|
 Wootton Bassett is two miles from J16 of the M4 and has a population of more than 11,000. The town was referred to in 681AD as Wodeton in a Malmesbury Abbey charter granting land to the Abbott. Wodeton means settlemnt in the wood, in this case Bradon Forest. In the Domesday Book, Wootton Bassett is listed as being worth nine pounds. The rights were held by Miles Crispin and included "land for 12 ploughs...a mill...and 24 acres of meadow...33 acres of pasture and woodland which is two leagues by a league". The town was built at the end of the 17th century and was presented to the town by the Hyde family (the Earls of Clarendon). It now houses a museum about the town which is open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Today, the town still boasts a number of Georgian buildings and a number of pubs which date back to the 18th century. Repatriations of British troops killed abroad pass through the town, which is to be officially honoured by the RAF as a vote of thanks for the dignity and respect people show as the corteges pass through. If there is any information you would like to see included on this page, please contact us here. |
|
Please note content submitted by our community contributors is not monitored or moderated. If you have any concerns over the contents of this section, please contact us here.
|