Place:Hippenscombe, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Hippenscombe is a small settlement now within the civil parish of Tidcombe and Fosbury, Wiltshire, in the southwest of England. Marked only on large-scale maps, its location is to the southwest of Oakhill Wood and the northwest of Conholt Park, about 8 miles (13 km) south of Hungerford, Berkshire.

Hippenscombe has a long separate history of its own, having been an extra-parochial area. It was severely affected by the Swing Riots of 1830 which was a widespread uprising by agricultural workers in southern and eastern England, in protest of agricultural mechanisation and general harsh conditions endured by rural labourers. The name "Swing Riots" was derived from Captain Swing, the fictitious name often signed to the threatening letters sent to farmers, magistrates, parsons, and others. He was regarded as the mythical figurehead of the movement.

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

"HIPPENSCOMBE, an extra-parochial tract in the [registration] district of Hungerford and county of Wilts; adjacent to Hants and Berks, 4¼ miles NE of Ludgershall. Acres: 980. Real property: £545. Population: 42. Houses: 11."

It was incorporated into Tidcombe in 1879.

Research Tips

• Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 16, pp226-229 - Parish: Hippenscombe. 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.