Seagry

Seagry is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southeast of Malmesbury and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northeast of Chippenham. Its main settlements are the village of Upper Seagry (first documented in 1317 as 'Over Seagry') and the hamlet of Lower Seagry (first documented in 1218 as 'Nether Seagry').

Seagry

Approach to Upper Seagry
Seagry
Location within Wiltshire
Population285 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceST9480
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townChippenham
Postcode districtSN15
Dialling code01249
PoliceWiltshire
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council

The toponym is thought to derive from the Old English for "sedge stream". Sedge is the common name for plants of the family Cyperaceae and stream here may refer to the River Avon, which flows through the area.

History

There is evidence that the area was settled in the Upper Paleolithic period, and also of Saxon occupation.[2] The Domesday Book of 1086 records 21 households and two manors: Segrete held by Durand of Gloucester, and Segrie by Drogo Fitz Ponz.[3]

Segrete became part of the estates of the Earl of Hereford, and later passed into the ownership of Bradenstoke Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[2] A grange farm at Lower Seagry was associated with the Abbey.[4]

Seagry is mentioned several times by Francis Kilvert in his Diary. He was living at nearby Langley Burrell at the time, and visited the Awdry family at Seagry vicarage.

Seagry House at Upper Seagry was a five-bay mansion built in the 18th century by Nathaniel Stratton and extended to designs of Harold Brakspear in 1915.[5] The house was rebuilt after a 1949 fire but the 18th-century gatepiers at the east and south entrances survive.[6][7]

The Seagry House estate was bought in 1785 by Sir James Tylney-Long of Draycot Cerne. Through inheritance and marriage it passed down to William, 5th Earl of Mornington (1813–1863) and then Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley (1804–1884). Christian Wellesley, 4th Earl Cowley sold most of the land in 1920, but the house remained in the Cowley family until 1949.[5]

Upper Seagry

The village is on a minor road between Malmesbury and Sutton Benger at grid reference ST 947 807. It has a modern village hall, run jointly with Great Somerford and Startley,[8][9] and Seagry CofE (VC) Primary School.[10] The school was founded in 1966 and has about 40 pupils. In 2008 the school federated (a process whereby two or more schools choose to share resources, in this case a shared headteacher and governing body) with Somerfords' Walter Powell CofE (VA) school in Great Somerford.[11]

Lower Seagry

The hamlet is east of Upper Seagry at grid reference ST 958 810, towards Great Somerford.

Local government

The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.

The present parish was formed in 1971. The ancient parish was added to Sutton Benger parish in 1934, then in 1971 the newly built M4 motorway became the boundary between the parishes of Sutton Benger and Seagry.[5]

Religious sites

The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin at Lower Seagry was founded in 1172 by Walter de Clifford, a descendant of the Fitz Ponz family.[12][2] One of the 13th-century effigies in the church is said to be his.[13] The church was rebuilt in 1849 on the same plan as the 12th or 13th century building[5] by one of the architects in the Hakewill family, in squared rubble stone with a west bellcote. The 12th-century stone font bowl[14] and 15th-century timber altar screen[13] were retained. Today the parish is part of the Draycot benefice, a group of five churches.[15]

A Primitive Methodist chapel was built at Upper Seagry in 1825.[16] It fell into disuse around 2010[17] and was sold for residential use.

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See also

References
  1. "Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. "Wiltshire Community History – Seagry". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  3. Seagry in the Domesday Book
  4. Historic England. "Tithe Barn at Church Farm, Lower Seagry (1363816)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  5. Baggs, A.P.; Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H (1991). Crowley, D.A. (ed.). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 15 pp186-194 - Parishes: Seagry". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  6. Historic England. "Gatepiers at Seagry House on entrance drive (1022389)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  7. Historic England. "Gatepiers at Seagry House, to south of front lawn (1363817)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. Singleton-Hoare, Fuchsia (8 June 2013). "Seal of approval for Seagry's £600k hall". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  9. "Goss Croft Hall". Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  10. "Seagry Church of England Primary School". Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  11. "Wiltshire Community History - Great Somerford". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  12. "Church of St. Mary, Seagry". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  13. Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1200024)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  14. "St Mary, Lower Seagry, Wiltshire". Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture. King's College London. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  15. "St Mary the Virgin - Seagry". Draycot Benefice. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  16. "Primitive Methodist Chapel, Seagry". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  17. "Public Notice by the Registrar General" (PDF). The Swindon Advertiser. June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

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