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Lydiard Millicent is still very
much a community in its own right despite being just a few hundred
yards from Swindon's western border. The village centres on the
crossroads of ancient trade routes, a pond and the charming parish
church of All Saints. The village is a mixture of ancient stone
farmhouses, older cottages and newer in-fill developments. Like
Swindon it has grown enormously over the last 50 years, more than
tripling in size to a population of about 1,500.
The village's origins go back at
least as far as the Domesday Book of 1080 when there is a mention of
Lydiard Manor. This was owned by the Norman knight Geoffrey de
Clinton and his descendants until 1429 when it was sold to Robert
Andrews. In 1457 Robert Turgis became Lord of the Manor and he
rebuilt it from scratch. The house he built remained until 1880 when
it was destroyed by fire, then rebuilt in the 1960s.
The church sits in relatively small
grounds, bordered on East and South sides by roads and stone walls
of unknown age. The North and West brick boundary walls date from
1715. Entrance to the grounds is either via a set of stone steps to
the South, or a gate with an archway (date unknown). The clock on
the bell tower was installed as a war memorial after WWII. On the
Southern part of the grounds many headstones and tombs survive,
albeit in increasingly poor condition, 6 of which are listed and go
back to 1707. Of most historical significance is the churchyard
cross, the shaft is believed to be Saxon and was probably the
baluster mullion of a window of that period, providing some hint to
the existence of a pre-Norman church. Headstones in the northern
grounds have been uplifted and the area is now grass.
The earliest documentary record of
the building goes back to 1060, when William FitzOsbern endowed his
possessions in England, part of which was the Church of Lydiard
Millicent, although little evidence exists of a building before the
14th century. Entering the church through the South porch, you
arrive in the south aisle which is 14th century, recent
dendrochronology has dated a roof timber as being cut down in 1341,
and used by 1345. Straight ahead is the oldest internal feature, the
Norman font, dating from mid 12th century. The east window is a
stunning piece from Margaret Edith Rope ("Tor") installed in 1963.
The nave and 2/3 of the chancel are 15th century, probably around
1457, when Turgis was granted a royal licence to rebuild the Parish
Church, and the tower a little later. Under the nave, adjacent to
the font, is the Kibblewhite vault, which contains 18 interments
from 1814 to 1895. The end 1/3 of the chancel dates to 1870 when an
extension was added, retaining the 15th century east window. The
vestry contains a Saxon frieze, found in the wall infill during the
1870 extension. The pulpit, currently at the NE end of the chancel,
is Jacobean and has had a nomadic life, spending around 100 years
in Braydon church while Mr McKnight's Victorian one had pride of
place, this appears to have been recycled into other pieces of
church furniture. The western tower contains 6 bells, the oldest
three bells date from 1712, two more were put in place in 1906 and a
third in 1932, these were restored in 2003. The organ, built in
Bibury Church in 1868 by “Mr Nicholson of Worchester” and restored
in 1964, sits in the base of the tower.
Other more modern features include
the social area, used as a crèche during services, and is the focus
for other events. It also houses the church library, notice board
and resource centre. A sound system, with radio microphones and
hearing aid induction loops was installed in the 1990's, and updated
in 2004.
View the Church Plans:
1848
1???
1???
2000.
You may
also find
this web site
interesting.
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