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Devizes is a town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.

Contents 1 History 2 Local government 3 Location 4 Sport 5 See also 6 External links 7 Sources

A Norman castle was built in Devizes by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury in 1080, and as such, the town does not feature in the Domesday Book. Because the castle was located on the boundaries of the manors of Rowde, Bishops Cannings and Potterne it became known as the castrum ad divisas or the castle at the boundaries, hence the name Devizes. The original castle was probably a wood and earth construction, but this burnt down in 1113 and was rebuilt in stone by Roger of Salisbury, Osmund’s successor. This castle changed hands several times during the civil war between Stephen of Blois and Matilda in the 12th century. The castle held several important prisoners at various times, including Robert of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror in 1106. Robert was kept in Devizes for 20 years, before being moved to Cardiff. Whilst the castle is now gone Devizes still has two fine 12th century churches, St Mary's and St John's.

During the 12th and 13th centuries the town of Devizes developed outside the castle with craftsmen and traders setting up businesses to serve the residents of the castle. The first known market in Devizes was in 1228. The original market place was in the large space outside St Mary’s Church, rather than in the current Eating Place, which at that time would have been within the castle’s outer bailey. The chief products in the 16th and early 17th centuries were wheat, wool and yarn, with cheese, bacon and butter increasing in importance later.

In 1643, during the English Civil War Parliamentary forces under Sir William Waller besieged Royalist forces under Sir Ralph Hopton in Devizes. However the siege was lifted by a relief force from Oxford under Lord Wilmot and Waller's forces were almost totally destroyed at the Battle of Roundway Down. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645 when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament and today little remains of it.

From the 16th century Devizes became known for its textiles, initially white woollen broadcloth but later the manufacture of serge, drugget, felt and cassimere. From the end of the 18th century the manufacture of textiles declined, but other trades in the town included clock making, a bell foundry, booksellers, milliners, grocers and silversmiths. In the 18th century brewing, curing of tobacco and the manufacture of snuff were established in the town. Brewing still survives in the Wadworth Brewery, but the tobacco and snuff trades have now died out.

The Kennet and Avon Canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to link Devizes with Bristol and London. Near Devizes the canal rises 237 feet by means of 29 locks, 16 of them in a straight line at Caen Hill. The canal fell into disuse after the coming of the railway, but has been restored, and is now used for leisure purposes.

In 1850 the town's cricket club was established.

In 1857 the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway opened a branch line from Holt Junction, on their line from Chippenham to Weymouth, to Devizes. In 1862 the Great Western Railway extended their Reading to Hungerford line to meet this line, providing a direct line from London to the West Country through Devizes. However the building of a by-pass line through Westbury removed most traffic from the Devizes line and it closed in 1966. Today the nearest railway stations are at Chippenham or Pewsey. The town is currently experiencing quite rapid housing growth, especially on its eastern fringe towards Andover.

Devizes is a civil parish, with an elected town council. It is also the administrative centre for the much larger Kennet District Council, and falls within the area of the Wiltshire County Council. All three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government. Prior to the Local Government Act coming into force in 1974, Devizes was a municipal borough.

In the 2001 census, the town had a population of 11,296.

Devizes is part of the Devizes parliamentary constituency, which is currently held by Conservative Michael Ancram.

Position: grid reference SU005615. Devizes lies almost 2° west of the Greenwich Meridian, with the two-degree line running through the western edge of the town, just a few hundred yards west of the castle. As this is the centre of the east-west extent of the Ordnance Survey mapping grid, True North and Grid north align exactly in Devizes.

Nearby towns and cities: Calne, Chippenham, Marlborough, Swindon, Salisbury, Andover, Tidworth,

Nearby villages: Potterne, Roundway, Bishops Cannings, Horton, Coate, Etchilhampton, Wedhampton, Stert, Potterne, Poulshot, Seend, Rowde, All Cannings

Each year at Easter the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon is held on a course between Devizes and Westminster in London, a total distance of 125 miles. First contested in 1948, the event was one of the first to be included on the international race calendar when marathon canoeing gained world-wide popularity in the 1960s. The local football team is Devizes Town F.C. who play in the Western Football League. It is also the home of the Devizes Hockey Club who play in the Gerrard West League.

• List of places in Wiltshire
• List of civil parishes in England
• List of towns in England

• Devizes Town Council Website
• St John's Church, Devizes 12th Century Norman church.

• Wiltshire County Council Website page on Devizes, retrieved 18:15 Oct 12, 2004 (UTC)
• Kennet District Council Website page on Devizes Town, retrieved 18:15 Oct 12, 2004 (UTC)

Coordinates: 51.35258° N 1.99421° W