Atworth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atworth is a village and civil parish in the West Wiltshire district of Wiltshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,280. The village is about three miles north-west of Melksham, and nine miles east from Bath.

Extracted from "www.atworth.org.uk" with the permission of webmaster (KA Spencer):

Atworth village is situated in the west of the county of Wiltshire, between the towns of Chippenham and Melksham which are to its east, and the magnificent Georgian City of Bath, in the county of Somerset, to its west. With a population of about 1300, it lies along the A365, the road passing east from Box to Melksham. Although Atworth nestles in a rather idyllic rural setting, it is within easy reach of the Wiltshire market towns of Devizes, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Warminster & Frome. The M4 motorway can be accessed eastwards via the A350 just north of Chippenham, or westwards for Bristol and Cardiff via the A4 and A46 north of Bath.

Historical Notes (with acknowledgement to David Webb)
The famous mapmaker and cartographer John Speed (1552 - 1629) shows Atworth on his maps of Wiltshire. However, it appears with the name "Atford". Later, in 1773, the mapmakers Andrews and Drury, published a map of Wiltshire in which Atworth appeared as both "Atford" and as "Attworth". The "At" component of the name has been associated with the word "oat", which may imply a role in the service of grain markets of the time. By the time the Ordnance Survey produced its first maps in the early 19th century, the name "Atworth" was almost exclusively used as the name for the village.