The Burbage Time Line |
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| YEAR | DATE | EVENT |
| 1086 | 1086 | The Domesday Survey records the state of the manor of Wolfhall and the parish |
| 1377 | 1337 | There are 107 poll-tax payers in the parish and 14 in the hamlet of Wolfhall |
| 1536 | 30/5/1536 | Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour of Wolfhall |
| 1548 | 5/9/1548 | Savernake Forest becomes the property of Edward Seymour of Wolfhall, 1st Duke of Somerset |
| 1552 | 1552 | Edward Seymour of Wolfhall, 1st Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England is executed |
| 1596 | 1596 | An Act was passed enclosing a large part of land in the centre of the parish |
| 1649 | 1649 | Following the establishment of the Commonwealth, a survey of Burbage parish is undertaken |
| 1701 | 1701 | Inclosure Award for Durley Warren for 130 acres (now part of Warren Farm) |
| 1702 | 1702 | The Durley Warren Inclosure Award of 1701 comes into force. |
| 1705 | 31/8/1705 | A Terrier is written by Thomas Andrews, the Vicar |
| 1720 | 9/12/1720 | A major part of the parish was enclosed |
| 1721 | 1/11/1721 | The 1720 Inclosure Award comes into force |
| 1728 | 12/7/1728 | Durley Enclosure Award of about 124 acres |
| 1729 | 11/4/1729 | The Durley Inclosure Award comes into force |
| 1762 | 1762 | The Salisbury road from Everleigh to Marlborough though Burbage High Street is turnpiked. |
| 1770 | 1770 | Era of the 'Great Tree Planting' in Savernake Forest |
| 1784 | 1784 | King George III visited the Earl of Ailesbury at Tottenham Park |
| 1789 | 1789 | King George III visited the Earl of Ailesbury at Tottenham Park |
| 1791 | 20/5/1791 | Fire destroys 10 houses in Burbage |
| 1792 | 18/4/1792 | Stephen Jenner of Burbage, nephew of the great Edward Jenner, patents a device to allow entangled carriage horses to escape |
| 1801 | 1801 | Population of Burbage was 1008 |
| 1803 | 18/8/1803 | Pearce's Charity created |
| 1805 | 1805 | A charity school is built at Eastcourt. |
| 1810 | 28/12/1810 | Kennet & Avon Canal opened throughout |
| 1811 | 1811 | Population of Burbage is 1024 |
| 1821 | 1821 | Population of Burbage is 1195 |
| 1823 | 31/3/1823 | Wesleyan Methodist Chapel opened at Eastcourt |
| 1824 | 2/2/1824 | An Inclosure Award is issued covering the final 115 acres of open field in the parish. |
| 1827 | 29/1/1827 | The 1824 Inclosure Award is finally endorsed and the field enclosed. By this Inclosure Award the rights of Burbage commoners in Savernake Forest were extinguished. |
| 1830 | Nov 1830 | The Swing Riots sweep through Burbage and the surrounding areas |
| 1831 | 1831 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1448 |
| 1835 | 1835 | The Southgrove spur to Collingbourne from the Everleigh to Marlborough turnpike is itself turnpiked and over time becomes the preferred route to Salisbury (the current A338) |
| 1840 | 6/10/1840 | Rent Charge of £1050 in lieu of Tithes is awarded but no agreement on how it would be apportioned |
| 1841 | 1841 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1445 |
| 1843 | 1843 | Marlborough College opened |
| 1844 | 30/9/1844 | The 1840 Tithe Award apportionment agreed |
| 1851 | 1851 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1492 |
| 1851 | 1851 | The Rev W.C. Lukis surveyed the parish church |
| 1853 | Jan 1853 | The Burbage Sunday School Clothing and The Adult Clothing and Coal Club were founded |
| 1853 | 21/6/1853 | "Began to pull down the old church - too dangerous to use". All but the tower was demolished |
| 1853 | 10/9/1853 | The first brick of the New Vicarage is laid. It is sited immediately behind the old one. |
| 1854 | 1854 | Through the generosity of Lord Ailesbury, a new church - Christchurch - is opened to serve the new parish of Savernake. |
| 1854 | January 1854 | Lord Ailesbury grants 0.25 acres of land to be added to the churchyard |
| 1854 | July 1854 | The 'new' Vicarage completed. It remained in use until 1967. |
| 1854 | September 1854 | All the bells in the Tower were re-timbered and re-hung. The largest bell had been re-cast in 1853 |
