History

Where to start with the History of Cherhill ?

The best reference place I’ve found is “The Manor and Village of Cherhill – A Wiltshire Village from early times to the present day”, written by J H Blackford, and first published in 1941 - much of the following is sourced from this book, with grateful thanks.

“CERIEL”
Perhaps the most sensible place to begin would be to explore the origins of the name “Cherhill”. Although spelt Cher –hill, we natives like to pronounce it “Cherill”. Blackford advises that the editors of The English Place-Name society suggested the second element of the name is derided from the British “eal” meaning “fertile upland”. Suggestions for the first element seem to lead us in the direction of british streams - perhaps the small stream which joins the river Marden at Quemerford. The first recorded entry of Cherhill is in the form of “Ceriel”, and since then it has been found written in no less than 25 different ways.

PREHISTORIC CHERHILL

Various objects have been found in and around the village that point to inhabited sites during the “new” stone age period (5000 –2000 BC). The earthwork camps on nearby Knap Hill overlooking the Pewsey valley and Windmill Hill near Avebury were known to be inhabited. Windmill Hill was occupied for a considerable time and numerous relics of the inhabitants have been found including milling stones which show that they grew corn and must have been agriculturists as well as herdsmen. Many bones of oxen, sheep and pigs have been identified amongst the rubbish accumulated in ditches. The people of the new stone age buried their dead in long barrows and circular earthworks, West Kennet Long Barrow being one such example just a few miles away on the road to Marlborough.

During the Bronze Age (2000 – 800 BC) evidence of the Beaker People have been found at Oldbury Hill. Beakers have been found in graves with, or without other objects. Some objects found alongside the beakers include knife daggers of bronze or copper, flint daggers and arrowheads, perforated hammerheads, archer’s wristguards of stone or bone and, more rarely, buttons of kimmeridge shale. Little is known about the Beaker people. It is thought their dwellings were shallow, oblong pits dug into the chalk downland.

The Iron Age (800 – 500BC) produces more of the same but we see the transition from the exclusive use of bronze to that of iron for weapons and cutting tools. At this time Britain was subjected to a series of incursions from the Continent but it is uncertain whether the first arrivals brought it with them. The Iron Age invaders were probably Celtic speaking and largely of Celtic blood. The first people we hear of occupying Wiltshire as part of their tribal territory were Belgae – people who came from Belgic Gaul and who, although Celtic speaking, were of Teutonic blood.

The Roman period to Saxon times do not appear to have produced any great change in the manners or customs of the people. Except for the working of iron ores in the neighbourhood of nearby Heddington, the people were almost entirely engaged in agriculture. The chalk downs were largely under cultivation and relatively thickly populated. The villagers seem to have been prosperous and have adopted to some extent, the manners and customs of their rulers. In the village a piece of Roman pavement was discovered near the church which seems to prove the existence of a Roman villa or building of some importance. Some pieces of tesserae were found east of the old Tythe Barn. In August 1940, several pieces of pottery, a roman coin and a thimble, were found at the rear of Bell Farm buildings.