Downton Timeline

Permanent settlement, farming, and an increase in population had occurred in Avon Valley.

Men were ploughing, tending sheep and had pottery.

Iron Age settlement built in what is now a playing field.

Tribes living in the Downton area were from a wave of Celts from northern France.

Romano-British villa built in Downton.

The first Bishop to the West Saxons, St Birinus, consecrated a church in Downton.

King Cywalh gave his manor estate at Downton to the see of Winchester

The large Downton estate was an endowment of the Bishop of Winchester and became his manor.

The earliest parts of what is now known as the Manor House, next to the church, may have been built as early as this.

The Bishop's estate was divided.

Downton lost 250 acres of land to the King's New Forest, south and east of the village.

Downton becomes part of the Salisbury Diocese, although mostly still owned by the Bishop of Winchester. The Bishop had seven mills built on his estate.

Downton church rebuilt.

Norman motte and bailey castle built by Bishop Henry of Blois.

Count Patrick seized Downton Castle.

Bishop's Palace built.

Building of a new Norman church begun to replace the old Saxon one.

Norman church enlarged considerable. Valuable eel fisheries established here.

Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, tried to create a new market town on his manor of Downton by planting a borough. A market was claimed.

The cross in the centre of Downton is thought to have been built.

Fulling mill mentioned - one of the earliest in Wiltshire.

New Court built.

New mill built.

By this time fairs were regularly taking place.

With appointment of the first Rector, William de Hamilton, Downton ceased to have a Minister or Parsonage with a group of bailiffs for the demesne lands.

The Bishop claimed a Thursday market which only lasted until the late 1300s.

A terrible harvest took place. The price of corn had trebled and death rates increased by 10%.

The Black Death. Downton shrinks considerably.

By this time the Norman bishops had completely replaced the Saxon church.

The main road to Salisbury, Barford Lane, is referred to as the \"common King's Highway\".

The village elected two Burgesses or Members of Parliament.

Village recovers from the Black Death.

The original eastern end had become more urbanised than the Borough, which failed to develop back streets and lanes.

The \"High Street\" is first mentioned.

The number of properties in the original village increased.

Winemaking and breweries were well established by this time.

Shoemakers in Downton are first mentioned.

The first hostel/inn is mentioned - possibly the \"White Horse\" in Borough.

The Bishop let the Lordship of Downton Manor to a sucession of Lords Lesse (or Lord Farmers) beginning with Sir William Herbert.

Reverend William Wilkes DD becomes Vicar.

The first Workhouse in Downton is built.

Basket weaving begins

A tanner is first mentioned in the village, while linen was woven also. Floods occurred, which lasted over a month.

The Raleighs receve the lease for Parsonage Manor.

The \"King's Arms\" opened as an inn in the original village.

Flood.

Moot House was built.

Charles I stayed in Moot House, newly built.

Western aisle and entrance to the church were rebuilt.

Sir Joseph Ashe creased extensive water meadows - this provided an early bite of grass for ewes, helping survival rate and encouraging earlier lambing. Baptists arrived in Downton.

The first Baptist congregation gathered at night on the Downs above Wick - this continued until 1658.

Giles Eyre becomes MP for Downton.

Baptists are led by Peter Coles, the tanner. Philip, Earl of Pembroke, is replaced by Sir Joseph Ashe as Lord Farmer.

Two animal fairs take place on 12 April and 21 September granted to Giles Eyre and were held along the western part of the Borough.

The tolls from the fairs were part of the endowment of the Free School, founded by Giles Eyre and Sir Joseph Ashe.

Barford House was built by Sir Charles Duncombe.

336 people were making lace in Downton at this time.

Several thatched cottages were erected. Housing expanded in the area around the Headlands. Attempts to make the Avon navigable through Downton to Swindon failed - possible because of the extensive water meadows and mills.

The area around the main road, the Headlands, became much more built up.

Ploughing of upland pastures began.

The Snelgroves set up a paper mill in Downton.

Barford House was rebuilt by Sir Charles Dunscombe.

Dunscombe petitioned for the revival of the Thursday market.

The paper mill began working and continued to do so until WW1.

\"The Bull\" opened on the main road. The White Horse was rebuilt.

Anthony Duncombe, son of Sir Charles Duncombe, bought Downton Manor from the Bishop of Winchester.

Village had a fire engine by this time.

Bonnie Bobby Shafto becomes Downton's MP.

First Sunday school begins in a small cottage.

Fairs for cattle and peddlers' stalls (23 April) and horses and sheep (20 October).

A chapel is built in South Lane.

Flood.

Houses built in Barford Lane, Moot Lane, Lode Hill (called Node Hill in 1539) and Slab Lane. King's Arms rebuilt. Doctors were present in village.

Methodist chapel built.

Borough disenfranchised under the Great Reform Act of 1832. More people given the vote. Policing began. Cholera epidemic.

By this time the present Lode Hill/High Street was well established. Lode Hill cutting was deepened for railway.

British school erected.

Girls' school erected.

National School erected in Barford Lane.

First mention of a post office in Downton.

A cottage hospital existed.

A railway built through the parish.

Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway built Downton Station halfway up Lode Hill on the Salisbury - Romsey line.

Downton band formed.

Downton railway disaster, 45 people killed.

Oil lamp street lighting provided by subscription payment.

Board School built, then Secondary School. Football club founded.

Downton Parish was considerably reduced in size.

Lace making died out.

Papermaking ended.

Women's Institute was established, the first in Wiltshire!

Women (over 30) given the right to vote.

The Southern Tanning Co Ltd. built a new tannery on the old site.

Bacon curing began.

Fire destroyed the Moot House. Moot house rebuilt.

Former paper mill/corn mill became part of an electricity generating station for the Tannery. South Wilts Bacon Curing Co. converted the workhouse into a factory.

The Southern Tanning Co Ltd. failed and was replaced by Downton Tanning Co.

By this time the electricity generating station was supplying the village with electricity.

Downton Engineering began as a motor garage at Mesh Lane.

German landmines landed in the water meadows and on the Cross in the middle of Downton Borough.

Sewage works were built to the south of the villiage and most houses connected to it.

Both council and private housing was built at Moot Lane. Housing estates also built on the western side of Salisbury Road at Wick. New Seconadry Modern School opened.

A small bag of coins was found dating back to 1309 and earlier.

West Hants Water Co. laid freshwater mains.

New bungalows and houses built.

The Cuckoo Fair revived in the Borough.

A mains gas pipeline was built to the village.

Hopback Brewery was established in the village.

Tannery closed. New housing and appartments built here for the over 55s. Main tannery building converted into luxury appartments. A new public library was also built on the site.