Purton, Wiltshire, England
Purton is 3 miles N of Wootton Bassett, 3 miles NW of Swindon.
Grid Ref SU094876. Population 1,778 in 1831, 2,678 in 1951.
Common to all parishes is a key to
abbreviations and a description of church
records and indexes for Wiltshire.
Indexes and registers of the parish church of Purton, St Mary
Description
David Sheppard provides a Purton Page
with description and photos including the church, one of only
three churches in the country with both a tower and a spire, and
the tithe barn.
Purton Museum and
Historical Society has a small museum , has meetings and courses, and
the following publications:
- The Bulletin, A4 approx. 22 pages,
Published twice per year. Articles and features on items
of historical interest to the Purton area. October 2001
issue includes: Purton's war defences - the anti-tank
ditch, "Evacuated to Purton" - memories of a
wartime evacuee, History of the Purton Twinning
Association.
- The Workhouses of the Wootton Bassett &
Cricklade Union, by Alec Robbins ISBN 0
95171421X A4 152 Pages Published 1992. A history of the
treatment of the poor in former days on Purton. The
administration of the Poor Laws. The development of the
Purton Alms Houses and the Workhouse. The Purton
Charities.
- Records & Recollections of Purton &
District, by Alec Robbins ISBN 0 952484307 A4
218 Pages Published 1994. This book looks at the
considerable changes of the 20th century upon the lives
of the people of Purton and the neighbouring villages,
thowing light on the social history of the villages of
North Wiltshire
- Purton's Past: 2nd Edition, by Rick
Dixon In preparation for 2003/4. The 1st edition of this
book covering the history of the village has been out of
print for some years. A 2nd edition, much up-dated is in
preparation. Ringsbury Camp (c 50 BC), the Romans in
Purton, Purton's Saxon cemetery, Purton in the
Domesday Book, Medieval Purton, Edward Hyde 1st Earl of
Clarendon, Anne Hyde and the House of Orange, Nevill
Maskelyne and the Longitude story, the development of the
modern village.
- On-line Parish Clerk: Richard Carruthers, email purton@shaw.ca ,
has appointed himself as unofficial on-line parish clerk for Purton
as he has extensive family connections there over 4 centuries,
and looks forward to hearing from interested parties.
© GENUKI 2007; Last updated: 8 Feb 2007, David Hawgood
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