| 1854 | 7/9/1854 | The newly rebuilt church, seating 522
(250 more than the old church), was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury. Cost of rebuilding was £2432/14/11d |
| 1855 | 4/3/1855 | The new Fugor organ is used for the first time. Purchased by voluntary contribution. |
| 1855 | 7/5/1855 | The Infants School (now the Church Hall) was opened. It was created by extending the Charity School of 1805. |
| 1856 | 23/3/1856 | The National School, complete with Headmaster's Cottage, opened. Total cost £878/16/6d |
| 1857 | August 1857 | The coloured East Window erected at a cost of £89 |
| 1857 | August 1857 | The memorial window to Crimean War erected |
| 1858 | April 1858 | The first clock on the Church Tower is erected at a cost of £62:13:7d |
| 1861 | 1861 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1603 |
| 1861 | 22/7/1861 | Act authorising the Marlborough Railway passed |
| 1862 | 11/11/1862 | The Berks & Hants Extension Railway opened for public traffic. Stations at Savernake (passengers) & Burbage Wharf (goods) |
| 1863 | 1863 | Work begins on the Marlborough Railway |
| 1863 | Oct 1863 | Probable opening of the Savernake Forest Hotel, managed by Mr. Maugham. The hotel was owned by the Marquess of Ailesbury. |
| 1864 | 1864 | Following the opening of St. Katharine's church in 1861, a new parish to serve it was created in 1864 by taking lands from the ancient parishes of Little Bedwyn, Great Bedwyn and Burbage. From this time onwards Durley and Warren lay within the ecclesiastical parish of St. Katharine's but remained within the civil parish of Burbage. |
| 1864 | 1864 | Probable year the estate road from the hotel to the Ram Alley cross-roads was opened to the public. Prior to this the public route was via Stibb Green |
| 1864 | 14/4/1864 | Marlborough Railway opened |
| 1871 | 1871 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1544 |
| 1873 | 21/7/1873 | Act authorising the Swindon, Marlborough & Andover Railway passed |
| 1874 | 27/6/1874 | Marlborough Railway & GWR main line converted from broad to narrow gauge |
| 1875 | 1875 | Archdeacon Stanton's Charity created |
| 1875 | 14/5/1875 | Revd. T.L. Kingsbury arrives as the new Vicar |
| 1875 | 28/7/1875 | The ceremonial cutting of the first sod for the SM&A at Cold Harbour, Marlborough |
| 1876 | 1876 | The Everleigh to Marlborough turnpike and the 1835 Southgrove spur to Collingbourne are both de-turnpiked. |
| 1877 | April 1877 | A Lectern, the crosses and ornaments of which are carved from sycamore wood from the churchyard, is presented by Mrs. Wade Smith in memory of her parents. |
| 1877 | 4/4/1877 | Church reopens after several months of alterations including changes and beautification of the cancel, a new aisle in memory of Archdeacon Stanton, the clock works being moved from the West Door to the tower and the West Door being opened. |
| 1879 | 14/8/1879 | The departing vicar (Revd. T.L. Kingsbury wrote a Memorandum to his successor giving some details of the village as it was them. |
| 1880 | 1880 | The vicarage house of St. Katharine's is completed. While the church and the rest of the hamlet lay within the civil parish of Great Bedwyn, the vicarage lay within Burbage. The anomaly was not resolved until the boundary changes in 1988. |
| 1881 | 1881 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1317 |
| 1881 | 27/7/1881 | SM&A opened between Swindon and Marlborough then via the Marlborough Railway to Savernake |
| 1882 | 1/5/1882 | Grafton & Burbage station on the SM&A opened |
| 1883 | 5/2/1883 | SM&A opened to Andover |
| 1886 | 1886 | The old track called Kinwardstone Drove and its onward extensions through both of the Graftons to the Nag's Head (now the Windmill pub and restaurant) are upgraded and classified as the main route between Hungerford and Salisbury - the modern A338. Several ancient roads south from the Graftons to the Collingbournes fall into disuse but are not legally closed. |
| 1891 | 1891 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1213 |
