Place:Dauntsey, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Dauntsey is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It gives its name to the Dauntsey Vale in which it lies and takes its name from Saxon for Dantes- eig, or "Dante's island". It is set on slightly higher ground in the flood plain of the upper Bristol Avon.

Today, the parish is split by the M4 motorway, with a chain of historic smaller settlements spread either side. Dauntsey Green is north of the motorway, along with Dauntsey Church at the entrance to Dauntsey Park; to the south are Greenman's Lane, Sodom and Dauntsey Lock. Dauntsey Lock is on the former Wilts and Berks Canal (presently being restored), the course of which runs alongside the Bristol-London mainline railway.

The Wilts & Berks Canal was built across the south of the parish c. 1801. Traffic declined after the railway was built and was minimal by the end of the century; the canal was formally abandoned in 1914.

The Great Western Main Line from London to Bristol was built in 1841, following a similar route, to the north of the canal. Dauntsey railway station, opened in 1868 and closed in 1965, was to the north of Dauntsey Lock. It had three platforms: two for the main line and (until 1933) one for the branch line to Malmesbury.

The road through Dauntsey Lock, linking Chippenham with Lyneham and Royal Wootton Bassett, was formerly the A420 which was a main route from Bristol to Swindon and Oxford. After the opening of the M4 motorway (completed in 1971) this section was reclassified as the B4069.

History

Wikipedia has a long section on the descent of families who lived at Dauntsey Manor and a description of St James the Great Church which dates back to 1177. Over the centuries the church has had a great many interesting memorials and other furnishings added to its interior.

Research Tips

• Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 14, pp65-75 - Parish: Dauntsey. 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.