Westbury: Churches

CHURCHES.

The church of Westbury is mentioned in 1086 when it was held by a young clerk (clericolus). (fn. 1) It is not known whether there were any other churches in the ancient parish at this date. Throughout the Middle Ages the churches of Bratton and Dilton were dependent chapels of Westbury church and remained so, in the case of Bratton, until 1845 when a separate parish was assigned to the church, and in the case of Dilton, until the church was closed at the beginning of the 20th century after the creation of the new parish of Dilton Marsh. (fn. 2) These three churches with the chantry chapels provided for the spiritual needs of the ancient parish until the 19th century when new churches were built at Dilton Marsh, Heywood, Chapmanslade, and Westbury Leigh. (fn. 3)

Between 1109 and 1120 the church of Westbury was granted to Salisbury Cathedral (fn. 4) and the rectory was probably immediately, or shortly afterwards, appropriated to the office of precentor. Some time later the church seems to have been granted to Matthew, chancellor to Queen Eleanor, wife of Henry II, for between 1155 and c. 1165 Matthew restored it to the cathedral, acknowledging that it belonged especially to the precentorship. (fn. 5) Thenceforth until the 19th century the precentors of Salisbury held the rectory and advowson, and exercised peculiar jurisdiction within the parish, (fn. 6) which in 1222 was exempted from archidiaconal jurisdiction. (fn. 7) In 1842 the advowson was transferred to the Bishop of Salisbury, (fn. 8) and in 1846 all peculiars within the Diocese of Salisbury were abolished. (fn. 9)

The church was worth 50s. in 1086. (fn. 10) In 1291 the value was £40. (fn. 11) In 1720 the value of the benefice was augmented by a grant of £200 from the governors of Queen Anne's Bounty. (fn. 12) At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century it was again increased by private benefactions, a bequest from the precentor, and another grant from Queen Anne's Bounty. (fn. 13)

In 1291 the rector's share in the income of the benefice amounted to £33 6s. 8d. (fn. 14) He also derived income from the estate in Westbury later known as Rectory, Parsonage, or Chantry manor. (fn. 15) In 1342 the rectory was valued at £36 16s. 8d. which included in addition to the great tithes, lands worth £2 10s., customary services worth £3, and pleas, perquisites, and mortuaries worth £1. (fn. 16) The division of tithes between rector and vicar led to a dispute in 1377 in which the Bishop of Salisbury intervened. It was then agreed that the vicar should have some great tithes in addition to the lesser tithes, and all oblations except mortuaries and principals. These were to go as hitherto to the rector, whose share of the tithes was also precisely determined. (fn. 17) In 1535 the profits of the rectory were leased out for £69 6s. 8d. which included income from land, rents, and perquisites, as well as tithes. (fn. 18) The profits were also leased out in 1649-50 for a rent of £69 10s. which was made up of £16 16s. from lands and £52 14s. from tithes. (fn. 19) In 1848 the rectorial tithes were commuted for £2,429. (fn. 20)

In 1291 the vicar's share in the income of the benefice was valued at £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 21) In 1342 it was £3 3s. 4d., which included oblations as well as the lesser tithes. (fn. 22) In 1536 the income of the vicarage was £44 16s. from land, tithes, oblations, and other dues. (fn. 23) In 1649-50 the vicarage was said to be worth £80. (fn. 24) The vicarial tithes were commuted in 1848 for £235. (fn. 25)

Licence for the foundation of a chantry at the altar of the Virgin Mary in the parish church was granted in 1341 to William of Grimstead. To endow this William gave land in Westbury, Bratton, Westbury Leigh, and Heywood for the support of a chaplain to pray daily for him and his wife, Alice, and for Sir John Pavely, and his wife and ancestors. (fn. 26) The advowson of this chantry apparently passed to the lords of the capital manor and passed with it in 1375 to the daughters of John St. Lo, for a quarter of it belonged to Sir John Chidiock at the time of his death in 1450, and a half passed with the manor of Westbury Seymour. (fn. 27)

Another chantry was founded in 1437 at the altar of St. John the Baptist and St. Thomas the Martyr, in a chapel on the north side of the church, by William of Westbury, serjant-at-law and a justice of the King's Bench. (fn. 28) The chapel was built by William and his father, John, (fn. 29) and to endow it William assigned lands and rent in Westbury and Honeybridge (North Bradley) worth £10 a year. (fn. 30) Neither the chantry founded by William of Grimstead nor that founded by William of Westbury are mentioned in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535. There was, however, at least one chantry in the church in 1545, for that year its chaplain held land called 'Grennyngs and Cockstede' from which a rent of 2s. 2d. was granted to the clothier, John Adlam. (fn. 31) In 1566 lands which had belonged to this or another chantry were leased for 21 years to William Betts, (fn. 32) and in 1579 to John Mounslowe for the same period. (fn. 33) Another lease for 21 years after the expiration of Mounslowe's lease was made to Thomas Hall. (fn. 34)

