Place:Great Wishford, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Great Wishford is a village and civil parish in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England, about three miles (5 km) north of Wilton and five miles (8 km) northwest of Salisbury. The village lies west of a bend in the River Wylye. In 2011, according to the UK census, it had a population of 368.

The village pre-dates the Norman conquest of 1066, but was only a hamlet at this time. The name has evolved over the years, with recorded names including Wicheford (meaning a ford where wych-elms grow), Witford, Willesford Magna (mid-16th century) and Wishford Magna (early 17th century). Set into the wall of the church is a series of nine engraved "bread stones" that record the price of bread from 1800 (during the Napoleon blockade) until 2000.

Grovely Wood (redirected to Barford St. Martin), between Great Wishford and Barford St. Martin, was an extra-parochial area. By 1839, the boundary of Barford parish had been moved north to include almost all of the woodland.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Great Wishford.

Research Tips

• Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 15, pp284-294 - Parish: Little Langford". 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.