| 1891 | 12/11/1891 | The consecration of a new extension to the churchyard took place. It lay to the south and was exchanged with glebe land with the Marquess of Ailesbury. |
| 1894 | 16/12/1894 | First meeting of Burbage Parish Council. Revd. W.A. Haygate elected chairman. There were 11 other members. |
| 1895 | 1895 | The bells are re-hung |
| 1898 | 1898 | New Church Clock erected to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. |
| 1898 | 26/6/1898 | The Marlborough & Grafton Railway opened removing the need for the SM&A to use the Marlborough Railway |
| 1901 | 1901 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1136 |
| 1901 | May 1901 | The Charity Commission held an enquiry into the state of the village's charities. |
| 1902 | 1902 | Branch line from Grafton and Burbage Station to Dodsdown brickworks (Wilton) opened. The bricks were used to build Tidworth Barracks. |
| 1903 | 15/06/03 | Goods station opened at Savernake Low Level |
| 1906 | 1906 | The dedication of St. Michael and All Saints Chapel of Ease at Stibb |
| 1907 | June 1907 | Lady Marjory Bruce opened the new Wesleyan Methodist Church |
| 1908 | 07/01/1908 | CEMS started |
| 1908 | 22/4/1908 | CEMS Institute opened in the old Wesleyan Chapel, Eastcourt |
| 1908 | 23/4/1908 | Body of boy found in well at the Old Southgrove Brick Fields. |
| 1910 | 1910 | Branch line from Grafton and Burbage Station to Dodsdown brickworks (Wilton) closed. |
| 1910 | 10/11/1910 | The new chapel is dedicated at All Saints Church |
| 1911 | 1911 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1117 |
| 1911 | 3/3/1911 | Mary Ann Nash arrested for the murder of her illegitimate son, Stanley George Nash, at the old Southgrove Brick Fields in 1907 |
| 1913 | November 1913 | The Church Green is restored |
| 1914 | May 1914 | The Marquess of Ailesbury gave the larch posts for the church green and the iron bars were added to preserve the restoration work. |
| 1918 | 20/10/1918 | Marchioness of Ailesbury unveiled the War Shrine at the entrance to the churchyard to the village's war dead. |
| 1920 | 1920 | Burbage W.I. Formed with Mrs. Dominy as its first president |
| 1920 | 8/6/1920 | Dedication of the War Memorial Tablet in the South Aisle. It was designed by W.H. Bidlake of Birmingham and executed by Messrs Maslyn of Chippenham. |
| 1920 | 1920 | Following requests by the Parish Council, a manual telephone exchange was installed at the Post Office and manned by Mr. & Mrs. Carver. |
| 1921 | 1921 | The church's land on Leigh Hill is sold to W.R.A. Wright KC. The 3.5 acres fetched £175 (the Marquess offered £60) which were invested in £296:3:4d Consoles which yielded £7:8:0d per year for church expenses. |
| 1921 | 1921 | The Church Tower Clock was repaired and the face was repainted and re-gilded. |
| 1921 | 1921 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1073 |
| 1921 | 1921 | The first branch of the Burbage & Easton Royal British Legion formed |
| 1921 | October 1921 | The church was repointed and repaired by Messrs Bell of Andover. The costs were borne by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners as owners of the Great Tithes. |
| 1923 | 2/4/1923 | The first Village Hall opened. Created from a redundant Wesleyan Home for Soldiers at Bulford Army Camp. The hall (and its successor) are held by a charity of which each resident of the civil parish is a member. |
| 1925 | 1925 | The first bus service is introduced by Lampards of Seymore Garage. It ran to Pewsey and Marlborough, |
| 1928 | 1928 | The old White Hart Inn burns down |
| 1929 | 1929 | The last part of the ancient barn at Wolfhall finally collapses. |
| 1931 | 1931 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1057 |
| 1932 | 30/05/1932 | The first Burbage Tennis Club is formed |
| 1933 | 06/03/1933 | Most of the Marlborough Railway track bed abandoned and trains diverted onto the parallel SM&A tracks |
| 1937 | 1937 | The Parish Council's first attempt to get a bypass built |
| 1937 | 1937 | Electricity comes to the village |
| 1939 | 1939 | Savernake Forest leased to the Forestry Commission for 999 years. |
