Devizes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Devizes | |
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  Devizes shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 11,296 |
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| District | Kennet |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Devizes |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in the heart of the English county of Wiltshire, in the southern United Kingdom.
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[edit] History
A Norman castle was built in Devizes by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury in 1080, and as such, the town does not feature in the Domesday Book. Because the castle was located on the boundaries of the manors of Rowde, Bishops Cannings and Potterne it became known as the castrum ad divisas or 'the castle at the boundaries', hence the name Devizes. The original motte and bailey castle was probably a wood and earth construction, but this burnt down in 1113 and was rebuilt in stone by Roger of Salisbury, Osmund’s successor. Devizes received its first Charter in 1141 permitting regular markets. The castle changed hands several times during the civil war between Stephen of Blois and Matilda in the 12th century. The castle held several important prisoners at various times, including Robert of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror in 1106. Robert was kept in Devizes for 20 years, before being moved to Cardiff Castle.
The town has four churches. They are dedicated to St. John, St. Mary, St. James and St. Peter. The latter is an Anglo-Catholic church.
During the 12th and 13th centuries the town of Devizes developed outside the castle with craftsmen and traders setting up businesses to serve the residents of the castle. The first known market in Devizes was in 1228. The original market was in the large space outside St Mary’s Church, rather than in the current Market Place, which at that time would have been within the castle’s outer bailey.[1] The chief products in the 16th and early 17th centuries were wheat, wool and yarn, with cheese, bacon and butter increasing in importance later.
In 1643, during the English Civil War Parliamentary forces under Sir William Waller besieged Royalist forces under Sir Ralph Hopton in Devizes. However the siege was lifted by a relief force from Oxford under Lord Wilmot and Waller's forces were almost totally destroyed at the Battle of Roundway Down. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645 when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament, a process known as slighting, and today little remains of it.
From the 16th century Devizes became known for its textiles, initially white woollen broadcloth but later the manufacture of serge, drugget, felt and cassimere or Zephyr cloth. In the early 18th century Devizes held the largest corn market in the West Country of England and also traded hops, cattle, horses and various cloth. Wool merchants were able to build prosperous town houses in St. John's and Long Street and around the market place [1]. From the end of the 18th century the manufacture of textiles declined, but other trades in the town included clock making, a bell foundry, booksellers, milliners, grocers and silversmiths. In the 18th century brewing, curing of tobacco and the manufacture of snuff were established in the town. Brewing still survives in the Wadworth Brewery [2], but the tobacco and snuff trades have now died out.
The town was also a major coaching stop for Mail coaches and stagecoaches on the road from London to Bristol, as evidenced by the number of coaching inns in the town, especially the famous Bear Hotel [3].
The Kennet and Avon Canal was constructed under the direction of John Rennie between 1794 and 1810 to link Devizes with Bristol and London. Near Devizes the canal rises 237 feet (72 metres) by means of 29 locks, 16 of them in a straight line at Caen Hill. In the early days the canal was lit by gas lighting at night, enabling boats to negotiate the locks throughout any 24 hour period. The canal fell into disuse after the coming of the railway in the 1850s, but has been restored and is used for leisure. At Devizes Wharf the museum provides an insight.
In 1850 the town's cricket club was established.
In 1857 the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway opened a branch line from Holt Junction, on their line from Chippenham to Weymouth, to Devizes. In 1862 the Great Western Railway extended their Reading to Hungerford line to meet this line, providing a direct line from London to the West Country through Devizes. However the building of a by-pass line through Westbury removed most traffic from the Devizes line and it closed in 1966. Today the nearest railway stations are at Chippenham or Pewsey.
The town is experiencing rapid housing growth, especially on its eastern fringe towards Andover.
[edit] Local government
Devizes is a civil parish, with an elected town council. It is also the administrative centre for the much larger Kennet District Council, and falls within the area of the Wiltshire County Council. All three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government. Prior to the Local Government Act coming into force in 1974, Devizes was a municipal borough.
In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 11,296 (2006 est. 13,300).
Devizes is part of the Devizes parliamentary constituency, which is currently held by Conservative Michael Ancram.
[edit] Education
Devizes is home to a single comprehensive school, Devizes School, which has achieved specialist status in sport. Primary schools include Wansdyke, Nursteed, Potterne, Southbroom and others.
[edit] Location
Position: grid reference SU005615. Devizes lies almost 2° west of the Greenwich Meridian, with the two-degree line running through the western edge of the town, just a few hundred yards west of the castle. As this is the centre of the east-west extent of the Ordnance Survey mapping grid, True North and Grid north align exactly in Devizes.
Nearby towns and cities: Calne, Chippenham, Marlborough, Swindon, Melksham, Warminster, Salisbury, Andover, Tidworth,
Nearby villages: Potterne, Roundway, Bishops Cannings, Horton, Coate, Bromham, Etchilhampton, Wedhampton, Stert, Potterne, Poulshot, Seend, Sells Green, Rowde, Rowdefield, All Cannings, Great Cheverell, Littleton Panell, West Lavington, Market Lavington, Worton
Suburbs : Nursteed, Dunkirk.
[edit] Sport
Each year at Easter the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon is held on a course between Devizes and Westminster in London. First contested in 1948, the event was one of the first to be included on the international race calendar when marathon canoeing gained world-wide popularity in the 1960s.
The local football (soccer) team is Devizes Town F.C. [4] who play in the Western Football League.
The local rugby union team is Devizes RFC [5], founded in 1876, known as the 'Saddlebacks' (after the Wessex Saddleback), and who play in the Southern Counties (South) League.
Devizes is also the home of Devizes Hockey Club who play in the N4 Hockey League (formerly the Gerrard Hockey League). Under the chairmanship of Toby Gilliat Brown - grandson of Sidney Gilliat - the club has played its way up the hockey league winning successive promotions over nine seasons.
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Devizes Town Council Website
- St John's Church, Devizes 12th Century Norman church.
- Historic Devizes photos at BBC Wiltshire
[edit] Notes
[edit] Sources
- Wiltshire County Council Website page on Devizes, retrieved 18:15 Oct 12, 2004 (UTC)
- Kennet District Council Website page on Devizes Town, retrieved 18:15 Oct 12, 2004 (UTC)
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