Urchfont

Urchfont
St. Michael and All Angels parish church
Urchfont Urchfont shown within Wiltshire
Population	1,075 (2011)
OS grid reference	SU0457
Civil parish	Urchfont
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	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Devizes
List of places UK England Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°18′43″N 1°56′35″W / 51.312°N 01.943°W / 51.312; -01.943

Urchfont is a rural village to the north of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about seven miles from the historic market town of Devizes. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Wedhampton (grid reference SU060577) and Lydeway (SU052578).^[1]^[2] The population of Urchfont taken at the 2011 Census was 1,075.^[3]

History of the name

Urchfont village hall

The name of Urchfont is often originally thought to derive from the phrase "Church Fountain" and 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).^[4] Shown to the left is the present-day village hall, erected in 1929-1930 by local villagers, which bears the name "Erchfont". Locally, the colloquial pronunciation of Urchfont is Ushant.

Governance

The village is in the 'Urchfont and the Cannings' electoral ward. This ward starts in the south at Easterton, stretches through Urchfont to end in the north at Bishops Cannings. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 4,350.^[5]

Notable people

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.
Singer, Elvis Costello, has a summer home in the village.
The cricket scorer, Bill Frindall, (nicknamed 'The Bearded Wonder') lived there until his death.

Scarecrow Festival

Urchfont Scarecrow Festival, Ali Baba

The Urchfont Scarecrow Festival was the first of its kind in Wiltshire. While many other Wiltshire villages, including Lacock, have now established their own festivals on a similar model, the Urchfont festival predates them all having been established in 1997. The idea was first brought to the village by a resident who saw a similar festival in Derbyshire. Apart from being cancelled in 2001 because of the threat from Foot and Mouth disease, the festival has taken place every year since 1997 and has grown to become a major local event attracting large numbers of visitors.

Approximately 50 themed scarecrows made by villagers are distributed around the village and visitors can buy a trail map which provides clues as to the identity of each scarecrow. Extensive parking facilities and toilet facilities are provided. A barbecue, beer tent, tea tent and ice cream stand provide refreshments around the scenic pond in the centre of the village. In addition, the Lamb Inn, a traditional thatched pub, serves real ale and bar meals throughout the weekend.

It is held every year over the three days of the first May Bank Holiday.

To date the festival has raised almost £100,000 for local charities.

Past themes have included: 2002 Characters for the young at heart; 2003 Professions; 2004 Book titles; 2005 Songs & Music; 2006 The Good, The Bad & The Ugly; 2007 Film titles; 2008 Scarecrow Pursuits; 2009 Musicals – stage & screen; 2010 Pairs; 2011 Advertisements; 2012 A, B, C; 2013 Singers; 2014 Myths & Legends.

References

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