Norton Bavant
| Norton Bavant | |
 River Wylye at Norton Bavant |
|
  Norton Bavant |
|
| Population | 116 (in 2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST909431 |
| Civil parish | Norton Bavant |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Warminster |
| Postcode district | BA12 |
| Dialling code | 01985 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | South West Wiltshire |
| Website | Parish site |
Coordinates: 51°11′13″N 2°07′52″W / 51.187°N 2.131°W
Norton Bavant is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Warminster.
Geography
The village is on the River Wylye and at the edge of Salisbury Plain. To the north lies Scratchbury and Cotley Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the Iron Age hillfort of Scratchbury Camp.
The A36 road to Salisbury bypasses the village to the south, on the other side of the river. The earlier direct route of the road, just north of the village, is now the B3414.
The Wessex Main Line railway between Warminster and Salisbury, opened 1856, follows the river valley and crosses the parish to the north and east of the village. The local station at Heytesbury was closed in 1955.
History
John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–1872) described Norton Bavant as follows:
NORTON-BAVANT, a village and a parish in Warminster district, Wilts. The village stands on the river Wiley, adjacent to the Salisbury and Westbury railway, 1¼ mile N W of Heytesbury r. station, and 2¾ S E by E of Warminster. The parish includes a detached portion, separated from the main body by Warminster parish. Post-town, Warminster. Acres, 2,165. Real property, £3,549. Pop., 261. Houses, 61. The property is divided among a few. Norton House is a chief residence. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury. Value, £250. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church was recently rebuilt. There are a parochial school, and charities £4.[2]
Norton Bavant Manor was built in the late 17th century and is Grade II* listed.[3]
Local government
Norton Bavant is considered to be too small to elect a parish council, and instead has a Parish Meeting, at which all electors for the parish are able to speak and vote. Local government services are provided by Wiltshire Council, which has its offices in Trowbridge. The village is represented in Parliament by the MP for South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison, and in Wiltshire Council by Christopher Newbury.
Notable people
- Etheldred Benett (1776-1845), geologist, lived in the village
- Sir John Jardine Paterson (1920–2000), Scottish businessman, lived at the Manor House in retirement[4]
See also
- Fifield Bavant for etymology of Bavant. Village was owned by the Beaufaunt family, later usually spelt Bavant.[5]
References
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ↑ Norton Bavant at visionofbritain.org.uk
- ↑ Historic England. "Norton Bavant House (1036419)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ↑ 'Jardine Paterson, Sir John (Valentine)', in Who Was Who, online edition December 2007, accessed 5 January 2011
- ↑ Ebbesbourne Wake through the Ages by Peter Meers
External links
- nortonbavant.co.uk - parish website
- "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 8 pp47-58 - Norton Bavant". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- Google Maps
Media related to Norton Bavant at Wikimedia Commons