Great Bedwyn
Encyclopedia
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English
county of Wiltshire
.
and 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal
and the West of England Main Line
railway follow the Dun and pass through the village. Bedwyn railway station
is at Great Bedwyn and is the terminus of the rail commuter service between and . It is a railhead
for Marlborough which is served by buses that connect with the trains.
Position:
and King Wulfhere of Mercia
in 675 is alleged to have been fought near Great Bedwyn. The battle was originally recorded in the 675AD entry of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
. The location of the battle has been associated with Crofton
by local historians, due to placename interpretation, and the discovery of graves belonging to suspected battlefield victims in 1892.
AH Burne interpreted ‘Biedanheafde’ as an early version of Bedwyn, the derivation of the name being "the head of the Bieda" or "Beda", a stream running through the Bedwyns. However placename interpretation is tenuous evidence for the battlefield location; the site of the battle has also been claimed for Beedon in Berkshire, and elsewhere.
The discovery of a number of skeletons at Crofton in 1892 by J.W. Brooke was later used to substantiate a local battlefield location. An account of the battle of Bedwyn was published by local historian Maurice Adams in 1903. However only excavation of these graves will confirm if they contain battlefield victims or not.
Brooke recorded that “I cannot assign any period to them, but the field over them is paved with flint weapons. On one visit I observed children building miniature castles with human femur and tibiae.” In a letter to Maurice Adams, B.H. Cunningham described the graves, five to seven in number, “radiating from a common centre like the spokes of a wheel”. Unfortunately he had made no notes of his finds and was writing from memory. Mrs M.E. Cunnington’s study of Saxon grave sites in Wiltshire noted that there was no evidence to support the belief that the Crofton site contained Saxon graves. Nearby finds consisted only of a La Tène
earthenware pot. As the graves are within the site of a causewayed camp this is not surprising. Maurice Adams would not have known about the Crofton camp as it was undiscovered until an aerial survey in 1976.
Given the lack of evidence, Maurice Adam’s confidence in a Bedwyn battlefield site cannot be shared. Crofton is not the only alleged battlefield in Bedwyn; for a while a battle between Alfred and the Danes in 871 was assumed to have taken place near Marten. It is now recognised that the location for that particular battle was at Marten (Down), Dorset. Until more substantial evidence about the Crofton graves can be gathered, there is no reason to suggest that the Bedwyn location, for an obscure 7th century battle, is little more than a myth.
of Saint Mary the Virgin
was started in 1092 but was not completed for another 200 years. Beneath the church are the massive remains of a Saxon
church begun in AD 905. In the chancel is a memorial to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
, brother of King Henry VIII
's wife Jane Seymour
, and later Lord Protector
to the young Edward VI. The church is designated as a grade I listed building.
reveals that the priest at Bedwyn was married, and that the office of priest was passed from father to son: Brictward the priest holds the church of Bedwyn. His father held it before 1066AD. A similar situation existed in Burbage. About 100 years earlier, the Bedwyn priest Ceolbeoht had two sons, Sigestan and Athestan.
Despite Lanfranc’s work, lack of celibacy continued into the Mediaeval period. In 1107 Roger of Salisbury
, the Norman bishop of Salisbury
, lived openly with his mistress, Matilda of Ramsbury. He was setting an example that local priests seemed happy to follow. Henry I of England
's attitude was to fine non-celibate priests; he received large sums from the priests for licence to live as before. This policy provided him with an additional source of income, needed to fund his war to recover Normandy. Roger of Salisbury was a protegee of Henry I who rose rapidly from his original position as priest of Avranches
, to become Chancellor
of England by 1102, and Bishop of Salisbury
by 1107. His son, Roger le Poer
, later became chancellor, and his nephews, Nigel
and Alexander, bishops of Ely and Lincoln.
Bishop Roger founded Devizes, by building a castle and market centre on the boundaries of his Wiltshire estates, (Bishop’s) Cannings and Pottern. During the reign of king Stephen he had made sufficient enemies to ensure his downfall. In 1139AD the bishop and his son Roger were captured by the king. His mistress, Matilda of Ramsbury, prepared Devizes' defences, but fearing for the lives of her son and his father, soon surrendered to the king.
