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Last Revision: 8 January 2013
In researching the history of my home, The Round House in Chitterne, Wiltshire, I became fascinated by the history of Chitterne itself. I am still fascinated, so this history I present here for whoever is interested, is being added and to and revised from time to time. If, having read it, you find you have some historical fact about Chitterne that I have omitted, please email me : Sue Robinson Visit my website here to find out what I am up to.
| Before 1066 | In Anglo-Saxon times Chitterne consisted of three settlements held by Azor, Chenvin and Wulfwen. | |
| After 1066 | An Englishman, Edward of Salisbury, held Chitterne and was made Sheriff of Wiltshire, he had his castle at Old Sarum. Chitterne passed from father to son. Edward had a son, Walter. | |
| 1086 | In the Domesday Book Chitterne was called Chetre or Cheltre (a place of refuge). Chitterne means "dwelling in the wood", aern or ern being Anglo-Saxon for dwelling. | |
| 1142 | Walter, Edward's son, founded Bradenstoke Priory and gave the Chapel of St Andrew in Chitterne to it. Edward's grandson, Patricius (Patrick), took the Chapel back in exchange for land at Wilcot. | |
| 1149 | Patrick was created Earl of Salisbury by Empress Matilda, he was her steward of the household. | |
| 1168 | Patrick died whilst returning from a crusade . His son William inherited. William was keeper of the charter for licensing tournaments). | |
| 1196 | William died. His daughter Ela, Countess of Salisbury, inherited and was given in marriage to William Longespee, illegitimate son of Henry II and half-brother of King John, by King Henry II. | |
| 1215 | As Earl of Salisbury, William was present with King John at the signing of the Magna Carta. | |
| 1220 | Ela and William laid one foundation stone each of the new Cathedral of Sarum (now Salisbury Cathedral). | |
| 1226 | William died and was buried in the Cathedral. His son William Longespee II inherited. | |
| 1229 | Ela proposed a Monastery at Lacock. | |
| 1232 | Ela founded Lacock Abbey. | |
| 1236 | In an agreement with her son, William Longespee II, Ela undertook to give him all remaining lands in her possession. Later William gave his manor of Chitterne back to his mother for her maintenance 'whether ot not she entered religion'. | |
| 1238 | Ela joined the Abbey at Lacock as a nun. | |
| 1240 | Ela became Abbess of Lacock. | |
| 1248 | William's gift of his manor of Chitterne to Abbess Ela confirmed by Henry III. | |
| 1250 | William Longespee II was killed on crusade and his son and heir, William III, confirmed all the grants made by his grandmother Ela to Lacock. | |
| 1257 | Henry III granted the nuns a market, a fair and free warren at Chitterne. | |
| 1261 | Ela died and was buried at Lacock Abbey. | |
| 1264 - 68 | H. de Bratton, chancellor of Exon, granted 17 acres at Chitterne to his valet, H. de Paddebroke, he in turn granted it to the Dean and Chapter for 20 marks. | |
| 1270 | Giles de Bridport, as Bishop of Sarum, acquired Chitterne All Saints Church and 17 acres of glebe and gave it to his newly formed College de Vaux, at Harnham, Sarum. | |
| 1289 | Lacock Abbey, under Abbess Juliana, bought one messuage and two carucates of land in Chitterne from William de Horton, Margaret le Rous of Beremtham and Matilda de Merweden at 20s . each. | |
| 1291 | Nicholas Longespee, last surviving son of Ela, became Bishop of Salisbury. | |
| 1306 | The first listed Vicar of Chitterne All Saints was John de Netheravene under the patronage of the Bishop of Salisbury. | |
| 1316 | Chitterne mentioned in Nomina Villarum as Chuterne. The lords listed were "Abbissa de Lacock, Johannes Syfrewast (Cifrewast B) Prior de Bradenstoke et Alicia Pickeford." | |
| 1319 | The first listed Vicar of Chitterne St Mary was William de Bratton, under the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury. | |
