In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Chippenham like this:
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.
Chippenham through time
Chippenham is now part of North Wiltshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how North Wiltshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Chippenham itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Chippenham in North Wiltshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/689
Date accessed: 23rd March 2025
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