Chirton

Chirton (17 households and one mill) and Conock (18) were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Early in the 12th century an estate at Chirton was granted to the recently established Lanthony Priory, Gloucester, who retained it until the Dissolution. The mill recorded in Domesday Book was probably that later known as Church Mill, on the Avon in the north-east corner of the parish. It belonged to Chirton manor and therefore later to Lanthony; by 1572 it was owned by John Eyre of Wedhampton, Chirton and Great Chalfied. A descendant sold it in 1671 to Ralph Brideoake, dean of Salisbury, who presumably made the purchase on behalf of the almshouses at Heytesbury, whose charity owned it until the early 20th century. Their tenants, the Chandler family, used the site for malting; there was also a corn mill in the later 19th century. The buildings fell into disuse in the early 20th century and today those that remain are dwellings. The Ewelme charity retained the Conock estate into the 20th century. Their tenants included several Ernle generations, beginning with Sir Walter Ernle, 1st Baronet (died 1682). During the 18th century, their descendants the Warriners gradually acquired leases from the Ewelme trustees, amounting to most of Conock tithing by the early 19th century. The Ewelme trustees sold the manor house in 1945 and Manor Farm in 1948 to Sir Frederick Sykes (died 1954), formerly Chief of the Air Staff, Member of Parliament and Governor of Bombay. In 1970, the charity retained Conock Old Manor, Conock Cottage (18th century) and a few estate cottages; == Religious sites ==

The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist has Norman features; in the 12th century the church was granted to the newly established Llanthony Secunda priory at Gloucester. The south doorway of c.1175 has two orders of elaborate carving, described by Orbach as "lavish". The aisles were made wider in the 14th century, and the tower and south porch were added in the 15th century. The timbers of the nave roof are c.1200 The pulpit and pews are by Butterfield, Monuments in the churchyard include four chest tombs for members of the Bruges family, from the 18th century and early 19th. The benefice was united with Marden in 1923, and the vicar was to live at the parsonage house in Chirton. From 1951, the vicar also held the benefice of Patney, which was added to the united benefice in 1963. The three benefices were separated in 1976. Today the church is served by the Cannings and Redhorn Team Ministry, which covers a group of eight churches in the Vale of Pewsey. Conock had a chapel in the 13th century, which fell into disuse after the land was seized by the king. ==Local government==

Chirton is a civil parish with an elected parish council, styled as Chirton & Conock Parish Council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council, a unitary authority responsible for almost all local government functions, and is represented there by Paul Oatway. == Notable buildings ==

The vicarage house mentioned at Chirton in 1609 is probably the present-day Yew Tree Cottage, which has 17th-century timber frames and 19th-century additions. It was replaced by a three-bay brick house close to the church, built c.1800 and extended at the rear to designs of J. P. Seddon in 1878. The house known as Conock Old Manor was built in the late 17th century, then largely rebuilt in 1753 for Gifford Warriner (died 1787). In brick with stone quoins, the L-shaped two-storey house has seven bays on the west elevation and five on the north. The MP, journalist, author and broadcaster Woodrow Wyatt leased the house for a time and was living there in 1970. or soon after 1820 (Orbach); Access to the estate is through a gateway with four 19th-century limestone piers. As the driveway curves towards the house, decorative iron railings and pedestrian gates line the south-east side. The brick stable block is from the mid to late 18th century, and its two-storey central block has a copper-clad cupola on Tuscan columns; perhaps a later addition, Around 1820, the surrounding area – including the Old Manor and Manor Farm – was laid out in Picturesque style, with parkland, a ha-ha and tree-planting. A area, encompassing the whole of Conock hamlet, was designated Grade II on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens in 1987. == Amenities ==

Chirton has a church of England primary school which serves the nearby villages. Sited near the church, the building began as a National School in the 1840s. ==References==