Place:Horningsham, Wiltshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Horningsham is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the county border with Somerset. The village lies about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of the town of Warminster and 4 1⁄2 miles (7 km) southeast of Frome, Somerset.

The parish forms part of the Longleat estate and includes the hamlets of Hitcombe Bottom and Newbury (Horningsham).

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

"HORNINGSHAM, a village and a parish in Warminster [registration] district, Wilts. The village stands near the boundary with Somerset, 4½ miles SW of Warminster town and [railway] station; enjoys picturesque environs, resembling the best parts of Devon; and has a post office under Warminster. A well is here, covered with masonry, partly old, and inscribed with the words, "O ye wells, bless the Lord; with thee is the spring of life".

"The parish comprises 2,541 acres. Real property: £3,251. Population: 1,065. Houses: 246. The manor belonged formerly to the Arundells of Wardour, and belongs now to the Marquis of Bath. Remains of the Arundells' manor house adjoin the church; and contain, in an upper room, a chimney piece sculptured with their arms, and reaching from floor to ceiling. Part of the extensive park of Longleat, the seat of the Marquis of Bath, is within the parish. Fine views over parts of Wilts, Dorset, and Somerset, are commanded by a hill. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury. Value: £300. Patron: the Bishop of Salisbury. The church, excepting the tower, was rebuilt in 1845, by the Marchioness of Bath, after designs by Wyatt and Brandon, at a cost of more than £5, 000; and is a handsome edifice. Bishop Ken usually repaired to the old church during his residence at Longleat; and he is said to have composed on a neighbouring eminence his " Morning and Evening Hymns." There are an Independent chapel, a national school, and charities £41."

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.