Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227.
History
The name Cricklade is of uncertain origin. The second part of the name derives from the Old English gelād meaning a 'difficult river crossing'. 'Crick' may derive from Primitive Welsh, either crūg meaning 'hill' or creig meaning 'rock'.Cricklade was founded in the 9th century by the Anglo-Saxons, at the point where the Ermin Way Roman road crossed the River Thames. It was the home of a royal mint from 979 to 1100; there are some Cricklade coins in the town museum. The Domesday Book of 1086 records a settlement at Crichelade, with a church, and at the centre of a hundred of the same name.
Anglo-Saxon fortification
Cricklade is one of 30 burhs recorded in the Burghal Hidage document, which describes a system of fortresses and fortified towns built around Wessex by King Alfred. Recent research suggests these burhs were built in the short period 878–879 to defend Wessex against the Vikings under Guthrum, and to act as an offensive to the Viking presence in Mercia. Cricklade was an important part of these defences, being a short distance down Ermin Way from Cirencester, where the Vikings made their base for a year. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, completion of this system precipitated the retreat of the Vikings from Mercia and London to East Anglia in late 879.The square defences of the fortification have been excavated in several places on all four sides since the 1940s, possibly making them the most extensively sampled fortification of the period. In the initial phase, a walkway of laid stones marked the rear of a bank of stacked turfs and clay which had been dug from three external ditches. In the second phase, the front of the bank, which after only a short time probably became degraded, was replaced by a stone wall. This wall enclosed the defences on all four sides, considerably strengthening the defensive capabilities of the burh. It has recently been suggested the stone wall was inserted in the 890s. Other burhs of the Burghal Hidage were also strengthened with stone walls, which suggests this was part of a systematic upgrade of the defensive provisions for Wessex, ordered by the king.
The third phase is marked by systematic razing of the stone wall, which was pulled down over the inner berm. The stones were used to fill the inner two ditches, which shows the process was deliberate. A similar phase can be seen in the archaeological record at Christchurch, Dorset, another burh of the Hidage. Observations at other burhs suggest this phase of destruction was implemented over the whole of Wessex as a concerted policy, again, by inference, on the part of the king. The destruction may be linked to the accession of King Cnut in the early 11th century, to prevent the burhs being seized and used against him by his rivals.
The fourth phase is marked by reuse of the original Anglo-Saxon defences by inserting a timber palisade along the line of the original wall. This probably marks a renewal of the defences of the town during the civil war of 1144 under King Stephen.
There is little archaeological evidence of the community protected by these defences in the Saxon period, although there are signs that streets were laid out in a regular fashion behind the main north–south High Street. A gate in the northern line of the defences led to a causeway over the flood plain of the Thames and a bridge over the river, which was probably of a defensive nature.
Other settlements
Widhill, south-east of Cricklade beyond the River Ray, had two small estates at the time of Domesday Book and was later a tithing of St Sampson's parish, Cricklade. In 1934 the boundary of Cricklade parish was redrawn along the river, transferring the Widhill area into Blunsdon St Andrew parish.Outlying hamlets in Cricklade parish are Calcutt, Chelworth Lower Green, Chelworth Upper Green, Hailstone Hill and Horsey Down.
Later history
On John Speed's 1611 map of Wiltshire, the town's name is recorded as Crekelade. Cricklade Museum houses several publications recounting further historical details of the town and its people.The Jubilee Clock, on a cast-iron pillar, stands at a road junction on the High Street. It was erected in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Governance
The civil parish elects a town council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which performs most of the major local-government functions.There is an electoral ward with the name of Cricklade and Latton, which combines Cricklade parish with its neighbours to the north and north-east – Latton and Marston Maisey – and elects one member of Wiltshire Council. The ward population recorded in the 2011 census was 4,982.
The parish is in the South Cotswolds parliamentary constituency. From 1295 the Cricklade constituency returned two members of parliament. This parliamentary borough represented just the town until 1782, when its boundaries were extended into the surrounding countryside. It later came to include Swindon, then a village. In 1885, Cricklade became a county constituency electing a single member. Cricklade constituency was abolished in 1918, with the town joining the Chippenham constituency, which was renamed to North Wiltshire in 1983; a new South Cotswolds constituency came into effect at the 2024 general election, when the seat was won by Roz Savage for the Liberal Democrats.
Sport and pastimes
Rugby Union
Cricklade Rugby Club was founded in 1992 by ex-school players from many schools, meeting at the bar of the Vale Hotel, Cricklade, then owned by ex-President and life members the Ross family. Initially players were committed to other clubs, so Sunday fixtures were played, the first one against Aldbourne on 6 September. In its second season the fixtures moved to Saturdays. The club joined the Dorset and Wilts leagues in 1994, but withdrew as the travelling involved was too burdensome. They were able to rejoin in 2001 when the leagues were re-structured into North and South.The club at first used pitches provided by Prior Park College and the Duke of Gloucester Barracks. Since 2001 it has played on a prepared pitch in the town, leased from the town council. Over the years, Cricklade Rugby Club has toured over England, West and South Wales and Ireland, with teams spanning a broad range of levels of skill and age category.
Shows and festivals
The Cricklade Show is held each summer, typically featuring music, dancing and a cricket match.The town holds an annual festival, usually taking place on Father's Day in June.
Charity sports
Run annually in the first Sunday of October, the Cricklade Fun Run hosts a half marathon, 10 km and Fun Run event for around 750 runners. This raises funds for a number of local charities.The Cricklade Triathlon runs in the summer for both adults and juniors.
Leisure centre
Towards the end of 2006, North Wiltshire District Council proposed closing the leisure centre. After a campaign, the local residents took over the running of the centre and were successful in turning its fortunes. It has a swimming pool, sports hall with a range of markings, a bar and lounge area with balcony and barbecue, a skate park, and children's play areas. In 2009, money was raised for a climbing wall.Cricket
Cricklade Cricket Club was established in 1877 and has been located since 1947 on the north side of Cricklade, where its ground is next to the River Thames. For the 2016 season the club is running two senior Saturday teams, a friendly Sunday team, a midweek team and three youth teams, all in the local Cotswold District Cricket Association leagues.Association football
is a non-League football team which plays at the Cricklade Leisure Centre.Cricklade Youth Football Club provides and promotes the playing of association football for the youth of Cricklade from U7s to U16s. The club was the first in Wiltshire to gain the Wiltshire FA Charter Standard, an award for clubs across the country that meet the high standards required by the Football Association.