Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Chippenham

Chippenham, municipal bor., market town, and par. with ry. sta., N. Wilts, 13 miles NE. of Bath and 94 W. of London -- par., 7455 ac., pop. 5192; market town, 521 ac., pop. 4495; mun. bor., 26 ac., pop. 1352; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Friday; stands on left bank of river Avon, here crossed by a handsome stone bridge of 22 arches. C. was formerly a seat of broadcloth mfr., but is now mainly an agricultural town, with large cattle and cheese markets and flour-mills. Tanning and malting are also carried on. In the neighbourhood are stone quarries. C. was the quarters of the Danish army in 878, when Alfred was in hiding in Athelney. Dr Thomas Scott (1747-1821), the commentator, was a native. The bor. returned 1 member until 1885.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "municipal borough, market town, and parish with railway station"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Chippenham CP/AP       Chippenham Within CP       Chippenham Borough       Wiltshire AncC
Place: Chippenham

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