Biddestone, Wiltshire Family History Guide

Biddestone is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Wiltshire, created in 1719 from Biddestone St Nicholas Ancient Parish and Biddestone St Peter Ancient Parish.

Alternative names: Biddestone St Nicholas, Biddestone St Peter, Bidston, St Nicholas and St Peter Biddestone

Parish church: St. Nicholas and St. Peter

Parish registers begin:

Parish registers: 1601
Bishop’s Transcripts: 1606

Nonconformists include: Baptist and Independent/Congregational.

Table of Contents

Adjacent Parishes

Parish History

The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870

BIDDESTONE, or Bidston, a parish-formerly two parishes, St. Peter and St. Nicholas in Chippenham district, Wilts; 3 miles N by W of Corsham r. station, and 4 W of Chippenham. Post Town, Chippenham. Acres of B. St. Peter, 127; of B. St. Nicholas, returned with Slaughterford. Real property of both, £3,226. Pop. of B. St. P., 34. Houses, 5. Pop, of B. St. N., 407. Houses, 89. The property is much subdivided.

The living is a rectory, united with the vicarage of Slaughterford, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol Value, £102. Patron, Winchester College. The church of St. Peter was perpendicular English, but has been taken down. The church of St. Nicholas is Norman, has a picturesque bell-turret, and was well repaired in 1850.

There is a Baptist chapel.

Edmund Smith, the translator of Longinus, and author of the tragedy of Phædra and Hippolytus, died in the parish; and his tomb is in St. Nicholas church.

Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].