Sopworth

Sopworth is a small village and civil parish in northwest Wiltshire, England, on the county's border with Gloucestershire. The village lies about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) west of Sherston and 6.5 miles (10 km) west of Malmesbury. The parish is within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Not to be confused with Sopwith Aviation Company.

Sopworth
Sopworth
Location within Wiltshire
Population103 (in 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST827863
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townChippenham
Postcode districtSN14
Dialling code01666
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

The poet Thomas Yalden (1670–1736) was briefly rector of the parish.[2]

The parish registers survive in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre for christenings (1697–1991), marriages (1698–1992), and burials (1697–1992).[3]

Domesday entry

Sopworth is mentioned in the Domesday Book, its entry falling under section XXXII, The Land of William Deu. It reads:

Hugh holds SOPWORTH of William. Ælfric held it TRE, and it paid geld for 5 hides. There is land for 6 ploughs. Of this 3½ hides are in demesne, and there are 2 ploughs, and 6 slaves; and 3 villans and 5 bordars with 3 ploughs. It was worth £6; now £4.

[4]

Local government

The civil parish does not elect a parish council; instead the first tier of local government is a parish meeting, which all electors are entitled to attend. The parish is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.[5]

Notable buildings

The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin is Grade II* listed.[6] Probably begun in the 13th century, it was altered and extended in the 15th century, and restored in 1871 by T.H. Wyatt. Pevsner describes the church as "drastically restored".[7] Today the church is part of the Badminton Benefice, a grouping of largely Gloucestershire churches.[8]

The Old Manor House is from c. 1700, altered c. 1840.[9] Street Farmhouse is a 16th-century building while Manor and North End Farmhouses date from the 17th century. They, and several cottages in the village are all Grade II listed buildings. [10]

References
  1. "Wiltshire Community History – Census". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. 'Yalden, Thomas (1670–1736), poet', in Dictionary of National Biography.
  3. Sopworth at genuki.org.uk
  4. Domesday Book A Complete Translation. Penguin. p. 185. ISBN 0141439947.
  5. "Sopworth Parish Meeting". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1283124)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  7. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 473. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
  8. "St. Mary The Virgin, Sopworth". The Badminton Benefice. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  9. Historic England. "Old Manor House (1023262)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  10. "Listed Buildings in Sopworth, Wiltshire, England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2 September 2016.

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