South Marston
| South Marston | |
 Church of St Mary Magdalene |
|
  South Marston |
|
| Population | 836 (in 2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU194879 |
| Civil parish | South Marston |
| Unitary authority | Swindon |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode district | SN3 |
| Dialling code | 01793 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Swindon |
| Website | Parish |
Coordinates: 51°35′24″N 1°43′19″W / 51.590°N 1.722°W
South Marston[2] is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village is about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of central Swindon.
History
The earliest documentary evidence for continuous settlement in the parish is from the 13th century, but there is fragmentary evidence for earlier occupation from as far back as the Bronze Age. It is claimed that there were Roman remains just outside South Marston on a field of Rowborough Farm, which have long disappeared. Ermin Way, the major Roman road linking Silchester and Gloucester, ran close to the southwest side of the village, separating it from Stratton St Margaret. There was a Roman station at Durocornovium (now Covingham) one mile south of the village.
The name "Marston" derives from a common Old English toponym meaning "marsh farm". This suggests the village was founded prior to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, but it is not recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Documentary evidence exists from about 1280, when the village is mentioned as part of Highworth Hundred.
Aircraft and car manufacture
Early in the Second World War, a Ministry of Aircraft Production shadow factory and airfield were built for Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd, and 1,090 Miles Master training aircraft were built there. Short Brothers Ltd also used another part of the airfield for final assembly and testing of locally-built Short Stirling bombers. Vickers-Armstrongs-Supermarine acquired the site later in the war and produced Supermarine aircraft including Spitfire, Seafire, Attacker, Swift and Scimitar there until the early 1960s.
In 1985 Honda bought and closed the airfield and reassigned it to car manufacture.[3]
Notable resident
- Alfred Williams, poet and steam-hammer operator at Swindon Railway Works, died in South Marston on 10 April 1930 aged 52.
Demography
A large residential development was built on the site of the Manor House in the mid-1980s.
Sources
This article summarises the history section of the village web site, which is a referenced resource for research on the village's history.
References
- ↑ "Wiltshire Community History - Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ↑ South Marston Village Website
- ↑ Honda UK
External links
Media related to South Marston at Wikimedia Commons