Edmund Leversage by his will dated 1496 requested that he should be buried in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist on the north side of the church and bequeathed £100 to found a fraternity in honour of Corpus Christi. (fn. 35) Nothing further is known about this bequest, but the chapel mentioned in the will was presumably that founded by William of Westbury. Obits were founded by William Antony (Antonius) and the ancestors of Robert Leversage. Richard Blatch assigned a rent of 12d. from land at Bratton for the maintenance of a light in the church. (fn. 36)

In addition to the chantry chapels within the church there was in 1331 a chapel on the manor of Westbury Mauduits, the advowson of which was in the king's hands by virtue of his wardship of the heir of Thomas Mauduit. (fn. 37) The advowson presumably descended with the manor, and the chapel is last heard of in 1407. (fn. 38) A chapel at Heywood lying ¼ mile from Westbury church, (fn. 39) is first mentioned in 1333 when Reynold Pavely granted Roger Marmium, lord of the manor of Bremeridge, the advowson, which Roger's father had previously granted to Reynold's father. (fn. 40) Two years later Roger settled the chapel upon himself and his wife Maud. (fn. 41) Thenceforth it passed with the manor of Bremeridge which was conveyed to the Bonhommes of Edington in 1366. (fn. 42) In 1547-8 John Blyth, Archdeacon of Coventry, was incumbent. A messuage and land called 'Summerleyes' in Heywood then belonging to the chapel were held by Richard Dekyn under a lease of 1541. (fn. 43) In 1548 the chapel had disappeared and the land was granted to Richard Were and Bartholomew Gibbs. (fn. 44) A chaplain of Brook is mentioned in the early 14th century, but no further reference to a chapel or chaplain there has been found. (fn. 45)

At the time of the foundation of William of Westbury's chantry in 1437 there were said to be 1,000 communicants attending the parish church at Easter, and no chantry priest to assist the vicar with the service. (fn. 46) In 1535 there were two assistant priests serving the chapels of Bratton and Dilton to whom no stipends had been paid that year. (fn. 47) Between 1641 and 1663 Philip Hunton, (fn. 48) scholar and an adherent of Cromwell, was Vicar of Westbury. In 1654 he was an assistant to the commissioners for Wiltshire for the ejection of 'scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers and schoolmasters'. Shortly after his arrival in Westbury differences appear to have arisen with some of his parishioners for in 1647 Hunton issued the terms upon which he would resume his ministry. (fn. 49) These were first that the chapelries of Bratton and Dilton should desist from their claim to be created separate parishes until the means could be found to pay for incumbents for them, and then only provided that a sermon was preached in both chapels every Sunday either by Hunton or his assistant. Secondly that neither Hunton nor his assistant should be required to attend at burials for longer than they deemed necessary, and thirdly that Hunton should have absolute discretion to bestow or withhold the sacrament to individuals as he thought fit. These terms were presumably accepted, but in 1662 Hunton was ejected from the living for his presbyterian leanings, and shortly afterwards gathered a congregation of dissenters around him in his house in Westbury. (fn. 50) He died at Westbury in 1682 and was buried in the church. His curate John Paradise also held presbyterian views, but he succeeded Hunton for a time as vicar. (fn. 51)

In the early 19th century the vicar was assisted by two curates who were assigned to the churches of Bratton and Dilton. The vicar at this time officiated on Sunday afternoons alternately at the two churches. (fn. 52) After the creation of the separate ecclesiastical parishes of Bratton, Dilton Marsh, and Heywood in the middle of the century (see below) the vicar was assisted by one curate in what remained of the parish of Westbury, which still included Old Dilton and Westbury Leigh. (fn. 53) In 1864 there were morning, afternoon, and evening services on Sunday in the church at Westbury, and an afternoon service in the chapel at Old Dilton. Services were also sometimes held in a schoolroom at Westbury Leigh (see below). There were that year estimated to be about 145 communicants in the parish. (fn. 54)

The church of ALL SAINTS, Westbury, is cruciform with central tower, clerestoried nave of 4 bays, narrow aisles, north and south chancel chapels, another chapel off the north aisle, and south and west porches. The tower rises in two stages with an octagonal stair turret at the north-east corner and weather-vane dated 1710. Both tower and turret have embattled parapets. The parapets of the nave are likewise embattled, but those of the aisles are plain. The chancel has a steeply pitched roof with stone slates replacing an earlier roof of low pitch. The west porch is unusually small and has seats on either side. The south porch has a groined and panelled roof ornamented with Tudor emblems. There is a small room above this porch and on its south wall, above the entrance, is a sundial dated 1821.

