Stockton, Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Stockton is a small village
in the Wylye
Valley in Wiltshire
, England
(grid reference ST985385).
, south of the A36 road
, between the town of Warminster
and the city of Salisbury
.
When the civil parish
of Fisherton Delamere
was extinguished in 1934, the Bapton
part of it, consisting of 1,174 acres, was transferred to Stockton. Apart from Bapton, which includes one house (Fisherton Mill) in the village of Fisherton Delamere, Stockton has two cottages some three miles from the main village street at a remote spot called Great Bottom.
Church, Stockton, is largely unrestored and in the south aisle has an early 14th-century stone effigy of a lady, believed to be the foundress of the chantry
for which this aisle was built. In the north aisle is a canopied tomb of John and Mary Topp. Parts of the building date from the late 12th-century.
.
, which has its offices in Trowbridge
, some fifteen miles to the north. Stockton also has its own elected parish council of five members.
The village is represented in Parliament
by the member of parliament
for Westbury, Andrew Murrison
, and in Wiltshire Council
by Christopher Newbury
.
of 1841 to 187 in the year 2001.
in Chilmark stone at the north end of the village, was built by John Topp, a local clothier, around 1603. Most of its Jacobean
features have survived.
Longhall, another country house at the south end of the village, is the seat of the Yeatman-Biggs family.
The village also has several thatched cottages, some with 15th and 16th century origins.
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...
in the Wylye
River Wylye
The River Wylye is a classic southern England chalk stream; champagne clear water flowing over gravel. Consequently, it is popular with anglers keen on fly fishing.- Course :...
Valley 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...
(grid reference ST985385).
Location and extent
The village is close to CodfordCodford
Codford is a village and civil parish south of Salisbury Plain in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England at .-Location:The village is on the A36 road between Salisbury and Warminster...
, south of the A36 road
A36 road
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 road to Bristol, thus enabling a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. Originally, the A36 continued onto Avonmouth, but...
, between the town of Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
and the city 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...
.
When the civil 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...
of Fisherton Delamere
Fisherton Delamere
Fisherton Delamere, also spelt Fisherton de la Mere and Fisherton Delamare, is a small village and former civil parish on the River Wylye, Wiltshire, England....
was extinguished in 1934, the Bapton
Bapton
Bapton is a hamlet in Wiltshire, England, part of the civil parish of Stockton, previously forming part of Fisherton Delamere.Bapton, consisting of 1,174 acres, almost all owned as a single estate, was part of Fisherton Delamere from the earliest times until that parish was extinguished in 1934,...
part of it, consisting of 1,174 acres, was transferred to Stockton. Apart from Bapton, which includes one house (Fisherton Mill) in the village of Fisherton Delamere, Stockton has two cottages some three miles from the main village street at a remote spot called Great Bottom.
Church
St John the Baptist'sJohn the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
Church, Stockton, is largely unrestored and in the south aisle has an early 14th-century stone effigy of a lady, believed to be the foundress of the chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
for which this aisle was built. In the north aisle is a canopied tomb of John and Mary Topp. Parts of the building date from the late 12th-century.
Schools
Stockton shares The Wylye Valley Church of England Primary School, on a site some two miles away at Cherry Orchard in nearby Codford, with several other villages. The nearest secondary schools are at Warminster and Salisbury and include Warminster SchoolWarminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
.
Local government
Most local government services are provided by Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire
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...
, which has its offices in 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....
, some fifteen miles to the north. Stockton also has its own elected parish council of five members.
The village is represented in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by the member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Westbury, Andrew Murrison
Andrew Murrison
Dr Andrew William Murrison is a doctor and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. After serving as the Member of Parliament for Westbury from 2001 to 2010, at the 2010 general election he was elected for the new seat of South West Wiltshire.-Early life:The son of William Gordon...
, and in Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
by Christopher Newbury
Christopher Newbury
Christopher Newbury is an English politician, a member of the Congress of the Council of Europe since 1998 and an Independent member of Wiltshire Council since 2009.-Early life:...
.
Population
The number of residents has dwindled from 307 at the censusCensus
A 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...
of 1841 to 187 in the year 2001.
Notable houses
Stockton House, a country houseEnglish country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
in Chilmark stone at the north end of the village, was built by John Topp, a local clothier, around 1603. Most of its Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
features have survived.
Longhall, another country house at the south end of the village, is the seat of the Yeatman-Biggs family.
The village also has several thatched cottages, some with 15th and 16th century origins.
Notable people
- John TerryJohn Terry (clergyman)John Terry was a Church of England clergyman and anti-Catholic controversialist.Educated at New College, Oxford, he was elected a fellow of the college until taking the living of Stockton, Wiltshire in 1590...
, rector (1590-1625) and author - William CreedWilliam CreedWilliam Creed was an English clergyman and academic, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford from 1660.-Life:The son of John Creed, he was a native of Reading, Berkshire. He was elected a scholar of St. John's College, Oxford, in 1631, proceeded B.A., was elected a fellow of his college, commenced...
, rector (1660-1663) - Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-BiggsHuyshe Wolcott Yeatman-BiggsHuyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs , until 1898 known as Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman, was an influential Anglican clergyman who served as the only Suffragan Bishop of Southwark, the 113th Bishop of Worcester and, latterly, as the inaugural bishop of the restored see of Coventry in the modern era.Yeatman was...
, bishop and landowner