, and has often been associated with the mediaeval wardens of Savernake forest
. Ironically few wardens lived in Wolf Hall, as the estate was often divided among local members of the gentry, or leased to tenants. However in the Tudor period, it was occupied by Sir John Seymour, whose numerous children included Jane Seymour
, the third wife of Henry VIII, and Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
.
Edward Seymour was probably the second and last Seymour warden to occupy Wolf Hall manor. The ambitious duke of Somerset desired grander accommodation than Wolf Hall could provide, and he intended to replace the house with a new mansion on Bedwyn Brail. The design and construction of the mansion was supervised by his steward, Sir John Thynne
, founder of Longleat House. A correspondence survives, dated between November 1548 and June 1549, which shows Thynne directing the plans. Unfortunately, the mansion was unfinished when Seymour fell from power, and was abandoned after his execution in January 1552. His son Edward was unable to maintain Wolf Hall, which rapidly deteriorated, and was eventually abandoned in favour of Tottenham Lodge, now Tottenham House
.
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...
county of 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...
.
Location
Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south-west of HungerfordHungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
and 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
and the West of England Main Line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
railway follow the Dun and pass through the village. Bedwyn railway station
Bedwyn railway station
Bedwyn railway station is a railway station in the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England. It is also, along with , a station for the market town of Marlborough away...
is at Great Bedwyn and is the terminus of the rail commuter service between and . It is a railhead
Railhead
The word railhead is a railway term with two distinct meanings, depending upon its context.Sometimes, particularly in the context of modern freight terminals, the word is used to denote a terminus of a railway line, especially if the line is not yet finished, or if the terminus interfaces with...
for Marlborough which is served by buses that connect with the trains.
Position:
'Bedanheafeford', the Battle of Bedwyn
The battle of 'Bedanheafeford' between Aescwine of WessexWessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
and King Wulfhere of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
in 675 is alleged to have been fought near Great Bedwyn. The battle was originally recorded in the 675AD entry of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
. The location of the battle has been associated with Crofton
Crofton Locks
Crofton Locks are a flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, near the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England.The nine locks achieve a total rise/fall of 61 ft 0 in and were built under the supervision of engineer John Rennie...
by local historians, due to placename interpretation, and the discovery of graves belonging to suspected battlefield victims in 1892.
AH Burne interpreted ‘Biedanheafde’ as an early version of Bedwyn, the derivation of the name being "the head of the Bieda" or "Beda", a stream running through the Bedwyns. However placename interpretation is tenuous evidence for the battlefield location; the site of the battle has also been claimed for Beedon in Berkshire, and elsewhere.
The discovery of a number of skeletons at Crofton in 1892 by J.W. Brooke was later used to substantiate a local battlefield location. An account of the battle of Bedwyn was published by local historian Maurice Adams in 1903. However only excavation of these graves will confirm if they contain battlefield victims or not.
Brooke recorded that “I cannot assign any period to them, but the field over them is paved with flint weapons. On one visit I observed children building miniature castles with human femur and tibiae.” In a letter to Maurice Adams, B.H. Cunningham described the graves, five to seven in number, “radiating from a common centre like the spokes of a wheel”. Unfortunately he had made no notes of his finds and was writing from memory. Mrs M.E. Cunnington’s study of Saxon grave sites in Wiltshire noted that there was no evidence to support the belief that the Crofton site contained Saxon graves. Nearby finds consisted only of a La Tène
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
earthenware pot. As the graves are within the site of a causewayed camp this is not surprising. Maurice Adams would not have known about the Crofton camp as it was undiscovered until an aerial survey in 1976.
Given the lack of evidence, Maurice Adam’s confidence in a Bedwyn battlefield site cannot be shared. Crofton is not the only alleged battlefield in Bedwyn; for a while a battle between Alfred and the Danes in 871 was assumed to have taken place near Marten. It is now recognised that the location for that particular battle was at Marten (Down), Dorset. Until more substantial evidence about the Crofton graves can be gathered, there is no reason to suggest that the Bedwyn location, for an obscure 7th century battle, is little more than a myth.
Church of St Mary
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary the Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
was started in 1092 but was not completed for another 200 years. Beneath the church are the massive remains of a Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
church begun in AD 905. In the chancel is a memorial to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, brother of King 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...
's wife Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, and later Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
to the young Edward VI. The church is designated as a grade I listed building.