| 1341 | At the Inquisition of the Ninths, the ninth of Chitterne was valued at 56s.8d., the portion of the Abbess of Lacock was 21s.3d. The Chapel of St Andrew was valued at £3.3s.4d., having one carucate of land with pasture and a dovehouse valued at £1.6s.8d. | |
| 1447 | The belfry, the bell and all the Abbess's houses in Chitterne were suddenly burnt by lightening. | |
| 1450 | St Mary's chancel is all that remains of the partly demolished Church of Chitterne St Mary and is reputed to date from around this time. | |
| 1530 | Edward Morgan died, he was chief tenant in Chitterne of the Abbess of Lacock. | |
| 1536 | Lacock Abbey placed in King Henry VIII's power. He spared it. | |
| 1539 | Lacock Abbey and its properties, including Chitterne, were surrendered to the King. | |
| 1543 | The Rectory of Chitterne, formerly belonging to the College de Vaux, Sarum was granted to Francis Morrice and Francis Phelips. | |
| 1545 | John Williams and Anthony Stringer sold the Manor of Chitterne All Saints to Thomas and Elizabeth Temys, on 25th April 1545, for £207.14s.0d. | |
| 1547 | Chitterne was granted by King Henry VIII to Lord St John. | |
| 1552-54 | John Flower senior, son of John Flower of Worton, leased Milbournes Court in Chitterne All Saints and Morgan's in Chitterne St Mary. | |
| 1580 | John Temys, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Temys, sold the Manor of Chitterne All Saints to his brother-in-law, William Jordan, on 3rd May 1580 for £440. | |
| 1588 | John Flower and William Jordan of Chitterne donated £25 each to the fund for the defence of the country against the threatened invasion by the Spanish Armada. | |
| 1592 | John Flower of Chitterne died and left his Chitterne estates to John, son of his brother Thomas Flower. | |
| 1600 | John Flower, son of Thomas died and left his Chitterne estates to his son Edward, aged 9 years. | |
| 1619 | Edward Flower sold the lease of his Chitterne estates to John Aprice to pay off his gambling debts. | |
| 1625 | Edward Flower and John Aprice sold the lease of the Chitterne estates on to Sir James Ley, Earl of Marlborough. | |
| 1635 | Matthew Ley nephew of Sir James Ley, died in possession of manors or farms and land in Chitterne All Saints and Chitterne St Mary. | |
| 1648 | Henry Paulet was lord of the Manor of Chitterne St Mary. | |
| 1651 | Henry Paulett granted a licence for the digging of clay, from the clay pits on Chitterne St Mary Down, to be made into tobacco pipes. | |
| 1662 | William Jordan (grandson) and Jane his wife sold the Manor of Chitterne All Saints to John Gyles of Fisherton Delamere. | |
| 1668 | Samuel Pepys stayed at the White Hart (now White Hart House) overnight. | |
| 1672 | Henry Paulet died and was succeeded as lord of Chitterne St Mary by his son Francis. | |
| 1696 | Francis Paulet died and was succeeded as lord of Chitterne St Mary by his son Norton Paulet. | |
| 1714 | The bride wore her smock at the wedding of a Chitterne couple who married at Orcheston St Mary. | |
| 1716 | Highway Robber shot by Edward Slade of Chitterne | |
| 1741 | Norton Paulet died and was succeeded as lord of Chitterne St Mary by his son Norton Paulet. | |
| 1742 | The George Inn burnt down. | |
| 1758 | Paul Methuen of Corsham purchased the Manor of Chitterne St Mary from Norton Paulet esq. | |
| 1761-62 | The Amesbury Turnpike Trust was set up. Chitterne is on the section of the road from West Amesbury to Ansty Hill. | |
| 1768 | Oram's grave burial site of suicides outside the village boundary. | |
| 1771 | Paul Methuen purchased the Manor of Chitterne All Saints from John Holder. | |
| 1775 | The Michell family had an addition made to All Saints Church to house their pew and mausoleum. | |
| 1795 | Paul Cobb Methuen, son of Paul Methuen, inherited the Chitterne estates on his father's death. | |
| 1798 | Paul Cobb Methuen bought Biggs Farm in Chitterne St Mary from Bryant Biggs. | |
| 1812 | The Vicarage (now the Old Vicarage) was built in Chitterne Saint Mary. | |
