Bishopstrow
Bishopstrow | |
---|---|
19th-century houses on the village street | |
Location within Wiltshire | |
Population | 122 (in 2011)[1] |
OS grid reference | ST893438 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Warminster |
Postcode district | BA12 |
Dialling code | 01985 |
Police | Wiltshire |
Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Bishopstrow is a small village and
The modern A36 passes to the south of the village. The parish extends north-east from the Wylye valley onto Salisbury Plain, where its northern section is within the Imber Range sector of the Salisbury Plain military training area.[2]
History
The name may come from "bishop's tree", meaning the place where St Aldhelm's staff miraculously grew into an ash tree.[3] When Bishopstrow was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 it was held by Edward of Salisbury.[4]
In the 18th century
A mill was recorded in Domesday Book. The present Bishopstrow Mill, which was in operation until 1969,[6] has three storeys plus attic, in red brick and rubble stone, and was mostly rebuilt after a fire in 1873.[7] Adjoining are the 18th-century miller's house and 19th-century granary, in white-painted rubble stone.[8]
Governance
The parish is considered too small to support a
Parish church
The Church of England parish church of St Aldhelm is a Grade II* listed building.[12] No church is mentioned in Domesday Book[4] and the first record is from c.1120,[3] but evidence of a Saxon church on the same site was uncovered in the 1980s.[13] By the 13th century the church was dedicated to Aldhelm, the 8th-century saint.[3] The present church dates from the 14th century although only the slender west tower, with recessed spire, remains from that time. The nave was rebuilt in 1757 and the chancel in 1840–1842, and restoration was carried out in 1876–1877 by W. Scott Champion.[7] The spire was rebuilt in 1931.[3]
In 1785 the solitary bell was recast by Robert Wells of Aldbourne; a second bell was added in 1902.
In 1956 the Warminster suburb around St John's church, Boreham was added to Bishopstrow parish, which was renamed Bishopstrow and Boreham.[14] St John's had been built in 1865 to relieve overcrowding at Warminster's parish church of St Denys.[15] Today the parish is part of the River Were benefice, which also includes St Denys.[16][17]
Amenities
Bishopstrow College, in eight acres of grounds, is an independent school for children aged 7–17 who do not have English as their first language.[18] There is no state school in the parish; a two-room school was built in the village in 1848 and closed in 1921.[3]
Notable people
- Vice-Admiral the Hon. Herbert Edward Holmes à Court (1869–1934) lived at Bishopstrow after retiring from the Royal Navy.[19]
- Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire.[20]
- Juliana Popjoy who was a celebrated mistress to Beau Nash was born here c.1710 and died here in 1777.[21]
References
- ^ "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- Defence Estates. 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bishopstrow". A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 8. Victoria County History. University of London. 1965. pp. 6–13. Retrieved 17 January 2022 – via British History Online.
- ^ a b Bishopstrow in the Domesday Book
- ^ "No. 19019". The London Gazette. 5 February 1833. p. 246.
- ^ Historic England. "Bishopstrowe Mill (1364346)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ OCLC 1201298091.
- ^ Historic England. "The Mill House (1036336)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Bishopstrow Parish Meeting". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Dr Andrew Murrison: MP for South West Wiltshire". Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Christopher Newbury". westwilts-communityweb.com. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Aldhelm, Bishopstrow (1284263)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "St Aldhelm's". Parish of Bishopstrow and Boreham. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "No. 40709". The London Gazette. 4 February 1956. p. 906.
- ISBN 978-1-4456-3200-1.
- ^ "Boreham: St John the Evangelist". A Church Near You. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "St Aldhelm's Church, Bishopstrow". River Were Churches. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Bishopstrow College". Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, of Great Britain and Ireland (S. Low, Marston & Company, 1923), p. 432: "Rear-Adm. Hon. Herbert Edward Holmes-à Court, b. 16 Feb. 1869. Residence — Bishopstrowe, Warminster."
- ^ "No. 57445". The London Gazette. 22 October 2004. p. 13359.
- ^ Annual Register March 1777
External links
Media related to Bishopstrow at Wikimedia Commons