Ashley, Wiltshire
Historical Description
Ashley, a parish in Wiltshire, near Akeman Street, 3 miles NE of Tetbury, and 4 from Kemble Junction on the G.W.R. Post town, Tetbury. Acres, 962; population, 80. The property is all in one estate; belonged formerly to the Gorges and the Hungerfords, and belongs now to the Estcourts. Part of the old mansion is standing, and is now used as a farmhouse. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol; value, £210. Patron, the Duchy of Lancaster. The church is ancient; the chancel arch and porch are Early Norman, and the arches and pillars dividing the nave from the south aisle Early English; there is a square embattled tower in the Perpendicular style; it contains a rude font, and a monument to the Gorges family; it was restored in 1858.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Wiltshire | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Ashley St. James | |
| Hundred | Malmesbury | |
| Poor Law union | Tetbury |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Ashley 1658-1812, Wiltshire is available to browse online.
Findmypast, in association with the Wiltshire Record Office, have the following parish records online for Ashley:
| Baptisms | Banns | Marriages | Burials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1607-1853 | 1607-1852 | 1607-1881 |
Churches
Church of England
St. James (parish church)
The parish church of St. James is a small Norman building of stone, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and a western tower containing 3 bells, and has some ancient memorials to the Gorges family, and several stained windows: there are 100 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Ashley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ashley (St. James))
Maps
Online maps of Ashley are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Wiltshire papers online: