Place:Yatton Keynell, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Yatton Keynell (pronounced "kennel") is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is on the B4039 road road near Castle Combe, about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Chippenham, and about the same distance to the east of the county border with the South Gloucestershire District.

The parish includes the hamlets of Broomfield, Giddeahall, Long Dean, Tiddleywink and West Yatton. The Bybrook River forms part of the western parish boundary.

The economy of the parish was historically agricultural although it is now more of a residential area for surrounding towns; its population in the first census of 1801 was 353 and by 2001 reached 745, rising further to 825 at the 2011 census. Yatton Keynell village is surrounded by a green belt and is largely a conservation area, which explains why, unlike other settlements, it has not expanded very much over its history.

Tiddleywink

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

Tiddleywink is a hamlet consisting of eight cottages on the B4039 road, near the village of Yatton Keynell, about three miles (five kilometres) to the west of Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. The name is said to derive from rhyming slang for "a quick drink" - the village getting its name from one of its cottages historically being known to serve beer to passing cattle drovers.

Because of its small size (it consists of eight houses), Tiddleywink has been for many years omitted from the official book of place names, the Collins British Atlas and Gazetteer, and from most maps. Furthermore, the road signs were lost years ago in an accident, resulting in the hamlet becoming virtually invisible to the outside world. It has been shown, however, that it was recognised as a settlement in the 1881 census, when it had a total of 28 residents.

Early in 2003, after much campaigning, residents finally won their settlement two new road signs, and widespread recognition, as their story made the national news.

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.