Bremilham, also known as Cowage or Cowich, is a small settlement and former civil parish in north Wiltshire, England. It is near the hamlet of Foxley in the parish of Norton. The nearest town is Malmesbury, about 2 miles (3.2 km) away to the north east.[1]
| Bremilham | |
|---|---|
 Bremilham Church, Cowage Farm | |
  Bremilham Location within Wiltshire | |
| OS grid reference | ST903860 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MALMESBURY |
| Postcode district | SN16 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
The place-name 'Bremilham' is first attested in 1065, as Bremelham, and means 'village where brambles or blackberries grew'.[2] In 1881 the parish had a population of 25.[3] On 25 March 1884 the parish was abolished and its land divided among Foxley, Westport St Mary and Brokenborough parishes.[4] In 1934 Foxley (with Bremilham) was transferred to the civil parish of Norton.[5] On some present-day maps, only Cowage Farm is shown.[6]
Bremilham was a small ecclesiastical parish[7] until 1893 when it was united with Foxley.[8]
Church
editThere was probably a chapel at Bremilham in 1179, when Amesbury Priory was granted the tithes; by 1289 there was a rector.[7] In 1874 the benefice was united with Foxley,[9] and from 1951 Foxley with Bremilham was held in plurality with that of Corston with Rodbourne.[10] Today the parish is part of the Gauzebrook group of churches.[11]
Bremilham's tiny Church of England church claims to be the smallest in England, measuring ten feet by eleven feet. It is either the surviving part of a 15th-century church (Historic England)[12] or a mid-19th century rebuild on the site of the chancel of the demolished church, for use as a mortuary chapel (Victoria County History).[7] The building was recorded as Grade II listed in 1986.[12]
One service is held each year.[13] The church has no dedication and the parish registers go back only to 1813.[14]
On 26 or 27 February 2020 the church bell, which used to hang on an oak beam inside the church, was stolen.[15]
References
edit- ^ Bremilham gazetteer at genuki.org.uk, accessed 6 January 2011
- ^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 63.
- ^ "Population statistics Bremilham CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Malmesbury Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Foxley CP/AP". A Vision of Britain through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Bremilham at genuki.org.uk, accessed 6 January 2011
- ^ a b c "Victoria County History – Wiltshire – Vol 14 pp9–13 – Parishes: Bremilham". British History Online. University of London. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "Norton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "No. 24095". The London Gazette. 15 May 1874. pp. 2575–2576.
- ^ "No. 39333". The London Gazette. 14 September 1951. p. 4826.
- ^ "Foxley with Bremilham". The Gauzebrook Group of Churches. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Former chancel of Bremilham church (1023220)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "Foxley Parish Church, Foxley w Bremilham". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ "Bremilham Church, Norton". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ Seaward, Tom (3 March 2020). "300-year-old bell stolen from Britain's smallest church in Wiltshire". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 3 March 2020.