All the surviving features of the church are in the Perpendicular style and suggest that there was an extensive re-building in the 15th century. The transepts and the two chapels flanking the chancel, however, have much exposed rubble walling and it seems probable that they formed part of the church before its reconstruction. Some of the windows are similar to those in the church at Edington which date from the later 14th century. But Edington church (consecrated 1361) is a very early example of the transition between the Decorated and the Perpendicular styles, (fn. 55) and it is likely that similar work elsewhere in the district is of somewhat later date. The moulded bases of the piers and arch jambs throughout the church at Westbury are of typical 15th-century character, in which they differ markedly from those at Edington. At the same time the mouldings in the chantry chapel in the north aisle, thought to date from 1437 (see below), are identical with those used elsewhere in the church; this suggests that there is little difference in date between the chapel and the rest of the building.

The north aisle chapel is almost certainly the one built by William of Westbury and his father, John of Westbury, in 1437 (see above). In the 19th century this chapel was granted by faculty to the family of Turner of Penleigh as a burial place and it is sometimes called the Penleigh chapel. (fn. 56) Since c. 1900 it has been used as a baptistry and is separated from the aisle by a modern traceried stone screen. The font within the chapel dates from the 15th century.

The south chancel chapel is the Lady Chapel, also known traditionally as the Willoughby de Broke chapel, and sometimes called the Phipps chapel. Part of the arms of the first Lord Willoughby de Broke (d. 1502) appear in a window in the chapel, and other windows commemorate members of the Phipps family of Leighton House. (fn. 57)

According to Aubrey the north chancel chapel was traditionally built by 'the two maids of Brook'. (fn. 58) A brass to Thomas Benett (d. 1605), lessee of the Rectory Manor, (fn. 59) and to Margaret, his wife, has been moved from the floor of the chapel to the east wall of the north transept. The glass in the east window commemorates Stafford Brown, Vicar of Westbury, 1845-7. Since c. 1830 the chapel has been used as a vestry, and since 1847 partly as an organ chamber. (fn. 60)

The south transept contains an elaborate marble and stone monument with effigies of Sir James Ley (d. 1629), lord of the capital manor, (fn. 61) and of his wife. There is also a marble bust of William Phipps, of Heywood House, Governor of Bombay (d. 1748), by Sir Robert Taylor. (fn. 62) The glass in the window in this transept was presented by Lord Ludlow of Heywood (d. 1899). Below and to the left of the window is a trefoil-headed piscina. According to Aubrey, there was once a chapel called the Leversage chapel in the 'aisle north of the tower'. (fn. 63) His belief was perhaps based upon the fact that in 1496 Edmund Leversage requested in his will that he should be buried on this side of the church in the chapel of St. John the Baptist (see above). But the chapel was presumably the one already founded by William of Westbury which was so dedicated. There is no trace of there ever having been a chapel in the north transept.

Extensive restoration was undertaken in 1847, largely due to the energy of the Revd. Stafford Brown. (fn. 64) The nave roof was renewed and all internal stone-work was re-dressed. A new west window, paid for by the church rate, was inserted, and the east window was partly re-glazed. The east wall of the chancel was buttressed, a gallery removed from the west end, and 285 additional free sittings were made. In 1868 new glass was given for the west window by Abraham Laverton (d. 1886). (fn. 65) The oak rood screen and stone reredos were given by John Kaye (curate 1891-8) in memory of his wife. (fn. 66) In 1903 the external stone-work of the church was restored. The roof of the south chancel chapel was repaired in 1948. (fn. 67)

Until 1921 there were six bells dated 1616, 1620, 1671, 1714, 1738, and 1836. These were recast in 1921, when two new bells were added. The present 7th (1616) bell bears the arms of James I and the Earl of Marlborough, with be ye meryal and the emblems of the Passion. (fn. 68) Until 1934 curfew was rung. (fn. 69) The sanctus bell is known locally as the Kit Bell. (fn. 70)

