Swindon in the Past Lane

Continuing my walk from Old Town to West Swindon  I cut through the underpass beneath Great Western Way and emerge at Mannington House. Today Mannington Lane is a bus lane, which seems pretty fortunate as back in the day this route appeared to cause a lot of problems. In 1884 summonses were issued at Cricklade Petty Sessions on behalf of Miss Julia Strange, tenant at Mannington Farm, against William F. Large, Walter Ody, and John Knapp to show cause why a road leading from the Swindon and Wootton Basset Road towards Purton, should not be declared a public highway, and repaired as such. Miss Strange was responsible for the repair of a half mile length of road on her land for which she received an allowance of £14 a year so to do. However, there was growing pressure for an end to this ‘anomalous state of affairs’ and bringing responsibility for the road under the control of the Highway Board. Other farmers in a similar situation had already complied but like her father, Ju...

In which I continue my Swindon pilgrimage ... I cross busy Bath Road at the traffic lights by the Monkey Puzzle tree and begin my descent down the hill. Today the former market town has a number of routes down the hill, but back in the day shopping in Old Swindon involved a trek across muddy fields up Eastcott Hill for the housewives in New Swindon. My regular route is Kingshill Road, considerably easier walking down than climbing up. The Kingshill area is named after the medieval, landowning King family. The earliest surviving registers for Holy Rood, the original parish church in Old Swindon, contain numerous references to the King family. 'Elinour King widdow' was buried in the churchyard at Holy Rood on March 24, 1681 and her will was published the following year. Elianour's husband Stephen died in 1667 and at the time of her death 14 years later the couple had four surviving children, sons Henry, Stephen and Bartholomew and a daughter, Mary. Elinour divid...