| 1816 | Matthew Michell bought All Saints Manor Farm from Paul Cobb Methuen. | |
| 1819 | The benefices of Chitterne All Saints and Chitterne St Mary were united by deed. | |
| 1826 | The Methuens put their Chitterne estates up for sale. | |
| 1830 | The trustees of the late Walter Long (of South Wraxall, died 1807) bought land in Chitterne Saint Mary and Chitterne All Saints. Walter Long (of Rood Ashton) becomes Lord of Chitterne St Mary. | |
| 1839 | Highway Robbery foiled by Farmer Dean. | |
| 1840 | Chitterne School was opened. | |
| 1841 | John Wallis Titt born in Chitterne. Went on to found his own agricultural engineering business and became internationally known for his windpumps and farm and waterworks equipment. | |
| 1852 | Manor Farm buildings and house at Chitterne All Saints were destroyed by fire on 17 April. | |
| 1861 | The two old churches, were demolished, except for the chancels, which were used for mortuary chapels. The foundation stone of the new church of All Saints with St Mary's was laid by the Venerable Archdeacon Macdonald, Vicar, on land given by Walter Long for the purpose. | |
| 1862 | The new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury. | |
| 1867 | Walter Long died and his Chitterne estates were inherited by his son Richard Penruddocke Long. | |
| 1868 | The Amesbury Turnpike Trust was defunct. The effects, including the Chitterne gates, were auctioned off in 1871. | |
| 1871 | The village school site was given to the village by deed of grant on 24th November by Richard Penruddocke Long | |
| 1872 | William Fred "Farmer" Brown of Scotland Yard was born in Chitterne. | |
| 1875 | Richard Penruddocke Long died and his Chitterne estates were inherited by his son Walter Hume Long. | |
| 1877 | The chancel of the old church of All Saints was removed. | |
| 1878 | Polden and Feltham, carpenters and wheelwrights, started in business in the village. | |
| 1879 | Charles Morris died and bequeathed £300 in his will for the benefit of Chitterne School, known as the Morris Charity. | |
| 1881 | The population of All Saints was 431, St Mary's 198, totalling 629. | |
| 1885 | Election riots at Chitterne. A group of farm labourers rioted following the declaration of the poll for the parliamentary election for West Wilts. | |
| 1891 | The population of All Saints was 428, St Mary's 154, totalling 582. | |
| 1894 | The Inception of The Rural District Council. Annie Compton representing Chitterne St. Mary became one of the first women councillors in the country. | |
| 1896 | Walter Hume Long offered some of his properties in Chitterne for sale. | |
| 1897 | The Jubilee Tree, a horse chestnut, was planted on the village green to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. | |
| 1901 | The population of All Saints was 319, St Mary's 132, totalling 451. | |
| 1902 | Percy Dean of Chitterne invested capital in a Salisbury company that later became Scout Motors. | |
| 1903 | A fire destroyed a large part of the Baptist Chapel in Bidden Lane. | |
| 1904 | Reverend John Thomas Canner, author of "The History of Chitterne", became vicar of Chitterne. | |
| 1907 | The two parishes of Chitterne All Saints and Chitterne St. Mary became the civil parish of Chitterne by an order of the Local Government Board. | |
| The village celebrated the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. | ||
| 1914-18 | Chitterne at war. Photo of the 4th Batt.Wilts.Regiment, transcript of Chitterne War Memorial etc. | |
| 1919 | Walter Hume Long's remaining Chitterne estates were offered for sale and many were bought by the tenants in residence. | |
| 1920-21 | The Chitterne Hut was erected in Bidden Lane for social gatherings in the village. | |
| 1923 | Chitterne Football Club completed a hat trick by winning the Warminster Hospital Cup for the third consecutive season. | |
| 1928 | Ushers Brewery gave a piece of land to the village for the enlargement of St Mary's graveyard.