| 1939 | 1939 | New deer park created from the column to Durley, to south of Tottenham House, to Warren |
| 1940 | 1940 | King George VI visits the Marquess of Ailesbury at Tottenham House |
| 1941 | 1941 | Deer park ploughed up as a war-time measure. Many deer killed and the rest (12 red and 12 fallow) impounded at a small park at Durley |
| 1946 | 1946 | Current Deer Park at Tottenham House created |
| 1946 | January 1946 | Massive munitions explosion at the Savernake Siding, Cadley. Eight soldiers died but more would have perished if it were not for Major Kenneth Biggs of the Royal Ordnance Corp. For his bravery he was awarded the George Cross and US Bronze Star. |
| 1946 | August 1946 | The Ministry of Education closes school as the building needs urgent repairs. |
| 1946 | 12/12/1946 | Burbage & Easton Royal British Legion reformed with an H.Q. at the New Inn (Bullfinch) |
| 1946 | 8Th September 1946 | Following repairs, the school reopens but only for scholars up to the age of 11. After that age they will have to attend schools at either Marlborough or Pewsey. |
| 1947 | Jan 1947 | The Burbage Fire Service is disbanded |
| 1947 | 10/11/47 | Closure of Burbage Wharf Goods Station |
| 1948 | 15th April 1948 | Miss Lavington dies "with tragic suddenness" at Oxford [Hospital?] |
| 1948 | 28/04/48 | Mallard breaks down while passing through the parish |
| 1948 | 05/07/48 | On the first day of the NHS, Dr Bashall resigns as Burbage's G.P. and is replaced by Dr. Hassell |
| 1949 | June 1949 | Repairs to the organ and an upgrade adding a bass to the Great Dulciana are complete. |
| 1949 | 24/10/49 | The British Legion's first hall was opened on land given by Mr Chandler. |
| 1950 | 1950 | An automatic telephone is installed off the High Street, along Policeman's Path. |
| 1950 | July 28th 1950 | Mrs Carver celebrates 50 years service to the village Post Office. |
| 1951 | 1951 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 989 |
| 1952 | 21/9/1952 | An additional .378 acres of Glebe land to the east was transferred to the churchyard and consecrated by the Bishop of Sherbourne |
| 1952 | 9/11/1952 | The Bishop of Sherbourne dedicates the extension to the War Memorial Tablet. The £51/13/6d was met by public subscription and added the names of 11 villagers who died during WW2. |
| 1954 | 1954 | Mains Water comes to the village |
| 1956 | Sept 1956 | Burbage Wharf Goods Station leased to Curran-Hosiers Ltd who use it to make milking and other agricultural machinery |
| 1957 | 1957 | The first Burbage Tennis Club closes |
| 1957 | Late 1957 | Original Village Hall closes through lack of support. It is rented out for agricultural purposes and later home to small industrial units. |
| 1958 | 15/09/58 | Savernake High Level Station closed to passengers |
| 1959 | 22/06/59 | Savernake High Level Station closed for goods. Station now fully closed. |
| 1960 | 1960 | Mains Sewers come to the village |
| 1960 | 1960 | Burbage's Brownie Pack disbands |
| 1961 | 1961 | Population of Burbage was 999 |
| 1961 | 11/09/61 | Passenger services along the SM&A withdrawn & Grafton Station closed |
| 1962 | 1962 | The current Legion club was erected over the original wooden structure. 'Tom Forrest' of 'The Archers' performed the opening. |
| 1963 | 16th March 1963 | The Village Hall Charity purchases Barn Meadow (aka Barn Field) from George Wheeler of Church Farm for £2,500 |
| 1963 | 1963 | The WI decline the offer of buying the old Methodist Chapel which had been their home for about 40 years and leave it for a new home in the British Legion. |
| 1964 | 19/05/64 | Goods services at Savernake Low Level withdrawn |
| 1964 | 07/09/64 | Goods services at Marlborough withdrawn |
| 1965 | 1965 | WI mini-census shows there is about 380 houses of which 74 are council houses. |
| 1965 | Sept 1965 | Lease on Burbage Wharf Goods Station expired |
| 1965 | 08/11/65 | Savernake Low Level reduced to an unmanned halt |
| 1966 | 18/04/66 | Passenger services at Savernake Low Level withdrawn. Station now fully closed. |
| 1967 | 1967 | Revd. Andrew Woodford moves into the New Vicarage |
| 1967 | Nov 1967 | Burbage Wharf Goods Station demolished by Fairclough & Co. |
| 1970 | 1970 | Burbage WI celebrates its Golden Jubilee |
| 1970 | March 1970 | After serving the village as GP for 22 years, Dr. Hassell resigns and moves to Loughborough. He is replaced by Dr Chisholm-Batten |
| 1971 | 1971 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1042 |
| 1972 | Oct 1972 | New Burbage Brownie Pack starts |
| 1973 | 1973 | Mrs. Devivenot founds the Burbage Play Group for under 5s. Operates from her house at 166 High Street |
| 1973 | March 1973 | Conifer Cottage Nurseries opens for business. |
| 1973 | 1973 | The Column is restored |
| 1973 | 1973 | The vicarage of Savernake Christchurch is merged with the Burbage vicarage. |
| 1974 | 1974 | The current Village Hall was opened. Constructed as an extension of the British Legion. |
| 1975 | 1975 | Play Group moves to the School Rooms at the rear of the Methodist Chapel. |
| 1975 | Feb 1975 | The Savernake Horn is bought by the British Museum for £210,000. It was last blown in 1946 to welcome King George VI to Tottenham House and from 1970 to 1974 was on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum. |
| 1975 | 1975 | The church of Savernake Christchurch is declared redundant and closed. The lands of the old parish are divided between the ecclesiastical parishes of Burbage, Marlborough, Preshute and Wootton Rivers. |
| 1977 | Dec 1977 | The New Inn changes it name to The Bullfinch |
| 1979 | 1979 | After 7 years of hard work the restoration of the canal crane at Burbage Wharf is completed. |
| 1981 | 1981 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1319 |
| 1983 | June 1983 | The 'extension' of Ailesbury Way is completed |
| 1987 | 13/10/1987 | Opening of the Burbage Day Centre, based at Seymour Court |
| 1987 | 15&16/10/1987 | The "Great Storm" causes havoc in Savernake Forest and to Easton Clump |
| 1989 | Sept 1989 | The new school opens |
| 1990 | 1990 | Nutley Court built. They were named in honour of the late Stan Nutley. |
| 1990 | 1990 | The first Savernake Horse Trials is held |
| 1991 | 1991 | Burbage's census returns shows a population of 1434 |
| 1991 | 22/08/91 | Burbage's long awaited bypass opens |
| 1993 | June 1993 | The new War Memorial was dedicated. The old wooden Shrine eventually found a home in the primary school. |
| 1994 | July 1994 | Hawtreys Prep School merges with Cheam School and leaves Tottenham House, its home since 1946. |
| 1996 | June 1996 | The last service is held in the Wesleyan Church and the building is closed. |
| 1996 | Oct 1996 | Westcourt Pond is scoured by local volunteers |
| 1999 | May 1999 | The Savernake Horse Trials are held for what would be the last time. During the event Olympic hopeful Peta Beckett dies when thrown from her horse. |
| 1999 | November 20th 1999 | A Consistory Court sits in the church to determine whether various alterations should be allowed. |
| 2001 | April 2001 | The population of Burbage is 1660 |
| 2006 | August 2006 | Westcourt Pond is scoured again by local volunteers |
| 2007 | January 27th 2007 | A Consistory Court sits again in the church, this time to determined whether all the pews should be removed and replaced by chairs. |
| 2007 | January 2007 | Tottenham House is leased to a consortium who intend to create a huge resort hotel complex. One advantage is that gas will be piped to it and Great Bedwyn - but there are no plans to extend the pipe to Burbage. |
| 2008 | March 2008 | Seymour Pond is cleaned for the Parish Council by Brennans of Wiltshire |
| 2008 | 2008 | A plan proposed jointly by the Village Hall Committee and the Sports Club to demolish the existing Village Hall and build a £2 million replacement is put to a village referendum. The proposal is heavily defeated. |
| 2008 | September 2008 | The Parish Council launch BurbageLife.com to provide a portal for the mushrooming number of village web sites. |
| 2008 | November 2008 | A small group of ladies called the Seymour Adventurers win a telephone vote organised by local TV and so obtain £35,000 with which to provide toddlers play equipment. |
©Colin Younger 1998 - 2007