Place:Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, England

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

The boundaries of Alton Barnes parish, also known as Alton Berners, were established in the early 10th century, and the ancient parish became a civil parish in 1866.

In 1934 the civil parishes of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors were abolished and merged to form the new civil parish of Alton.

The Ridgeway, an ancient trackway, passes through Alton Barnes (although this section is not part of the Ridgeway National Trail, which begins further north). The Wansdyke, an early medieval earthwork, crosses the north of the parish on the Marlborough Downs.

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Alton Barnes is partly Saxon, built in the 10th and 11th centuries. The nave has characteristic Anglo-Saxon features: typically tall, narrow proportions and (visible at the west end) long-and-short quoins. The south door was added in the 14th century. The original chancel was as wide as the nave, but it demolished and replaced with a brick one in 1748. There was a Saxon chancel arch but this was removed in 1832. There was a Victorian restoration in 1875 and a further restoration in 1904 directed by the local architect Charles Ponting (1850–1932). What survives is a Grade I listed building.

Research tips

• Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 10, pp8-13 - Parish: Alton Barnes. 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.