and Nadder is at...
burgesses pay 18d. Woolmaer holds one hide from Alvred, the same person held it TRE, it was and is worth 10s.
In 1840, Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary said of the parish:
Fifield Bavant was a separate 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...
for eight centuries. In 1885, it lost its southern area of some 283 acres to Bowerchalke
Bowerchalke
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 in 1894 the parish was extinguished, when the remaining 870 acres of the northern part were annexed to Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake
Ebbesbourne Wake is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about twelve miles south-west of Salisbury.-Village life:Village life today, for the population of 226, centres around the unassuming Horseshoe Inn in...
. In 1923 the separate ecclesiastical parish also came to an end, when the benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of St Martin's, the 12th century Norman church, was united with that of St John the Baptist in Ebbesbourne.
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, held 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...
, record 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...
from 1696 to 1991, marriages from 1699 to 1922, and burials from 1696 to 1913.
A detailed parish history was published 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...
in 1987, as part of its Volume XIII: Chalke hundred.
External links
- village photo gallery at pbase.com