Edward VI's Commissioners left the church a silver chalice (11½ oz.) and took 23 oz. silver. There is a set of plate hall-marked 1844, presented in 1845 by Caroline Brown for her husband, the Revd. Stafford Brown. There are also 2 chalices and 2 patens with late 19th-century hall-marks, (fn. 71) and a ciborium added in 1958. (fn. 72) The church at one time possessed a silver-gilt cup known as the Westbury Acorn Cup. This is approximately 10½ in. high, with a cover in the form of an acorn. It is hallmarked 1585 and is inscribed 'Given to the Church of Westbury by Colonell Wancklin and Mary Contes of Marlbrou, 1671'. Wanklin was steward to Henry, Earl of Marlborough (d. 1638), and after the earl's death married his widow. (fn. 73) In 1846 the cup was sold to raise money to buy plate for the new church at Dilton Marsh (see below). In 1898 it was sold at Christie's for £70. In 1906 the price was £1,500 and in 1918 £966. (fn. 74) In 1922 the cup was in the possession of the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company, London. (fn. 75)

There is a chained black-letter copy of Erasmus's 'Paraphrase of the Gospels' in the church. (fn. 76) A 17th-century panelled oak chest with carved rails stands in the nave. The registers date from 1556 and are complete.

At an unknown date in the 17th century 6 a. in the common fields of Westbury and ½ a. in Westbury Mead were conveyed by Henry, Earl of Marlborough (d. 1638), to trustees so that the rent from the land might be used for the maintenance of the bells and clock of the parish church. In 1903 about 5 a. of this lying near Bridewell Springs and 1 a. at Townsend brought in £20 and was spent on the bells and clock and on payment to the bellringers. In 1953 this charity had 5 a. of arable called Clock Piece and a small rent-charge from another piece of property, and in 1955 about £3 were paid to the bellringers. (fn. 77) The vicar, organist, parish clerk, and choir of Westbury church also benefited under the will of Elizabeth Townsend, proved 1821, subject to the same conditions as were stipulated for their opposite numbers in Warminster. In 1955 the Westbury choir fund received £2 10s. from this charity. (fn. 78) In 1882 Sir Massey Lopes (d. 1908) gave £200 to create a trust fund for the repair of the fabric of the parish church. At the beginning of the 20th century some of the accumulated interest on this was used for making a dry foundation round the church and restoring the basement courses. (fn. 79) In 1955 the accumulated interest was about £33. (fn. 80)

The vicarage was built in 1880 on the site of an earlier one. A single room of the earlier building still stood in 1959 in the vicarage garden. A church house is mentioned in leases of 1564 and 1581, when it adjoined the back of the house and brewhouse belonging to the 'Lord Abingdon Arms' (later the 'Lopes Arms'). (fn. 81) In 1857 a new burial ground lying along the road to Bratton was purchased by the parish. (fn. 82)

In spite of an attempt to achieve independence in the 17th century, (fn. 83) Bratton did not form a separate parish for ecclesiastical purposes until the 19th century. No very early precise mention of the church has been found, but the two chapels said in 1256 (fn. 84) to belong to the manor of Westbury were probably those of Bratton and Dilton, both of which places were at that time included in the manor. In the 14th and 15th centuries the church seems to have been known not as of Bratton, but of Stoke or Little Stoke, the tithing of Bratton in which it lay. A chaplain of Stoke is mentioned in the late-14th century Edington cartulary, where certain persons responsible for his stipend are listed. (fn. 85) In 1349 Margery, widow of Reynold FitzWarin, gave an annual payment of 5s. to the chaplain of Stoke to pray for her, (fn. 86) and a chantry in Little Stoke is mentioned in 1368. (fn. 87) The church was called 'of Little Stoke' in 1558 when Ralph Aldridge of Bratton directed that he should be buried in the churchyard 'of my parish church of Little Stoke in Bratton'. (fn. 88)

The advowson of the church belonged to the precentors of Salisbury, as rectors of Westbury, until 1842 when it passed to the Bishop of Salisbury. (fn. 89) In 1845 the eastern part of the parish of Westbury was assigned as a parish to the church of Bratton, and the advowson then passed to the Vicar of Westbury. (fn. 90) The living is a perpetual curacy and the incumbents have been styled vicar since the creation of the parish. In 1851 the average number attending church on Sundays over the past year was reckoned at 90 at morning service, and 50 in the afternoons. (fn. 91)

