East Knoyle
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East Knoyle is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, in the south-west of England, just west of the A350 and about south of
Warminster Warminster () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of 18,173 in 2021. The name ''Warminster'' occurs first i ...
and north of
Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...
, Dorset. It was the birthplace of the architect
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...
. The parish includes the hamlets of Holloway, Milton, The Green, Underhill and Upton.


History

East Knoyle was part of the ancient
Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of Downton. Unusually for England, parish registers survive from 1538 and are kept in the
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorse ...
.East Knoyle, Wiltshire, England
at genuki.org.uk
John Marius Wilson's '' Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (1870–1872) notes two tythings in East Knoyle: Milton and Upton. East Knoyle's population has risen and fallen in recent centuries, with a period of growth in the 19th century. In 1801 the population was 853, and by 1831 it had reached 1028, but in 1901 it was down again to 814. In 1951, the population was still at 821, but by 1971 it was only 699. The market town of Hindon was established in the north-east of East Knoyle parish in the early 13th century and became a separate civil parish in the later 19th century. In 1885 the southern part of the former parish of Pertwood was added to East Knoyle. Most of this addition was transferred to Chicklade parish in 1986. Primitive Methodists built a chapel, later called Ebenezer chapel, at The Green in 1843; this closed sometime before 1977. Charles Jupe, a silk manufacturer of Mere, built a
Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
chapel and schoolroom in the village in 1854, replacing an earlier chapel. By 1987 the church had fallen into disuse. The school next to the Congregational church became a British School, but closed in 1881. A National School was built in 1872–1873 on land near the church provided by Alfred Seymour. The design by George Aitchison Jnr has windows in
Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...
style. The remaining village school merged with the school at Hindon in 1984. The Warminster–Shaftesbury road ran through East Knoyle village. In the 20th century this became part of the primary A350 route between the M4 motorway and the south coast, and took a straighter course to the east of the village.


Notable buildings


Parish church

The
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
Parish Church of St Mary was begun before the 1066 conquest. Pevsner described its chancel as "Norman in its bones" and wrote that its 17th-century plaster decoration, a "surprise and delight", "ought to be the purpose of a visit from every Wiltshire tourist". The church was extended in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with a large tower added in the 15th. Plaster work in the chancel depicting biblical scenes was designed in about 1639 by Dean Christopher Wren (rector from 1620, and father of the prolific architect
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...
). Five of the six bells are from the 18th century. The building was further extended in the 19th century, along with restoration in 1845 by Wyatt and Brandon, and interior alterations in 1875-6 by Sir Arthur Blomfield. The church was declared
Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
in 1966. Since 2008, the ecclesiastical parish forms part of the benefice of St Bartholomew, a group of six parishes. St Mary's had a
chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
at Hindon from the 13th century. Hindon became a separate vicarage in 1869.


Knoyle Place

Knoyle Place served as the
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...
until the 1940s. A 14th-century range, rebuilt in the 17th, stands next to a larger five-bay 18th-century range faced with
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
.


Clouds House

Clouds House, a Grade II* listed
country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
north-west of East Knoyle village, was built in 1886–1891 for Percy Wyndham, to designs of
Philip Webb Philip Speakman Webb (12 January 1831 – 17 April 1915) was a British architect and designer sometimes called the Father of Arts and Crafts Architecture. His use of vernacular architecture demonstrated his commitment to "the art of common ...
. It is one of Webb's grandest designs. It is now occupied by the
Action on Addiction Action on Addiction is a UK-based charity that works with people affected by drug addiction, drug and alcohol addiction. It works in the areas of research, prevention, treatment, aftercare, as well as professional education and family support.
charity as a treatment centre for drug and alcohol dependence.


War memorial

The memorial was dedicated in 1920 to those from the village who died in the First World War, and has subsequently been used to commemorate those who died in the Second World War and the Iraq War.


Governance

East Knoyle elects a consultative parish council under
Wiltshire Council Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire in South West England, and has its headquarters a ...
, which has its offices in
Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England; situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, close to the border with Somerset. The town lies south-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, south-west of Swindon and south-east of Brist ...
. The parish is part of the Nadder Valley electoral division, which elects one member of Wiltshire Council. It is represented in
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
by the member for the Salisbury constituency, John Glen.


Amenities

East Knoyle has a village hall, between the church and the former school. The hall was created in 1908 by the Seymour family, using a 14th-century hall house for one part of it. The village has a community-owned shop and post office. There is a
pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
at The Green, the ''Fox and Hounds''.


Notable people

*
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...
, architect, was born at East Knoyle on 20 October 1632. *A branch of the
Seymour family The House of Seymour or St. Maur, is the name of an old English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created, and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head. Origins The family was settled in Monmouthshire in th ...
held land at East Knoyle, including three Members of Parliament:
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
(died 1807),
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
(died 1849) and Alfred (died 1888). Their 17th-century Knoyle House was demolished in 1954. * Lady Cynthia Asquith (1887–1960) was born Mary Evelyn Charteris at Clouds, near the village. *
Sally McLaren Frances Sally McLaren is a British painter, printmaker and etcher who was born in London in 1936. She lives and works in East Knoyle, Wiltshire. Art education McLaren studied at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford from 1956 to 1959 where she won ...
(born 1936), painter, printmaker and etcher, lives and works in the village. *The author and notable diarist Joan Wyndham (1921–2007) was born in the village.


Further reading

*Anthony Claydon, ''The Nature of Knoyle: East Knoyle, the people and the place'' (Hobnob Press, East Knoyle, 2002, 208 pp., )


References


External links


East Knoyle community website
{{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire