Widham
Encyclopedia
Widham is a small hamlet now encompassed within the village and parish of Purton
, Wiltshire
.
Originally, Widham consisted of a few houses along the highway and parts of Witts lane and the toll house at Collins lane, with Widham Common
in the centre. In time, Purton engulfed the hamlet, and only one small area remains as Widham. This, in turn, was halved in the mid-19th century by the rail line between Swindon
and Gloucester
.
The related place name, Widhill, in the parish of Cricklade
, can be found approximately 4 miles to the north near the A419 at Blunsdon
.
During period of the Enclosure Acts, the common
at Widham was awarded to the Earls of Shaftesbury along with 'foot rights' to the cottages around the common to the highway (which had been a private road with tolls collected at the toll house). The highway then became a public road. Tolls, however, continued to be collected into the late 19th century.
Pincocks Orchard, one of the last remaining private orchards in Purton and dating to the 18th century, lies behind the houses to the south of the railway. It was originally Thomas Pincock's orchard, but is now reduced in size to around half an acre. It is planted with greengage
and other fruit trees.
Widham is shown in current Ordnance Survey
(OS) maps as well as maps dating back to the 18th century, such as Andrews’ and Drury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1773, Andrews’ and Drury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1810 and the 1896 OS map.
The word 'Dru- wid' means 'oak-knowledge', while 'Ham' means homestead or peninsula (On the Andrews' & Drury's maps, 1773 & 1810, Widham can be seen lying between two small rivers/streams leading into the river Key which joins the river Thames at Cricklade.)
The English word 'wisdom' traces its origins to the primitive Germanic word 'wid', meaning 'to know'. 'Wid', in turn, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'veda', meaning 'external knowledge'
The suffix 'ham' could be derived from one of two words, 'Ham', the Saxon word meaning 'settlement', or 'hamm', meaning 'water meadow'. A 'ham' can also be a geographical feature roughly corresponding to a peninsula surrounded on three sides, usually by marsh. In the case at hand, such an ancient marsh may have later been drained to become a meadow as in the present day.
Ultimately, the Germanic word 'ham' meaning ‘meadow in the bend of a river’, ‘water meadow’, or ‘flood plain’, seems best suited to have served as the derivation of the second element of the place name 'Widham'.
Purton
Purton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire. The civil parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Restrop and Widham....
, 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...
.
Originally, Widham consisted of a few houses along the highway and parts of Witts lane and the toll house at Collins lane, with Widham Common
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
in the centre. In time, Purton engulfed the hamlet, and only one small area remains as Widham. This, in turn, was halved in the mid-19th century by the rail line between Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
The related place name, Widhill, in the parish of Cricklade
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
, can be found approximately 4 miles to the north near the A419 at Blunsdon
Blunsdon
Broad Blunsdon is a village in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north of Swindon itself.Together with the nearby villages of Blunsdon St Andrew and adjoining Lower Blunsdon, the settlement is usually known simply as Blunsdon...
.
During period of the Enclosure Acts, the common
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
at Widham was awarded to the Earls of Shaftesbury along with 'foot rights' to the cottages around the common to the highway (which had been a private road with tolls collected at the toll house). The highway then became a public road. Tolls, however, continued to be collected into the late 19th century.
Pincocks Orchard, one of the last remaining private orchards in Purton and dating to the 18th century, lies behind the houses to the south of the railway. It was originally Thomas Pincock's orchard, but is now reduced in size to around half an acre. It is planted with greengage
Greengage
The greengages, also known as the Reine Claudes, are the edible drupaceous fruits of a cultivar group of the common European plum. The first true greengage was bred in Moissac, France, from a green-fruited wild plum originally found in Asia Minor; the original greengage cultivar nowadays survives...
and other fruit trees.
Widham is shown in current 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...
(OS) maps as well as maps dating back to the 18th century, such as Andrews’ and Drury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1773, Andrews’ and Drury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1810 and the 1896 OS map.
Etymology
The name ‘Widham’ derives from two words - Druid and Hamlet.The word 'Dru- wid' means 'oak-knowledge', while 'Ham' means homestead or peninsula (On the Andrews' & Drury's maps, 1773 & 1810, Widham can be seen lying between two small rivers/streams leading into the river Key which joins the river Thames at Cricklade.)
The English word 'wisdom' traces its origins to the primitive Germanic word 'wid', meaning 'to know'. 'Wid', in turn, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'veda', meaning 'external knowledge'
The suffix 'ham' could be derived from one of two words, 'Ham', the Saxon word meaning 'settlement', or 'hamm', meaning 'water meadow'. A 'ham' can also be a geographical feature roughly corresponding to a peninsula surrounded on three sides, usually by marsh. In the case at hand, such an ancient marsh may have later been drained to become a meadow as in the present day.
Ultimately, the Germanic word 'ham' meaning ‘meadow in the bend of a river’, ‘water meadow’, or ‘flood plain’, seems best suited to have served as the derivation of the second element of the place name 'Widham'.