At an unknown date, or dates, the church of Bratton acquired three pieces of property, comprising 4 a. of land, the Duke Inn, both in Bratton, and 2 small pieces of land in Westbury. In 1861 the vicar and churchwardens and two others were appointed trustees, and a scheme was made for administering the income from the land and applying it for the repair of the church. In 1887 the Duke Inn was sold for over £1,300 and the money from the sale invested. In 1903 the land in Bratton, known as Church Lands, was let as allotments for about £10 a year. This amount, and the interest on the investment, were used for repairs to the church. In 1921 the land was sold and the money received was invested. (fn. 92)

James Hurle, by his will proved in 1902, bequeathed £418 towards paying a salary to the organist, who was always to be appointed by the churchwardens. A scheme for administering this charity was established in 1903. (fn. 93) In 1952 the organist received about £9. (fn. 94)

In 1614 there was one small house with garden and orchard at Bratton belonging to the vicarage of Westbury. (fn. 95) The present vicarage was built in 1863 on ground given by the Marquess of Bath. (fn. 96)

The church of ST. JAMES lies on the lower slopes of the downs some distance from the village. The churchyard is surrounded by tall trees, some of which were planted in 1829. (fn. 97) Until a road was made in 1832, the church was approached only by a number of field tracks. (fn. 98) Early in the 19th century an approach from the north-west by a flight of 208 steps descending and ascending the valley of a small stream was built at the instigation of the Revd. C. Paillerat. The church is cruciform with north and south aisles, central tower, and a south porch which adjoins the west wall of the south transept. A vestry was added to the north side of the chancel in 1926. Nave and aisles are battlemented. On the south face of the tower there is a large, semi-circular, painted sundial, dated 1801. At the north-east corner of the tower there is an octagonal stair-turret which rises slightly above the tower. The church is built of ashlar with the exception of the east walls of the transepts which are of rubble and probably formed part of an earlier church. The present church seems to have been almost entirely rebuilt in the 15th century following the plan of an earlier one. The nave is of two bays only, but is wide and clerestoried. The piers of the crossing rest on massive polygonal bases, possibly survivals from the earlier church. In the east wall of the north transept there are 4 large empty niches and in the east wall of the south transept there is a trefoil-headed piscina with spur stops. In the stone vault of the tower there is a large circular opening for the bell-ropes. Extensive restoration was carried out in the middle of the 19th century by Paillerat. The chancel was entirely rebuilt, the church reroofed, and the internal ashlar redressed. New choir stalls were installed in 1923 and were removed from the chancel to their present position in 1937. In the same year the organ was restored, enlarged, and moved to its present position. It is a Scudamore type organ built by Henry Willis of London between 1858 and 1862. (fn. 99) The font dates from the 12th century but has been restored and is mounted on a modern base. The only early memorial is a tablet to Sefton Bromwich (d. 1607).

There are six bells dated 1587, 1617, 1793, 1858, and 1897. All were recast in 1934. (fn. 100) The Commissioners of Edward VI left a silver chalice (11 oz.) for the church and took 2 oz. of silver. (fn. 101) In 1960 there were a chalice, paten, and almsdish. The registers date from 1542 and are complete.

As in the case of Bratton there was probably a chapel at Dilton attached to the church at Westbury from an early date, but no very early mention of it has been found. A chaplain of Dilton occurs in c. 1250, (fn. 102) and in 1362 there is mention of a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas. (fn. 103) Like Bratton, Dilton appears to have desired independence in the 17th century, (fn. 104) but in fact remained throughout its history a chapelry of Westbury. Chaplains of Dilton were presented, as at Bratton, by the precentors of Salisbury, as rectors of Westbury, until 1842 when the advowson passed to the Bishop of Salisbury. (fn. 105) It remained with the bishop until the church was closed in 1900.

In c. 1250 the chaplain held 8 a. of land in Dilton by serjeanty. (fn. 106) It is possibly this estate which appears as the 'Vicar of Westbury's acre' in a perambulation of 1575. (fn. 107) In 1614 there was a house and garden, three yards of ground on which the chapel stood, and 23½ a. in the arable fields. (fn. 108)

In 1900, 55 years after a new church was built at Dilton Marsh, the church at Dilton was closed. (fn. 109) It was opened again in 1911 for a short time when an anonymous donor gave £300 for the repair of the building. (fn. 110) But it was closed soon after this and has since only been used for Harvest Festivals when the service is conducted by the Vicar of Westbury in whose parish the church lies. (fn. 111) In 1921 the churchyard was still in use for burials.

