Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire

Historical Description

Fonthill Giffard, a parish in Wiltshire, 1½ mile SE by E of Hindon, and 2 miles NNW of Tisbury station on the L. & S.W.R. Post town, Tisbury. Acreage, 2004; population, 427. The manor belonged, about the time of the Conquest, to the Giffards; passed to the Maundevilles, the Manduits, the Molyns, the Hungerfords, the Mervyns, the Cottingtons, and the Beckfords; was sold and divided in 1823, and belongs now in part to the Morrisons and in part to Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart. An ancient mansion of the Mervyns on it was destroyed by fire; another mansion, built by the Cottingtons, and inherited by Alderman Beckford, also was destroyed by fire; a third, built by the alderman at a cost of £240,000, went rapidly to decay, and was sold by his son for £9,000; and a fourth, built by that son, the author of " Vathek," on a new site, likewise underwent a disastrous fate. This last was founded in 1796, took the name of Fonthill Abbey, was designed by Wyatt, had aggregately a cruciform outline, with central octagonal tower 278 feet i high; measured 312 feet from north to south, and 250 from east to west; was fitted interiorly in a style of great magnificence; stood in a park about 7 miles in circuit, all enclosed with a wall 12 feet high; had the reputation of being a sort of fairy palace; one of the most splendid edifices in the kingdom, cost directly about £273,000, and indirectly not less than £500,000; came to a sudden end, partly by the sale of the manor in 1823, partly by the fall of the central tower and accompanying crash of the whole edifice in 1825; and is now represented by little else than interesting features within its grounds. A mansion on another site was erected in 1859 by the Marquis of Westminster, and another mansion on another part of the grounds, an edifice in the Italian style with a lofty tower, was altered by the late Mr Momson. Fonthill Abbey, while it stood, was the scene of some great i fetes, and was visited by Lord Nelson, in company with Sir William and Lady Hamilton. The builder and proprietor of It sustained his reverses in connection with West Indian property; retired, after these reverses, to a house at Bath, and died in 1844, at the age of 84. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury; value, £220 with residence. Patron, the Lord of the Manor. The church was rebuilt in 1865 by the Marquis of Westminster, and is a handsome edifice after designs by Wyatt. There is a Congregational chapel.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Church Records

The register dates from the year 1518.

Findmypast, in association with the Wiltshire Record Office, have the following parish records online for Fonthill Gifford:

Churches

Church of England

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 Fonthill Gifford from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Fonthill, Gifford (St. Nicholas))

Maps

Online maps of Fonthill Gifford 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:

• Salisbury and Winchester Journal
• Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette
• Wiltshire Independent
• Swindon Advertiser and North Wilts Chronicle