Chippenham, Wiltshire

Description
Chippenham, a municipal borough and important market-town, head of a poor law union, and a county court in Wilts. The town stands on the river Avon, the Berks and Wilts Canal, and the G.W.R., 94 miles from London, and 12 NE by E of Bath. It was a seat of the Wessex kings; was the place of Alfred's court both before and after his defeat of the Danes; was the headquarters of the Danes during his retirement to Selwood Forest; and belonged at Domesday to the Crown. A causeway was made through it in 1474 by Maud Heath from Chippenham Cliff to Wick Hill, a distance of 4 miles, and is marked at intervals with upright inscribed stones. The surrounding country is rich, and abounds with tine seats. Two chalybeate springs are in the vicinity, and pipes from one of them to the town were laid in 1865. The town occupies a slope, includes a main street of considerable length, and has of late years been much improved. A stone bridge of 22 arches spans the Avon, and is a fine feature. The town-hall is a modern structure, built at a cost of £12,000, by the late Joseph Neeld, Esq., of Grittleton House, and thrice extended at an additional cost of £5000. The cheese market presents a frontage of 50 feet, and has a covered area of 15,500 feet. The parish church is variously of the Norman, Early Decorated, and Perpendicular styles. It includes a very curious chapel with memorials of the Hunger-fords, has a tower with a spire and a fine peal of eight bells, contains a curious monument of 1627 to Sir Gilbert Prynne, and was very thoroughly repaired and enlarged in 1878 at a cost of about £7000. The living is a discharged vicarage, with the rectory of Tytherton Lucas annexed, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol; joint value, £198, in the gift of Christ Church, Oxford. There is a large mission chapel in the part of the parish called Lowden, also several dissenting places of worship, a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to St Mary, a free school, a literary institution, a fine temperance hall of 1863, a head post office, a workhouse, two banks, and three chief inns. The institute is a fine building of stone, erected in 1889 in commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee. The town has an excellent supply of water. A weekly market is held on Friday, and fairs on 17 May, 22 June, 29 Oct., and 11 Dec. A large market for cheese, corn, and cattle is held on the second Friday of each month; for cattle only on the last Friday. There are a large cloth factory, an Anglo-Swiss condensed milk factory, bacon curing factory, a churn factory, and many charities. The town is a borough by prescription, sent two members to Parliament till 1867, afterwards only one, and by the Redistribution of Seats Act in 1885 it was disfranchised, and now forms part of the north-western division of the county. It is governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors. John Scott, the author of the " Christian Life," and Lodowick Muggleton, the founder of the sect of Muggletonians, were natives. Sir Robert Peel was one of the M.P.'s for Chippenham for a short time in the early days of his parliamentary life. Area of the parish, 6489 acres; population of the civil parish, 5392 ; of St Paul's ecclesiastical, 1413. The parish includes Allington, Stanley, and Studley tithings, and: Tytherton-Lucas chapelry. St Paul's is a separate ecclesiastical parish, formed in 1855 out of the parishes of Chippenham, Hardenhuish, Kington St Michael, and Langley Burrell, The Church of St Paul is a building of stone in the Gothic-style. The living is a rectory; net value, £160. Patron,. the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol.

Chippenham Parliamentary Division, or North West Wiltshire, was formed under the Redistribution of Seats. Act, 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 44,358. The division includes the following: £Calne £Blackland, Bowood, Bremhill, Calne, Cal-stone, Cherhill, Compton Bassett, Heddington, Highway,. Hillmarton (part of), Yatesbury; Chippenham £Avon, Bid-destone (St Nicholas), Biddcstone (St Peter), Box, Castle-Combe, Chippenham, Christian Malford, Cline Pypard (part of £Bupton), Colerne, Corsham, Dittcridge, Draycot Cernc,. Grittleton, Hardenhuish, Hillmarton (part £Catcombe), Hul-lavington (part £Surrendall), Kington Langley, Kington (St Michael), Lacock, Langley Burrell, Leigh-de-la-Mere, Little-ton Drew, Luckington, Nettleton, North Wraxall, Pewsham, Seagry, Slaughterford, Stanton (St Quintin), Sutton Benger, Tytherton Kelways, West Kington, Yatton Keynell; Malmes-bury £Alderton, Ashley, Bremilham, Brinkworth, Brocken-borough, Charlton, Crudwell, Dauntsey, Easton Grey, Foxley,. Garsdon, Hankerton, Hullavington (part of), Kemble, Lea,. Long Newnton, Malmesbury Abbey, Malmesbury (St Paul), Malmesbury (St Mary, or Westport), Minty, Norton, Oaksey,. Poole Keynes, Sherston (Magna), Sherston (Parva or Pinck-ney), Somerford (Magna), Somerford (Parva), Sopworth.