Place:Burbage, Wiltshire, England

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Burbage is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey, in Wiltshire, England. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Marlborough and 20 miles (32 km) west of Newbury.

The parish includes the hamlets of Durley, Eastcourt, Marr Green, Ram Alley, Stibb Green, The Warren (which is close to Tottenham House), and Westcourt. (There is a second Eastcourt in Wiltshire.)

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The Kennet and Avon Canal, completed in 1810, crosses the parish just north of the village, where it passes through the Bruce Tunnel. Burbage Wharf was further west, where the canal passes under the present-day A346.

The Great Western Railway's Berks and Hants Extension Railway from to was built close to the canal in the 1860s, eventually becoming part of the to section of the main line from in 1906. The GWR built north of the village, above the canal tunnel; British Railways closed it in 1966 but the line remains in use. Until 1947 there was also a goods-only station at Burbage Wharf.

The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened from to in 1882, the latter station being situated in nearby West Grafton. The northern section of the M&SWJR line from Swindon to had opened in 1881, and this was joined to the southern section from 1883 by using the Great Western Railway's branch between Savernake and . In 1898 the M&SWJR got its own route between Marlborough and Grafton and a new station opened at . The M&SWJR had therefore become a route between and Cheltenham and the Midlands. British Railways closed it in 1961.

The population of Burbage peaked at around 1600 with the building of the railway in 1860, declining to a low point of 1000 a century later. It has since increased steadily, regaining its 1860s level in the 21st century.

The first school in the village was built at Eastcourt in 1806, rebuilt in 1856 and supplemented by a separate building for younger children in 1861. This school was taken over by the county council around 1906, and educated children of all ages until Marlborough secondary school opened in 1946. The 19th-century buildings (designated Grade II listed in 1988) were closed in 1989 upon the opening of the new school, and became a private residence.^[1]

Research Tips

• Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 16, pp69-82 - Parish: Burbage. British History Online. University of London.
• From this Ancestry page you can browse the Wiltshire parishes which have parish register transcripts online, quite often from very early dates. However, reading the early ones requires skill and patience. Transcriptions should also be in FamilySearch.
• A further collection of online source references will be found on the county page for Wiltshire.