In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Wilton like this:
Wilton.-- market town and par. with ry. sta., Wilts, on river Wiley, 2½ miles NW. of Salisbury, 1852 ac., pop. 1826; P.O., T.O., 1 Bank. Market-day, Wednesday. The entire parish forms a local government district. Wilton has been celebrated for its carpets since the time of Elizabeth. It takes its name from its position on the Wiley, and gives name to the county, Wilts. It was the capital of Wessex, had an abbey of about 800 (the site of which is now occupied by Wilton House, seat of the Earl of Pembroke), and was the seat of a diocese from 906 until 1050. It was a borough by prescription, first chartered by Henry I. It returned 2 members to Parliament from Edward I. until 1832, and 1 member from 1832 (when its parliamentary limits were extended) until 1885.
Wilton through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Wilton has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Salisbury. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Wilton and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Wilton, in Salisbury and Wiltshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/143
Date accessed: 18th May 2013
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