Manningford

The eastern third of the parish, so-called from its ownership by the Abbot of Hyde Abbey, Winchester.[2] The Abbot held it, together with the chapelry at Alton Priors, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1547 it went to the Seymour family (Dukes of Somerset and then Northumberland) until it was split up in 1768.

In 1428 there were fewer than ten households; by 1801 the population rose to 131, and to 165 by 1831. In 1931, shortly before Manningford Abbots was amalgamated with the other two parishes, the population was 121.[3]

The western third of the parish, held by Amelric de Drewes in 1086.[2] The name is from Humphrey de Bohun in the 12th century (related to the Bohun Earls of Hereford). Formerly a detached tithing of Wilsford parish, lying about 2 ¹⁄₂ miles (4.0 km) east of Wilsford village. In 1801 the population of the tithing was 163, rising to 283 in 1841. Wilsford and Manningford Bohune became separate civil parishes in 1871.

The northwestern boundary of the tithing was the Woodborough stream, a tributary of the Avon;[4] thus Bottlesford hamlet was within Manningford Bohune.[5] At some point after 1971,[6] boundary changes moved Bottlesford into North Newnton parish and transferred land north of the railway into Woodborough parish.

The central third of the parish, held by Grimbald the Goldsmith in 1086,[2] named after the Norman William de Breuse in 1275. The site of a Roman villa is near the church.[7]

The population was 213 in 1801, increasing to 275 in 1851, then declining to reach 194 in 1931.[8] A small schoolroom was built c. 1841 in the south of the village; in 1881 around 80 pupils attended, including children from Abbots.[8] Numbers declined in the 1970s and the school closed in 1977.[9]

Church of St Peter, Manningford Bruce

The parish church of Saint Peter at Manningford Bruce was described by Pevsner as "a very completely preserved Norman church".[14] The aisleless nave and the chancel are from the late 11th or early 12th centuries and are built in flint laid in a herringbone pattern.[8] There are three windows from the 12th century,[15] and the chancel arch has Norman carving.[16] Two windows were added in the 15th century.[15]

Careful restoration by J.L. Pearson in 1882 included reroofing and the rebuilding of the bell-turret and south porch.[17] Two stained glass windows were added, made by Clayton and Bell, who also painted the reredos. The building was designated as Grade I listed in 1964.[15]

The benefice was united with Manningford Abbots in 1924, together with the southern part of the benefice of Manningford Bohune, to form the parish of Manningford Bruce and Abbots.[18] The benefice was held in plurality with Everleigh from 1967,[19] and in 1975 became part of a team ministry[20] which today covers a wide area in the Pewsey Vale.[21] The former rectory, now known as Manningford Bruce House, is from the 18th century and has fragments of an earlier building.[22]

Providence Chapel was built by Baptists on the main road at Manningford Bohune, and carries a date of 1869. The chapel continues in use.[23][24]

There was probably a parish church at Manningford Abbots in the 10th century and certainly one in 1291; its dedication is unknown.[25] The church was rebuilt in 1861–64 to designs by the architect S.B. Gabriel of Bristol.[14] It was declared redundant in 1984.[26] The rectory was a 17th-century timber-framed building, which from 1812 was encased in red brick and enlarged, with a five-bay facade;[27] the house was sold in the 1920s after the union with Manningford Bruce.[3]

Manningford Bohune was anciently a detached tithing of Wilsford.[28] The Church of All Saints was built in 1859 as a chapel of ease, in 13th-century style.[29] It was declared redundant in 1973 and is in residential use.[30]