Corston, Wiltshire

Human settlement in England

Corston

The Radnor Arms

Corston

Location within Wiltshire

OS grid reference| ST925839
Civil parish|

* St Paul Malmesbury Without

Unitary authority|

* Wiltshire

Ceremonial county|

* Wiltshire

Region|

* South West

Country| England
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Post town| Malmesbury
Postcode district| SN16
Dialling code| 01666
Police| Wiltshire
Fire| Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance| South Western
UK Parliament|

* South Cotswolds

List of places

England
Wiltshire

51°33′14″N 2°06′36″W﻿ / ﻿51.554°N 2.110°W﻿ / 51.554; -2.110

Corston is a small village on the A429 road in Wiltshire, England, in the civil parish of St Paul Malmesbury Without, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the town of Malmesbury. The Gauze Brook, a tributary of the Bristol Avon, passes through the village.

The Fry chocolate family trace their roots to Corston.[1]

## History

[edit]

In the Domesday survey in 1086, Corstone was recorded as part of the Brokenborough estate held by Malmesbury Abbey, and there were approximately 54 households.[2] Corston became a tithing of Malmesbury parish, its boundaries little changed since around 1100.[3]

The abbey's lands passed to the Crown at the Dissolution and in 1573 the estate was bought by Sir Walter Hungerford. In 1685 it passed from the Hungerfords to Robert Sutton, 2nd Baron Lexinton and later to the Earls of Radnor. The 6th Earl sold off several farms in the early 20th century.[3]

Malmesbury municipal borough was created in 1886, and in 1894 the remainder of Malmesbury parish, including Corston, was renamed St Paul Malmesbury Without.[3]

The population peaked in the mid-19th century, with 322 recorded at the 1851 census; numbers increased again in the later 20th century, partly through building of married quarters for RAF Hullavington.[3]

## Church

[edit]

All Saints Church

The Church of England church is dedicated to All Saints and is Grade II* listed.[4][5]

There may have been a church on this site in the 12th century.[5] The present building has a 15th-century bell-turret with a short spire – described by Pevsner as "impressive"[6] – but the rest was rebuilt in 1881 in coursed rubble with stone dressings; the chancel is from 1911. Inside is a 15th-century rood screen and a 17th-century oak pulpit.[4]

Anciently a chapelry of St Paul's at Malmesbury, in 1881 a vicar was appointed to the district chapelry of Corston with Rodbourne, with Corston as the primary church of the district.[3][7] In 1951 the benefice was held in plurality with that of Foxley with Bremilham,[8] and in 1986 was united with Great Somerford, Little Somerford and Seagry.[5] Today the church is part of the Malmesbury and Upper Avon group.[9]

## Transport

[edit]

The village is served by the Coachstyle 99 bus route, which runs once an hour between Chippenham, Malmesbury and Swindon. There is no bus service on Sundays.

The nearest railway stations are Chippenham on the Great Western Main Line, and Kemble on the Golden Valley Line, between London and Bristol and Cheltenham respectively.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ John P. Fry Pedigree of the Family of Fry 1906
2. ^ Corston in the Domesday Book
3. ^ a b c d e Baggs, A.P.; Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H (1991). Crowley, D.A. (ed.). "Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 14 pp127-168 – Parishes: Malmesbury". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
4. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of All Saints, St. Paul Malmesbury Without (1363872)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
5. ^ a b c "Church of All Saints, Corston, St. Paul Malmesbury Without". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
6. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 198\. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
7. ^ "No. 24923". The London Gazette. 11 January 1881. pp. 119–120.
8. ^ "No. 39333". The London Gazette. 14 September 1951. p. 4826.
9. ^ "All Saints". A Church Near You. Retrieved 24 February 2020.

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