The church of ST. MARY, Dilton, is a small building and consists of nave, chancel, north aisle, north vestry, and a south porch. (fn. 112) The architectural features of the church date from the 15th century onwards, but doubtless the structure is more ancient. The church is built of rubble, plastered over, and in places patched with ashlar. It is roofed with stone slates, and on the west gable is an octagonal bell-cote with a short spire, partly resting on a central buttress. The vestry which flanks the chancel to the east of the north aisle was probably built in the early 18th century. It has a schoolroom in the form of a gallery above it. Both schoolroom and vestry have fireplaces. The windows, most of which are square headed, have been inserted at various times from the 15th to the 18th centuries. In one window there are some fragments of early-15th-century glass. The wagon roof above the nave was formerly plastered. A gallery at the west end of the nave has a panelled front and in the centre of this there is an octagonal wooden clockdial in black and gilt by Cooksey of Warminster. All the seating is in high, panelled box-pews of pine or oak, and some medieval benches have been converted into box-pews. A pew at the west end of the aisle has a fireplace. The 'three-decker' pulpit of unvarnished pine stands against the middle of the south wall of the nave. On the wall are the royal arms of George III.

There are 2 bells. One probably dates from the 13th century, the other is dated 1813. (fn. 113) Edward VI's commissioners left a silver chalice (8½ oz.) and took 1½ oz. silver. (fn. 114) In 1844 the chapelwardens authorized the Vicar of Westbury to sell the church plate in order to buy a new set for the church then being built at Dilton Marsh. (fn. 115) The registers date from 1585 and are kept in Westbury parish church.

The building of a church at Dilton Marsh was begun in 1844 (fn. 116) and the following year the south-west part of the parish of Westbury was assigned to the new church. (fn. 117) The living is a perpetual curacy and the incumbents have been styled vicar since the parish was created. The advowson belongs to the Bishop of Salisbury. (fn. 118) On census day 1851 200 people attended church in the morning, and 300 in the evening. (fn. 119) The church of HOLY TRINITY, Dilton Marsh, was designed by T. H. Wyatt. (fn. 120) Much of the expense was met by Thomas Henry Hele Phipps (d. 1847). (fn. 121) The church comprises apsidal chancel, nave, north and south transepts, and vestry. It is built of ashlar in late-12th-century style. The tower rises one stage above the tiled roof. There is a set of plate hall-marked 1844 (fn. 122) and there are 2 bells. (fn. 123)

The church at Heywood was built and endowed largely at the expense of Henry Gaisford Gibbs Ludlow in 1849. (fn. 124) The same year the northern part of the parish of Westbury was assigned to the new church as a parish. (fn. 125) The living is a perpetual curacy and the incumbents have been styled vicar since the parish was formed. The advowson belonged at first to H.G.G. Ludlow, (fn. 126) but after his death it passed to the Church Pastoral-Aid Society. (fn. 127) In 1960 Heywood had no incumbent of its own and was served by the Vicar of West Ashton. (fn. 128) The church of the HOLY TRINITY, Heywood, is built mainly in a late-13th-century style but its most striking feature is the large east window with reticulated tracery in a 14th-century style. It comprises chancel, clerestoried nave of 4 bays, north and south aisles, and south porch, and is built of squared and coursed masonry with worked dressings. It has a slate roof and a bell-cote at the west end contains 3 bells. There is a set of plate hall-marked 1848. (fn. 129)

The church at Chapmanslade was built in 1867 as a chapel-of-ease to the parish church of Dilton Marsh. (fn. 130) In 1924 it was transferred to the church of Corsley. (fn. 131) The church of ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES, Chapmanslade, is built of stone and comprises chancel, nave, south porch, and small western belfry containing 2 bells. The architect was G. E. Street. A set of plate was presented by Mrs. Charles Paul Phipps. (fn. 132)

In 1855 a church service was held weekly in a schoolroom in Westbury Leigh, (fn. 133) but it was not until 1880 that a church was built there as a chapelof-ease to the parish church of Westbury. (fn. 134) The church of the HOLY SAVIOUR, Westbury Leigh, was designed by W. H. White. (fn. 135) It is a stone building in the Gothic style, originally comprising chancel, nave, and south porch. A south aisle was added in 1888 as a memorial to W. H. Duke, Vicar of Westbury, 1850-81, and the tower was added to the west end of the aisle in 1890 at the expense of Mrs. Phipps as a memorial to her husband Richard Leckonby Hothersall Phipps (d. 1889). (fn. 136) There is one bell and a silver-gilt chalice and paten hallmarked 1847. (fn. 137)