Place:Castle Eaton, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Castle Eaton is a village and civil parish in England, on the River Thames about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Highworth. It was historically in Wiltshire, England but since 1997 has been part of Swindon unitary authority. The Thames at Castle Eaton forms both the northern boundary of the parish and the county boundary with Gloucestershire.

Although most sources state that Castle Eaton was an ancient or ecclesiastical parish, in the 1891 census it is described as being in the parish of Lydiard Millicent, located some distance to the southwest. This may also be true for earlier censuses. However, the Victoria County History chapter on Lydiard Millicent has no references to Castle Eaton.

The village is characterised by its older buildings most of which are in The Street, the original main thoroughfare. Built of local stone, these buildings give Castle Eaton the look and feel of a traditional Cotswold village. Many of the buildings date from about 1650 to 1850, and Swindon Council has made this part of the village a "conservation area" to protect its historical and architectural importance.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Castle Eaton.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Castle Eaton from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"CASTLE-EATON, a small village and a parish in Highworth [registration] district, Wilts. The village stands on the river Thames, adjacent to the Thames and Severn canal, 3½ miles ENE of Cricklade, and 6¼ NE of Purton [railway] station. The parish includes also the tything of Lushill; and its Post Town is Kempsford under Swindon. Acres: 1,956. Real property, with Lushill and Marston-Maisey: £6,171. Population: 286. Houses: 64. The property is divided among a few. Lushill House is the seat of the Archers. A place called the Butts seems to have been notable, in old times, for the practice of archery. The parish is famous for cheese. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. Value: £633. Patron: the Rev.E. Bowlby. The church dates from about 1400; has a singular cupola; and is very good."

Research Tips

• 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.