A review of the book has appeared in the Spring edition of Local History News:

Bremhill Parish Through the Ages is the culmination of a community National Lottery Heritage Fund project to discover more about the history of the parish from prehistory to the present day, run in conjunction with the forthcoming Victoria County History volume for Chippenham Hundred.

Compiled by Louise Ryland-Epton with contributions from those involved in the project, the Bremhill Parish History Group, this volume provides a detailed and fascinating look at the places and people who have shaped the parish over many years. Topics include landscape and settlement, buildings, communication routes, agriculture, education, religion, folklore, the impact of war and more.

Lavishly abounding with fully captioned and high-quality images and a timeline to provide further interest and food for thought, the book is very well laid out. There is a mix of general information, interspersed with case studies homing in on local people and families such as Lucy Simpkins whose speech about daily struggles is said to have been the source of Charles Dickens’ poem ‘Hymn of the Wiltshire Labourer’. Another interesting story is that of the persecution and suffering of Quaker Joane Hale. The book’s beauty stems from the obvious passion its contributors have to reveal the stories of everyday people, making for a truly valuable contribution to local, social and family history.

Bremhill Parish Through the Ages is a painstaking and beautifully produced study of a parish using many different sources, fully referenced and indexed. It will be of great use to those who are interested in the parish itself, but also as an exemplary study aid and reference guide for anyone interested in local, social and family history, both within the county and further afield.

An interesting and enjoyable read, highly recommended.

Julie Davis is County Local Studies Librarian at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre