Barbara Croucher has compiled this brief introduction to Ramsbury.
Barbara's book, "The Village in the Valley" is the definitive history of the village.
Find out more. You can send a message to Barbara and reserve a copy of the book by filling in the form here.
Roger Day has also recently published his history of Ramsbury at War
For more history of the village see It's Always Sunny in Ramsbury by Diane Wilson
Diane has also sent me lots of pictures, so I've put them together into a gallery.
Click here for the Picture Gallery.
An Introduction to Ramsbury
By Barbara Croucher
RAMSBURY VILLAGE
Location
The village of Ramsbury is located in the Kennet Valley in Wiltshire, six miles from Marlborough and five miles from Hungerford (Berkshire). It comes under Kennet District Council and Wiltshire County Council. The parish is in the Marlborough Deanery and the Archdeaconry of Wiltshire, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
History and the Bishopric
Although there is much evidence of Roman activity in the area, particularly at Littlecote with its Roman villa and mosaic, and the Roman fort, Cunetio, at Mildenhall up the valley, the earliest history of the village can be traced back to the Saxons who considered the site of such importance that a Bishopric was created and a cathedral built. The Bishopric lasted from 909 AD to 1058 AD when it was joined with Sherborne. In 1075 AD it was translated to Old Sarum, a manor belonging to the Hundred of Ramsbury which was vacant at the time, before finally moving to Salisbury. Of the ten early Bishops of Ramsbury, three became Archbishops of Canterbury. In 1974 it was revived as a suffragan to Salisbury and since then there have been two Bishops of Ramsbury, the thirteenth is due to be appointed in 1998.
During the major restoration of the church in 1891, some Saxon stones were found in the south wall of the church. Among other items, these consist of parts of two Saxon crosses, and tomb covers possibly of early bishops. The stones now stand in the north-west corner of the church. Since the Saxon period, and for many hundreds of years, farming and its associated industries formed the basis of village life, as it did throughout the country. The village grew through its strategic position on the London to Bath and Bristol road. A tanning industry developed in the seventeenth century and the local brewing of beer grew into the larger production of 'Ramsbury Ale', with at least one brewery supplying the people of London.
The village began to decline in the eighteenth century when the present A4, London to Bath road, was turnpiked in 1774, and the Kennet and Avon canal and railway were subsequently routed away from Ramsbury. Depopulation continued with urbanisation, particularly of Swindon with its railway works. However, the expansion of Swindon, and Ramsbury's position near the M4, in the UK's high-tech western corridor, has brought renewed growth and a thriving community. The population of the village is now about 1800. Ramsbury has a wide range of facilities, including a thriving infant and junior school with over 200 pupils, two village halls and a recreation centre. At the centre of the village, both physically and spiritually, lies Holy Cross Church.
THE CHURCH WITHIN THE VILLAGE
Holy Cross church is in the parish of Ramsbury-with-Axford. St Michael's church in the hamlet of Axford also comes under the Ramsbury-with-Axford Parochial Church Council (hereafter PCC) and both churches are maintained by the one council. The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the Church Room, Back Lane, Ramsbury, a hall built in 1908 and used for Junior Church, church meetings and other church and village events.
Church electoral roll: 193
Number of services: 200 per year (over two-thirds at Holy Cross)
Sunday attendance (average): 100 (mixture of all ages)
Other services per year (average): 4 weddings, 15 funerals/burials, 8 baptisms
Annual services attendance:
Remembrance Sunday 200
Christingle 250
Carols by Candlelight 160
Christmas Eve (Midnight Mass) 170 (with the Bishop of Ramsbury officiating)
Special services:
Ordination 1996 by Bishop of Salisbury of two clergy - the first time that this church had been used for an ordination for more than 900 years.
Other uses
The church is not just used for worship. Historically it was the centre of village life, with the churchyard being used as a village green for celebrations and festivals. It is the largest building in the village for people to meet in, and events such as concerts have been held there to raise funds for charities, as well as, for example, Blue Peter Charity Appeal Sales. The primary school children are frequent users in their studies on history and buildings. We also have many visitors to Holy Cross throughout the year, both from this country and abroad, many tracing their ancestors.
For all in the community it is a place of prayer which we try to keep open daily so that people can come in at any time in the day for that purpose.
copyright © Barbara Croucher
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