Baydon (St. Nicholas)

BAYDON (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Hungerford, hundred of Ramsbury, Marlborough and Ramsbury, and N. divisions of Wilts, 1¾ mile (N. E.) from Aldbourn; containing 335 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Cirencester to Newbury, comprises by measurement 2350 acres of fertile land; the village stands on an eminence, on the high road, commanding extensive and finely varied prospects over the surrounding country. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £110; patrons and impropriators, the family of Meyrick: at the inclosure, in 1779, land was apportioned in lieu of tithes. The church is an ancient and very handsome edifice, containing some Norman details. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Baptists. The celebrated Sir Isaac Newton had a residence, with a small estate, in the parish.