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WILTON

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 698 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WILTON , a See also:

market See also:town and municipal See also:borough in the Wilton See also:parliamentary See also:division of See also:Wiltshire, See also:England, 86 m. W. by S. of See also:London, on the London & See also:South-Western and See also:Great Western See also:railways. Pop. (19or) 2203. It lies among the pastures beside the See also:rivers Nadder and Wylye. The See also:church of St See also:Mary and St See also:Nicholas was built in 1844 by See also:Lord See also:Herbert of See also:Lea, in a Romanesque See also:style, richly adorned with See also:marbles and mosaics. The central entrance is upheld by See also:twisted columns based upon See also:stone lions. The See also:belfry is detached. Wilton See also:House, a little to the south, was founded by See also:William Herbert, first See also:earl of Pembrokeby the second creation, on the estates of the dissolved See also:convent, which were granted him by See also:Henry VIII. Tradition says that See also:Shakespeare and his See also:company played here before See also:James I. in 1603, and the house is See also:rich in memories of See also:Sir See also:Philip See also:Sidney the poet and soldier, of the artists See also:Holbein and Vandyck, of the dramatists See also:Jonson and See also:Massinger, whose See also:father was steward here, and of Inigo See also:Jones the architect. The first See also:folio edition of Shakespeare was dedicated, seven years after the poet's See also:death, to the third earl and his See also:brother. In style Wilton House is See also:Italian of the 16th See also:century, with a See also:porch added by Holbein.

The See also:

garden front was rebuilt and other changes made by the See also:advice of See also:Charles I., a frequent visitor; and many subsequent alterations were made. The See also:art collections include the marbles gathered together by the eighth earl. See also:Carpet-making forms the See also:main See also:industry of Wilton; the most famous fabrics being those known as Wilton carpets; See also:Saxony carpets made of See also:short-See also:staple See also:wool; and the rich and durable Axminsters, See also:long See also:woven by See also:hand at See also:Axminster in See also:Devonshire. It is also an important centre for the See also:sale of See also:sheep. The town is governed by a See also:mayor, 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. See also:Area, 1915 acres. A See also:chantry was founded here about A.D. 800, afterwards changed into a priory of See also:Benedictine sisters, and refounded by See also:Alfred. In 968 Wulftrude, a See also:mistress of See also:King See also:Edgar, became See also:abbess; and the same See also:office was declined by her daughter Edith, who died at twenty-three. Miracles, it was said, were worked by Edith's remains, and she became See also:patron See also:saint of the convent, which afterwards gave shelter to many See also:noble ladies and survived until the See also:Dissolution. Its abbess was a baroness of England. Antiquaries have seen in Wilton the See also:capital of a See also:British See also:kingdom.

It was certainly the See also:

chief town of the Wilsaetas, or men of Wilts, whom Cynric the Saxon See also:leader crushed in 556. It afterwards became a See also:residence of the Wessex See also:kings; and here, in 871, Alfred was severely defeated by the Danes. Wilton was burned in 1003 by Sweyn, the Danish king. After the See also:Conquest it ranked among the richest of royal boroughs. In 1141 See also:Queen See also:Matilda celebrated See also:Easter here with great pomp, and two years later See also:Stephen, who came to found a See also:castle, was driven off by her adherents. The prosperity of Wilton began to fail when Icknield See also:Street, the great See also:highway of See also:commerce, was diverted to pass through See also:Salisbury in 1224; and its decline was hastened by the See also:plague, by which a third of the townsfolk were swept away in 1349. Wilton (Wylion, Wiltune) was a seat of the See also:West Saxon kings and a prosperous town until the removal thence in 1075 of the seat of the See also:bishop of See also:Sherborne to Sarum. The excessive number of markets held at the latter town in the 13th century caused its further decline into a poor and unimportant See also:place. Sweyn burnt and sacked it in 1003, consequently under See also:Edward the See also:Confessor it rendered only £22. However, Domesday presents it as a valuable royal borough held in See also:farm by the burgesses for £50. From 1204 onwards Wilton figures in various grants. See also:Richard, earl of See also:Cornwall, obtained it from Henry III., and William, earl of See also:Pembroke, finally from See also:Elizabeth.

The first See also:

charter given by Henry I. (probably in lroi) granted franchises to the burgesses of the See also:merchant gild and company of Wilton as enjoyed by London and See also:Winchester, and was confirmed by succeeding monarchs from Henry II. to Henry VI. The See also:corporation consisted in 1350 of a mayor, See also:recorder, 5 aldermen, 3 capital burgesses, 11 See also:common councilmen and other See also:officers, the mayor being the returning officer. Two members were returned to See also:parliament from 1293 to 1832 and one from 1832 to 1885, at which date Wilton lost its See also:separate See also:representation. In 1414 Henry V. granted a See also:fair on See also:July 21 and 22. This was cancelled in 1416 and another substituted on July 22 and the three preceding days. Two yearly fairs were obtained by the burgesses from Henry VII. for four days from See also:April 23 and See also:September 1. In 1792 the fair days were See also:November 13, September 12 and May 4; the two latter are still held, that in September being one of the largest sheep fairs in the west of England. Henry III. granted three markets weekly on See also:Monday, Wednesday and See also:Friday, and Henry VI., in 1433, one on Wednesday. The latter was still held in 1825, but had ceased in 1888.

End of Article: WILTON

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