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Highworth
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael and All Angels. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands.
Highworth is on a hill in a strategic position above the Upper Thames Valley, and seems to have been occupied almost continuously for 7,000 years. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Wrde', which derives from the Old English word 'worth' meaning enclosure. At that time there were six households and a church. The prefix 'High', owing to it being situated on a hill, was not added until around 1200 AD. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name is spelt both Highwoth (for the hundred) and Hiworth (for the town itself). In 1206 it was granted a charter for its market, which is still held weekly. The origins and layout of Highworth are medieval.
Highworth's martyr, John Goodson, a Lollard, was burned at the stake for heresy at Lammas (1 August) in 1508. He was a miller who lived and carried out his business at Maggot Mill, Fresden (the word maggot here means "lively" and refers to the water used to power his mill, not to the state of his flour). The site of his martyrdom was roughly in the area now occupied by King's Avenue and the back of Southfield School. Lammas was the time when one of two annual fairs was held in Highworth, so news of this event would have been carried far and wide.
Highworth was a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War, but on 17 June 1645 Sir Thomas Fairfax captured it and Parliamentarian troops garrisoned it until October the next year. The occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of plague. Traders moved their business to Swindon, and Highworth market did not recover until the end of that century. Highworth benefited from the economic boom in the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution, and many of the houses in the town centre date from this time. From 1894 to 1974 there was a Highworth Rural District but the town is now part of Swindon unitary authority. Highworth was once larger than neighbouring Swindon, when Highworth's population exceeded 12,000.[dead link]
Highworth is in north-east Wiltshire, near the border with Oxfordshire. The town stands on a hill above the upper Thames Valley, and at 436 ft (133 m) above sea level is the highest town in Wiltshire. It is 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon and 69 miles (111 km) west of London.
The first tier of local government is Highworth Town Council, which has 15 elected councillors. Other local government functions are carried out by Swindon Borough Council, a unitary authority. Three councillors are elected to that body to represent the Blunsdon and Highworth ward, a large area in the north of the borough; besides Highworth the ward spans Inglesham, Hannington, Castle Eaton, Blunsdon and Stanton Fitzwarren parishes. The ward falls within the Swindon North parliamentary constituency, which has been held since 2024 by Will Stone for the Labour Party.
Between 1894 and 1974, the parish was part of Highworth Rural District.
The Church of England parish church of St Michael (see below) is at the centre of the town, at the corner of the High Street and the A361 Swindon Road. The centre of the old town, with many fine Georgian and Queen Anne houses, has been a conservation area since 1976.
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Highworth
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael and All Angels. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands.
Highworth is on a hill in a strategic position above the Upper Thames Valley, and seems to have been occupied almost continuously for 7,000 years. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Wrde', which derives from the Old English word 'worth' meaning enclosure. At that time there were six households and a church. The prefix 'High', owing to it being situated on a hill, was not added until around 1200 AD. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name is spelt both Highwoth (for the hundred) and Hiworth (for the town itself). In 1206 it was granted a charter for its market, which is still held weekly. The origins and layout of Highworth are medieval.
Highworth's martyr, John Goodson, a Lollard, was burned at the stake for heresy at Lammas (1 August) in 1508. He was a miller who lived and carried out his business at Maggot Mill, Fresden (the word maggot here means "lively" and refers to the water used to power his mill, not to the state of his flour). The site of his martyrdom was roughly in the area now occupied by King's Avenue and the back of Southfield School. Lammas was the time when one of two annual fairs was held in Highworth, so news of this event would have been carried far and wide.
Highworth was a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War, but on 17 June 1645 Sir Thomas Fairfax captured it and Parliamentarian troops garrisoned it until October the next year. The occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of plague. Traders moved their business to Swindon, and Highworth market did not recover until the end of that century. Highworth benefited from the economic boom in the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution, and many of the houses in the town centre date from this time. From 1894 to 1974 there was a Highworth Rural District but the town is now part of Swindon unitary authority. Highworth was once larger than neighbouring Swindon, when Highworth's population exceeded 12,000.[dead link]
Highworth is in north-east Wiltshire, near the border with Oxfordshire. The town stands on a hill above the upper Thames Valley, and at 436 ft (133 m) above sea level is the highest town in Wiltshire. It is 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon and 69 miles (111 km) west of London.
The first tier of local government is Highworth Town Council, which has 15 elected councillors. Other local government functions are carried out by Swindon Borough Council, a unitary authority. Three councillors are elected to that body to represent the Blunsdon and Highworth ward, a large area in the north of the borough; besides Highworth the ward spans Inglesham, Hannington, Castle Eaton, Blunsdon and Stanton Fitzwarren parishes. The ward falls within the Swindon North parliamentary constituency, which has been held since 2024 by Will Stone for the Labour Party.
Between 1894 and 1974, the parish was part of Highworth Rural District.
The Church of England parish church of St Michael (see below) is at the centre of the town, at the corner of the High Street and the A361 Swindon Road. The centre of the old town, with many fine Georgian and Queen Anne houses, has been a conservation area since 1976.
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