BACK TO MAP

The name Corsham is probable of Saxon origin meaning 'home of Cossa' whose origin is unknown.

Due to many springs and being on the edge of a forest which provided fuel made this an ideal place for a settlement.

Along the southern boundary of the Parish ran the Roman road from Bath to Silchester and part of the Wansdyke, a great ditch dug between the Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia.

17th century weaver's cottages known as the Flemish Buildings at the Corsham Court end of the High Street.

Ethelred the Unready (978 - 1017) stayed at his Manor House at Corsham

when hunting in Melksham Forest. Remaining a Royal Manor until Edward the Confessor gave it to his brother-in-law, Tostig, the 4th son of Earl Godwin. Tostig

The Town Hall. Built in 1783 as a single storey market hall, the upper storey being added in 1882. Used as a military hospital in 1914.

was banished from the country due to his villainy and the Manor

reverted to the King.

DOWN

After the Norman Conquest, William the Conquerer became Lord of the Manor. The people, livestock, mills and lands are listed in The Doomsday Book of 1087.

The Folly, an artificial ruin built in 1800 to hide Ethelred House from the west wing of Corsham Court - then Corsham House.

The church and its lands were given by William to the Abbey at Caen in Normandy as an offering for defeating King Harold at the battle of Hastings in 1066.

In 1242, Richard, Earl of Cornwall was given the Manor by his brother King Henry lll who farmed it out to tennants for a rent of 110 marks a

The Parish Church of St. Bartholomew.

year. The Deed of Grant which is signed and sealed by Richard can be seen at the County Record Office in Trowbridge.

Mr Paul Methuen bought the Manor House in 1745 to house a collection of paintings inherited from his cousin Sir Paul Methuen. The Methuen's made cloth at their mills in Bradford on Avon and wool at this time was the main contributor to Corsham's wealth

Mr Paul Methuen purchased the Lordship of the Manor in 1745 and gained all rights which had previously been split up. He altered the Tudor house and had the grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. Members of the Methuen family have been Lords of the Manor to the present day.

BACK TO TOP