Celibate priests
In 1076 Lanfranc, the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury, approached one of the major issues of the English church, the non-observance of celibacy. The practice was so widespread that he attempted only to prevent its future occurrence, and he did not try to impose an immediate ban. 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...
reveals that the priest at Bedwyn was married, and that the office of priest was passed from father to son: Brictward the priest holds the church of Bedwyn. His father held it before 1066AD. A similar situation existed in Burbage. About 100 years earlier, the Bedwyn priest Ceolbeoht had two sons, Sigestan and Athestan.
Despite Lanfranc’s work, lack of celibacy continued into the Mediaeval period. In 1107 Roger of Salisbury
Roger of Salisbury
Roger was a Norman medieval Bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.-Life:...
, the Norman bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, lived openly with his mistress, Matilda of Ramsbury. He was setting an example that local priests seemed happy to follow. Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
's attitude was to fine non-celibate priests; he received large sums from the priests for licence to live as before. This policy provided him with an additional source of income, needed to fund his war to recover Normandy. Roger of Salisbury was a protegee of Henry I who rose rapidly from his original position as priest of Avranches
Avranches
Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
, to become Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of England by 1102, and Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
by 1107. His son, Roger le Poer
Roger le Poer
Roger le Poer was the twelfth Lord Chancellor of England, from 1135 to 1139. He was the son of Roger of Salisbury, Lord Chancellor for King Henry I of England.-References:* accessed on October 30, 2007...
, later became chancellor, and his nephews, Nigel
Nigel, Bishop of Ely
Nigel was an Anglo-Norman Bishop of Ely. He came from an ecclesiastical family; his uncle Roger of Salisbury was a bishop and government minister for King Henry I, and other relatives also held offices in the English Church and government...
and Alexander, bishops of Ely and Lincoln.
Bishop Roger founded Devizes, by building a castle and market centre on the boundaries of his Wiltshire estates, (Bishop’s) Cannings and Pottern. During the reign of king Stephen he had made sufficient enemies to ensure his downfall. In 1139AD the bishop and his son Roger were captured by the king. His mistress, Matilda of Ramsbury, prepared Devizes' defences, but fearing for the lives of her son and his father, soon surrendered to the king.
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall manor was first recorded 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...
, and has often been associated with the mediaeval wardens of Savernake forest
Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
. Ironically few wardens lived in Wolf Hall, as the estate was often divided among local members of the gentry, or leased to tenants. However in the Tudor period, it was occupied by Sir John Seymour, whose numerous children included Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, the third wife of Henry VIII, and Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
.
Edward Seymour was probably the second and last Seymour warden to occupy Wolf Hall manor. The ambitious duke of Somerset desired grander accommodation than Wolf Hall could provide, and he intended to replace the house with a new mansion on Bedwyn Brail. The design and construction of the mansion was supervised by his steward, Sir John Thynne
John Thynne
Sir John Thynne was the steward to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and a member of parliament. He was the builder of Longleat House and his descendants became Marquesses of Bath.-Early life:...
, founder of Longleat House. A correspondence survives, dated between November 1548 and June 1549, which shows Thynne directing the plans. Unfortunately, the mansion was unfinished when Seymour fell from power, and was abandoned after his execution in January 1552. His son Edward was unable to maintain Wolf Hall, which rapidly deteriorated, and was eventually abandoned in favour of Tottenham Lodge, now Tottenham House
Tottenham House
Tottenham House is a large Grade I listed country house at Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England.-History:The house, which has more than one hundred rooms, stands in Savernake Forest and belongs to the Marquess of Ailesbury...
.
Notable residents
- General Sir Mike JacksonMike JacksonGeneral Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...
, former Chief of the General StaffChief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)Chief of the General Staff has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board... - Mary Warnock, Baroness WarnockMary Warnock, Baroness WarnockHelen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock, DBE, FBA is a British philosopher of morality, education and mind, and writer on existentialism.-Early life:...
, philosopher and ethicist - Kees van Haperen, Managing Director of Koios Group and CEO of the UK National Defence AssociationUK National Defence AssociationThe UK National Defence Association is a pressure group campaigning in support of Britain's Armed Forces and calling for an increase in the UK Defence budget. It is politically independent and Tri-Service ....
- Jean Tsushima, Honorary Archivist of the Honourable Artillery CompanyHonourable Artillery CompanyThe Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
and Freeman of the City of LondonFreedom of the CityFreedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...