About Steeple Ashton History

Pre 898AD

In the Jurassic period 210 -135 million years age the area which is now Steeple Ashton was once the bottom of a warm tropical sea. At this time Steeple Ashton was located at a latitude below that of the present day Mediterranean. During this time the limestone which forms the bedrock of the area was laid down in the from of coral reefs. Due to presence of this Corillain Limestone part of Steeple Ashton is designated a geological SSSI

 

Over the next few million years Steeple Ashton dried out, and become decidedly chillier until the present day landscape and location was reached.

The Dark Ages

Despite several excavations taking place with in the village there has been no sign of prehistoric settlements. The first time that a settlement can be confirmed as existing on the site of present day Steeple Ashton is 899AD, however before that it can be assumed that there has been some form of settlement on the site for some time to allow for a Manor to be established. It can be assumed that Alfred the Great passed through the Parish of Steeple Ashton on his way to Chippenham in 878 following his victory over the Danes at Edington.

899 -1400 AD

In 899 Alfred the Great left the Manor at Steeple Ashton to his youngest daughter Aelfthryth for her endowment. This provides the first evidence of the settlement of Steeple Ashton.

By the time of 964 the manor of Steeple Ashton was in the hands of King Edgar. The parish at this time is recorded to have been much larger taking Keevil, Semington, Great Hinton, West Ashton, North Bradley & Southwick. King Edgar appears to have given the manor and control of its lands to the Abbes of Romsey some time after he reestablished the nunnery there in 967. This gesture is assumed to have been in preparation for then then ever closing new millennium. The records show that the parish stayed under the control of the nunnery until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 by Henry IIIV. Between these time the parish became smaller with North Bradley, Southwick and West Ashton all become Parishes in their own right within this time. A Chapel was constructed in Semington around 1200 this was served by the clergy from Steeple Ashton never becoming an eclesicatical parish in it's own right. In the 1200's the original coupling church for Keevil and Steeple Ashton likely to have been of Saxon construction was replaced by a structure a little way to the east on the site of toady's church. The second church is known to have gained a steeple before 1268 when the first use of the steeple is used in Steeple Ashtons name. The church was dedicated to St Mary in 1281, as such it can be assumed that this is when the second church was completed.

From 1246 there was a local magistrate's court held when needed in the village These were the Whorwellsdown Petty Sessions. In 1266 the Abbes of Romsey was granted a charter to hold a market in the village every Wednesday and an annual farye on the 7th, 8th & 9th of September for the festival of the Virgin Mary. As such Steeple Ashton became a small market town. In 1334 it is record that the taxation collected from the village was greater than that of Trowbridge or Westbury. In 1377 there were 260 poll tax payers in the village.

There is nothing of the original or second church that remain however one or two of the houses within the village may include structures that were built at before 1400.

1401 - 1700

In 1420 the now prosperous market town began to rebuild the it's church. By 1480 the tower and spire had been rebuilt, described by John Leyland in 1540 as being "a farye and lofty spire". At the time the Tower was 90 feet (27.5m) tall with a spire adding a further 96 feet (29m) giving a total height of 186 feet (56.5m). this made the church the second tallest building in Wiltshire at the time with only Salisbury Cathedral being taller. With the exception of the Chancel the church was completed by 1500. The nave being paid for by the parishioners, the north aisle paid for by Robert Long, the south aisle paid for by Walter Leucas. By 1500 the prosperity of the village was in rapid decline, in 1503 a major fire destroyed 6 large houses. In addition to this the manufacturing of cloth was no longer a cottage industry but had been industrialized and was now being produced in mills. With no rivers or streams in the village suitable for mills the production of cloth soon moved to areas in which mills could be used. One can only speculate how Steeple Ashton may have developed should a mill(s) have been able to be built in the village. Due to this decline the Chancel was not completed until 1853 and some of the carvings particularly in the roof were not completed. It is know that the church has had a mechanical clock since before 1543 when the presence of a striking clock was recorded.

In 1643 Oliver Cromwell used the Church as stables destroying the stained glass windows and part of the face of a carving. In 1670 a second tragedy stuck when the steeple was hit by lighting and partially destroyed. When repair's were almost completed the the steeple was struck again killing two men (John Robbins and John Bartlett) working on the spire at the time. The steeple fell across the church. Following this the remaining parts of steeple were taken down and never replaced. Repairs to the church were complete in 1675.

St Marys Church Steeple Ashton from Hinton Lane (left) Church Lane (right)

Throughout this period of time the village continued to develop although the market fell out of use. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 the manor of Steeple Ashton became the property of Thomas, Lord Seymore of Sudeley. In 1549 following his execution for treason the manor passed in to the hands of the Crown who kept the title until granting it to Walter Long of Whaddon in 1630. By 1600 all of the villages clothiers had left the village taking there wealth with them. Some carding, spinning and weaving was still carried out in the village until the became industrialized in the 1700's and 1800's.

Many of the largest and most impresive building in the village stem from this period even if they have since recived "face lifts"

Photos looking up and down the high street.

1701 - 1900

1901 - Present Day