| Urchfont | |
St. Michael and All Angels parish church |
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Urchfont
Urchfont shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 954 (as of 2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SU0457 |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Devizes |
| Postcode district | SN10 |
| Dialling code | 01380 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Urchfont is a small, rural village to the north of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about seven miles from the market town of Devizes. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Wedhampton (grid reference SU060577) and Lydeway (SU052578).[1][2] The population of Urchfont ward is 1,690, according to the 2001 Census.
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The name of Urchfont is possibly derived from Latin fons meaning 'spring, fountain, well' (cf. fount), and the first element may be a lost personal name such as Eohric. Over 100 variations of the spelling are recorded; e.g. Lerchesfonte (1086), Erchesfonte(e) (1175, 1605), Erkesfonte (1175), Archesfunte (font)(1179, 1376, 1426), Ur(i)chesfunte (1242, 1289), Orchesfunte (1259), Orcheffunte (1428), Archfounte al. Urshent (1564), Urchefount al. Urshent (1611), Urshent al. Erchfont (1695).[3] Shown to the left is the present-day village hall, erected in 1929-1930, which bears the name "Erchfont".
Sergeant Thomas Gray VC was born in Urchfont in 1914. An Air Observer/Navigator in the Royal Air Force, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross when he was killed in action in 1940. Game show cheat, Major Charles Ingram, lives in the village, as did cricket scorer, Bill Frindall, a.k.a. the `Bearded Wonder` until his death.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Urchfont Urchfont] at Wikimedia Commons