Alvediston

Prehistoric sites in the parish include three Bronze Age bowl barrows on Trow Down[2] and a field system from the same era at Elcombe Down.[3]

Much of the land was granted to the nuns of Wilton Abbey in 955.[3] Fragmentary records from Saxon times indicate that the Ebble valley was a thriving area. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded the division of the Chalke Valley into eight manors: Chelke (Chalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (Odstock), Stradford (Stratford Tony) and Trow. Alvediston emerged in 1156 as Alfweiteston, formed from the western part of Ebbesbourne Wake and the small manor of Trow.[4] The manor passed to the Crown at the Dissolution, then in 1541 to Sir William Herbert who became Earl of Pembroke. Alvediston manor remained with the Pembrokes until 1918 when it was sold as two farms, Church Farm and Elcombe Farm.[3]

Norrington manor was recorded as held from the king in 1210-1212.[3] It was owned by the Gawen family from 1377 to 1658 and then by the Wyndham family until 1952.[5]

The civil parish is governed by a parish meeting, a form of governance applied to parishes with small populations.[6] It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.

Alvediston St Mary's church

The Church of England parish church of St Mary[7] is Grade II* listed.[8] It was rebuilt in 1866 by T.H. Wyatt using elements from an earlier church dating back to the 12th century.[9] It stands to the north of the village centre and north of the River Ebble.

A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1894 and closed sometime before 1951.[10] As of 2019 the building was standing but unused.[11]

Samways Farm Stables and tower from The Street, Alvediston

The Crown Inn is on the south side of the village and was originally a pair of mid-17th century cottages.[12]

Alvediston Manor from the village street

Alvediston Manor (mid-18th century)[13] is on east side of the village street leading to the river and is Grade II listed.

Samways House (c.1700) and Samways Farm Stables (mid 19th century) are north of the village street, about 200 metres west of the Crown Inn; both are also Grade II listed. The clocktower over the archway entrance to the stables was built by William Day in 1861 to celebrate his horse Dulcibella winning the Cesarewitch at Newmarket.[14][15]

Norrington Manor is a Grade I listed 14th-century manor house about 1 kilometre NNW of the village centre.[16]

Alvediston has a pub, the Crown Inn. A National School was built in 1872 but closed in 1922.[17]

Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, lived at Alvediston Manor from 1966 until his death in 1977.[3] He was buried in St Mary's churchyard.[18] He was a Conservative politician who was Foreign Secretary three times, deputy to Winston Churchill for almost 15 years and succeeded him as the leader of the Conservative Party. He won the 1955 general electionand served as Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957.

Media related to Alvediston at Wikimedia Commons