Fifield Bavant
| Fifield Bavant | |
|---|---|
 St Martin's Church |
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 Fifield Bavant
|
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| Fifield Bavant shown within Wiltshire | |
| OS grid reference | SU017251 |
| 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 | |
Fifield Bavant /'fʌɪfiːld 'bavənt/ is a small village and former civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Wilton, midway between Ebbesbourne Wake and Broad Chalke on the north bank of the River Ebble.
The small Church of England parish church, begun in the 13th century, is dedicated to Saint Martin and is a Grade II* listed building.
The population is now about 20, although it was 49 in 1831.
Fragmentary records from Saxon times indicate that the Ebble valley was a thriving area. The Domesday Book in 1086 records the Chalke Valley as divided into eight manors, Chelke (Chalke - Broad Chalke and Bowerchalke), Eblesborne (Ebbesbourne Wake), Fifehide (Fifield Bavant), Cumbe (Coombe Bissett), Humitone (Homington), Odestoche (), Stradford (Stratford Tony and Bishopstone) and Trow (circa Alvediston).
The name of Fifield Bavant has evolved over the centuries. The Domesday Book records the manor as Fifehide (probably representing Five Hides). By 1264 it was called Fifield Scudamore because Peter de Scudamore was lord of the manor. By 1463 it was recorded as Fiffehyde Beaufaunt when ownership had passed to the Beaufaunt family, later usually spelt Bavant.
The name Fifehide probably derives from 'five hides'. A hide was once an area of land which would support a household, varying according to time and place and land quality, but typically ranging from 40 to 160 acres, or 16 to 65 hectares. Later in Anglo-Saxon England it was a unit used for assessing land tax.
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Wikipedia