Monkton Farleigh

The Roman road from Silchester to Bath, and later earthworks which may be part of Wansdyke, run east–west and form the northern boundary of the modern parish. The manor passed to the Bohun family, and was held by Humphrey I de Bohun around 1120. The Bohuns founded the Priory of St Mary Magdalene thereafter, and it had a church by c.1150. In the early 13th century the priory was rebuilt with a larger church; in 1294 the population of the manor, including the monks, was around 200. His son, also Charles, lived at the manor house until his death in 1941. A National School was built in the 1870s, replacing earlier small schools, and by 1881 had an average attendance of 67. A new school with teacher's house was built in 1886. Children of all ages attended until 1930, when those over 11 transferred to the secondary school at Bradford on Avon. By 2005, numbers had fallen to 24 and the following year the school merged with the village school at Atworth, which continues on both sites as Churchfields School. ==Landmarks==

The civil parish has 34 listed buildings, including: • Monkton Farleigh Manor (Grade I) • remains of the refectory at Monkton Farleigh Manor (Grade I ruin) • Church of St. Peter (Grade II*) Woodland at Inwood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. == Parish church ==

The parish church of St Peter was rebuilt by T.H. Wyatt in 1844, although the west tower may be from the 12th or 13th centuries. There was further restoration in 1874. A doorway in the north wall of the nave has an arch and shafts from the 12th century, with a 15th-century door inserted. The octagonal pulpit and the communion table are from the 17th century, and there is stained glass from the 1860s, 1870s and 1905. The three bells in the tower, from the 18th and 19th centuries, are said to be unringable. The church was recorded as Grade II* listed in 1962. ==CAD Monkton Farleigh==

In the 1930s, it was recognised that there was a need to provide secure storage for munitions across the United Kingdom. The proposal was to create three Central Ammunition Depots (CADs): one in the north (Longtown, Cumbria); one in the Midlands (Nesscliffe, Shropshire); and one in the south, namely CAD Monkton Farleigh, which was also known as CAD Corsham. The easily hewn Bath stone, a form of limestone, had created a number of large, horizontal, and relatively dry quarries around Corsham. Monkton Farleigh quarry was renovated from the late 1930s by the Royal Engineers as one of the three major depots. ==Notable people==

• George Herbert Moberly (1837–1895), Rector • Charles Hobhouse (1862–1941), British Liberal politician ==References==