Market Lavington
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Market Lavington is a
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 ...
and large village with a population of about 2,200 on the northern edge of
Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...
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 ...
, England, south of the
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
of
Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...
. The village lies on the B3098 Westbury
Urchfont Urchfont is a rural village and civil parish in the southwest of the Vale of Pewsey and north of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about southeast of the market town of Devizes. The hamlet of Cuckoo's Corner is in the northwest of the vil ...
road which skirts the edge of the Plain. The parish includes the hamlets of Northbrook, Lavington Sands and Fiddington Sands.


History

There was a
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
settlement near the present parish church, which was followed by a
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
settlement, including a cemetery which was used in the 5th to 7th centuries. Thus the area was continuously occupied from the late Roman period until the establishment of the medieval planned town in the 13th century. The archaeology was assessed in advance of housebuilding to the northwest of the church in 1991–5, and building of the community centre and car park southwest of the church in 2006. Domesday Book has two entries for ''Laventone'', with a large combined population of 38 households, 12 acres of woodland and three mills. The ancient parish included the detached tithing of Gore, about south of Market Lavington church, where a manor was recorded in Domesday Book; this area was transferred to West Lavington in 1884 and is now farmland. At the same time the tithing of Fiddington, a narrow strip separating Market Lavington from
Easterton Easterton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, south of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlets of Easterton Sands and Eastcott. Geography Easterton lies at the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish includes gault and ...
, was transferred from West Lavington. In 1254 Richard Rochelle, a landowner, was granted a charter to hold a weekly market, which competed with markets at
Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...
and Steeple Ashton. Markets continued to be held until the mid-19th century. Thomas Tanner, who became
Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy county borough, Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The ...
, was born in 1674 at Market Lavington where his father (also Thomas) was vicar.


Transport

The
Wessex Ridgeway The Wessex Ridgeway is a long-distance footpath in southwest England. It runs from Marlborough in Wiltshire to Lyme Regis in Dorset, via the northern edge of Salisbury Plain and across Cranborne Chase AONB. The footpath was opened in 1994. At ...
, a long-distance footpath following the ancient track known as
The Ridgeway The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Gori ...
, runs along the top of the escarpment above Market Lavington and passes within half a mile of the village. Market Lavington developed around a crossroads where an east–west road (now the B3098) met a north–south road from
Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...
to
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
. The latter was closed south of Market Lavington after the War Department purchased land for military use in 1889, and the road through West Lavington (now the A360) became the route to Salisbury. The
Stert and Westbury Railway The Stert and Westbury Railway was opened by the Great Western Railway Company in 1900 in Wiltshire, England. It shortened the distance between London Paddington station and , and since 1906 has also formed part of the Reading to Taunton line fo ...
, part of the route from London to
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
, was built through the parish by the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
in 1900. At the same time a station named Lavington was built a short distance outside Market Lavington parish, north of
Littleton Panell West Lavington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the north edge of Salisbury Plain, on the A360 road between Devizes and Salisbury, about south of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlet of Littleton Panell. The parish ...
where the line crosses the A360. It was closed in 1967 and no local stations remain; the nearest stations are
Pewsey Pewsey is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about south of Marlborough, Wiltshire, Marlborough and west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the A303 and i ...
and Westbury.


Status and amenities

Market Lavington received a
Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
to hold a weekly market in the year 1254. The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of
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 ...
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. The parish falls in the Lavingtons and Erlestoke
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
. This ward starts in the south at West Lavington and stretches north to Worton. The total population of the parish taken at the 2011 census was 5,857. The village has a co-op
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
, a
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
, a
butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...
, a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
, a
florist Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related s ...
, a
hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A hairdresser may also be re ...
, 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 ...
, a
café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...
and other small businesses. There is also a nursing and residential home.


Parish church

The
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of St Mary, in the west of the village, is from the late 13th century. There is evidence of an earlier building in fragments of 12th-century stonework remounted as a cornice in the south porch, and other fragments elsewhere in the church. In the 14th century the porch was added and the aisles widened; the tower was completed in the 15th. The six bells in the tower were recast in 1876. During restoration by
Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...
in 1864, the chancel arch, the nave and parts of the aisle walls were rebuilt, and buttresses were added to the south aisle. Further restoration in 1910 added the organ chamber and choir vestry, and the east wall was rebuilt. There is a 14th-century
piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...
. Monuments include a marble carving of a mourning woman by
John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...
, a memorial to Thomas Sainsbury (died 1795). The building was recorded as
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 1962. The tithing of
Easterton Easterton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, south of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlets of Easterton Sands and Eastcott. Geography Easterton lies at the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish includes gault and ...
became a separate parish with its own church in 1874. The benefices of Market Lavington and Easterton were united in 1962. Today the church is part of the Lavingtons, Cheverells & Easterton benefice, a group of five churches. A chapel at Gore was in existence by 1322. Around 1550 the chapel was still standing but unused, and it was later demolished.


Other buildings

The Old House, a 14th-century manor house, is Grade I listed. Built of roughcast stone with some brick, it contains the structure of an early medieval double-aisled open hall, described by
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
as the only example in Wiltshire. The building was remodelled in the late 17th or early 18th century, and restored in 1875. A new manor house, with service block and stables, was built in 1865 by
Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...
for
Edward Pleydell-Bouverie Edward Pleydell-Bouverie PC, FRS (26 April 1818 – 16 December 1889), styled The Honourable from 1828 to 1855, was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of Lord Palmerston's first administration as Paymaster General and Vice-Presiden ...
, a politician and
Ecclesiastical Commissioner The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title was Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorised to determine the distribution of revenues of the Ch ...
. The construction is red brick, with blue brick patterning and stone dressings. Since 1926 it has been owned by
Dauntsey's School Dauntsey's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 11–18 in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. T ...
. The Market Lavington Community Hall was built in 2007 and can accommodate 160 people seated or 250 standing. It hosts regular activities such as short mat bowls, quilting,
Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
, yoga,
Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...
, art, table tennis, a community choir and ballroom dancing. The Old School has been converted into community space for hire and hosts clubs such as
Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...
and a play group. Market Lavington Museum is sited in the old Schoolmaster's Cottage at the back of the churchyard. It is open Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Bank Holiday afternoons from 2.30 to 4.30 pm between 1 May and 30 October.


Schools

Lavington School is a secondary school with a sixth form. The village also has a primary school, St Barnabas. The village is less than two miles from
Dauntsey's School Dauntsey's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 11–18 in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. T ...
, a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
secondary school in West Lavington.


Further reading

*


References


External links


Market Lavington Parish Council

Historic Market Lavington photos
at BBC Wiltshire
Market Lavington museum
{{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire