Coombe Bissett
| Coombe Bissett | |
|---|---|
 A354, Coombe Bissett |
|
 Coombe Bissett
|
|
| Coombe Bissett shown within Wiltshire | |
| Population | 675 (in 2011) |
| OS grid reference | SU109264 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Salisbury |
| Postcode district | SP5 |
| Dialling code | 01722 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www |
Coombe Bissett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Salisbury on the A354 road towards Blandford Forum. The parish includes the village of Homington; both villages are in the River Ebble valley.
Fragmentary records from Saxon times indicate that the Ebble valley was a thriving area, the River Ebble also being known as the River Chalke. The Domesday Book in 1086 divided the Chalke Valley into eight manors, Chelke (Chalke - Bowerchalke and Broadchalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (), Stradford (Stratford Tony and Bishopstone) and Trow (circa Alvediston). The Domesday Book recorded Cumbe as a royal manor with 85 households, while Humitone had just two households.
A medieval packhorse bridge, now a footbridge, crosses the Ebble close to the newer road bridge at Coombe Bissett.
Coombe Bissett and Homington were separate parishes, each with its own church, until they were united in a joint benefice in 1885. Homington was absorbed into Coombe Bissett civil parish in 1934.
Both Anglican churches are today served by the Chalke Valley team ministry.
The oldest part of St Michael's, the south aisle, is from the 12th century. The chancel was built in the 13th and the tower (with stair-turret) added in the 14th; the nave and north transept are 15th-century. Restoration in 1845 by T.H. Wyatt included the rebuilding of the west front, reducing the length of the building. The church is a Grade I listed building.
...
Wikipedia