Queen Mary visited Chitterne on 17 August, calling at Chitterne House, the home of her lady-in-waiting, Lady Eva Dugdale. |
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| 1933 | Chitterne's postal address changed from "Chitterne, Codford, Wiltshire" to "Chitterne, Warminster, Wiltshire" on Monday 6th November 1933. | |
| 1936 | Air crash at Chitterne. | |
| 1939-45 | Chitterne at war again Wartime anecdotes about the Home Guard, the cadets, the Air Raid Warden etc. | |
| 1940's | The Chitterne Brook was excavated and half-lined with concrete. | |
| 1957 | Gay Donald, winner of the Chetenham Gold Cup in 1955, arrived at Chitterne Racing Stables with his trainer Jim Ford. | |
| 1967 | Chitterne School closed.
The two ball-topped pillars that flanked the old main entrance from Garston to the house that once stood on the sportsfield were removed and re-erected on the Duchess of Newcastle's estate at Boyton |
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| 1970 | The Right Honourable Richard Gerard, 4th Viscount Long, conveyed the old school building to the village on 16th March for conversion into a village hall | |
| 1971 | A village newsletter was first produced in April 1971. It was called the 'Chitterne Calendar' The Village Hall , newly converted from the old village school, was opened by Lord Long and Rev. H.T. Yeomans on Friday 17th December 1971 |
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| 1975 | Farm buildings of a former pig farm, on the north side of the Warminster Road, were demolished and a housing development built on the site. It was named St Mary's Close, but the locals still call it "The Piggeries". | |
| 1977 | The former grounds of a great house in the centre of the village was purchased from the MoD for use as the village Sportsfield | |
| 1981 | The village roads were blocked by heavy snowfalls. | |
| 1983 | Chitterne Barn, which lay outside the village limits near Copehill Down, was dismantled. | |
| 1984 | Scenes in "Return to Oz", a film starring Fairuza Balk, were shot on location at Chitterne. | |
| 1986 | Chitterne won the Best Kept Village in Wiltshire Competition
in the small village category.
The Ministry of Defence proposed, and had built, a FIBUA (Fighting in built-up areas) training village on Copehill Down, a mile outside Chitterne, despite vigorous protests from the villagers. |
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| 1988 | Wessex Water built a new Pumping Station just outside the main village on the Tilshead Road at a cost of £1.7 million. The water, drawn from seven bore holes, serves Trowbridge and West Wiltshire. | |
| 1993 | A second-hand organ, originally built for Laleham Abbey Convent, Middlesex in 1968, was installed in the church. | |
| 1998 | Chitterne Village Hall, previously the school, was demolished. | |
| 1999 | The new Village Hall, on the same site, was opened on the 13th February. | |
| 2000 | Chitterne Post Office closed its doors for the last time.
The MoD opened the new Southern Range Road which passes to the north of Chitterne, through Breakheart Bottom. The road, built purely for army traffic, links Warminster, Knook, West Down and other camps en route to Tidworth, and should greatly reduce army traffic through the village. The skeleton of a Bronze Age warrior clutching an arrowhead was discovered during the excavations. |
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| 2001 | Chitterne Cricket Club was launched.
The village website chitterne.com went live in September. |
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| 2002 | To mark the Golden Jubilee of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II new gates were erected alongside All Saints with St Mary's Church. | |
| 2003 | The newly repaired Church clock was rededicated by the Ven. Alan Jeans, Archdeacon of Sarum.
The old red telephone box on the Green was knocked over when a car skidded into it in icy conditions. It was replaced by one of a modern design. |
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| 2004 | The road bridge over the Chitterne Brook near the Codford Road junction was completely rebuilt to bring it up to the new standard during the first three months of the year. | |
| 2005 | Broadband came to Chitterne on 18 May. | |
| 2007 | A book called Chitterne - a Wiltshire Village was published by Hobnob Press. | |
| 2011 | The King's Head became a Free House for the first time in 100 years when it re- opened on 1st April 2011. |