| Colerne | |
  Colerne shown within Wiltshire |
|
| Population | 2,807 (2001 census) |
|---|---|
| District | North Wiltshire |
| Shire county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Colerne, a medium sized village, lies midway between Bath and Chippenham in the county of Wiltshire, England. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Wiltshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Wiltshire and Swindon in south-west England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Ceremonial county of Wiltshire The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS is UK National Health Service (NHS trust providing emergency and non emergency South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities towns and villages in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Chippenham is a Market town in Wiltshire, England, located at, some 21 km (13 miles east of Bath and 163 km (96 miles west of London Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It has an elevated position (some 550 feet up) and overlooks the Box Valley to the south (home of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Box Tunnel). Box is a Village located in Wiltshire, England, about 8 km (5 miles east of Bath and 11 km (7 miles west of Chippenham. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer. Box Tunnel is a railway Tunnel in western England, between Bath and Chippenham, dug through the Box Hill. It is bordered by a section of the famous Roman road, the Fosse Way to the west and by Bybrook to the south east. The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter ( Isca Dumnoniorum) in South West England to Lincoln The Bybrook is a river that springs up near Marshfield in Gloucestershire.
Colerne had a population of 2,807 in 2001, and is frequently described as The Village on the Hill. [1]
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Placename
The name Colerne appears in the Domesday Book (1086), but over the centuries there have been various interpretations of the name such as Collerne or Cullerne. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey The Malmesbury Register of 1156 makes reference to Culerna or Culerne. Local pronunciation leans towards the cul form.
This leads to some ambiguity in the meaning of Colerne. Gover, Mawer and Stenton talk of about the aern meaning house in their 1939 publication The Place Names of Wiltshire. They say col-aern might well denote a house where charcoal was made, used or stored.
The altitude of the village lends credence to the idea that the first syllable col is derived from the Welsh or Cornish col - a peak. This is discussed in John C. Langstaff's 1911 publication Notes on Wiltshire Names. This would mean the dwelling on the peak. Alternatively it could mean the cold dwelling from the Anglo-Saxon cald or cold.
However none of the above are true. Colerne or Cullerne, as spelt in the Domesday book is a derivation of a celtic word meaning Holly. A place where 'Holly' grows. The Gaelic, or more accurately Goidelech language of the celts suggests 'Cuellan' as being Holly. The Brythonnic version ie. , Welsh, Celyn is Holly or Celynnen meaning Holly branch. Eventually after invasions from Europe and the development of the language what we now know as 'Old English' Holly was spelt 'Holegn' with 'H' pronounced gutturally. At North Colerne there is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort where it is noticeable that certain species of Holly trees grow. Colerne was named by the Celts as a place where Holly grows. There is a place in Southern Ireland 'Collon' which means the same thing.
Local government
Colerne civil parish is administered by a parish council, North Wiltshire District Council, and Wiltshire County Council. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye
Trivia
- The clock on the church tower only has one hand. There is a similar one-handed clock on Westminster Abbey. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church
- Bristol Rovers training facilities are based in Colerne. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football team based in Bristol.
- The former RAF Colerne, located nearby, was one of very few airfields suitable for the rare Westland Whirlwind during World War II, operated by No. 263 Squadron RAF. RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield is a former World War II Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield This article describes the Second World War fighter aircraft For the postwar helicopter of the same name see Westland Whirlwind (helicopter. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including No 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter Squadron formed in Italy towards the end of
- The former RAF Colerne,hosted 616 squadron, the first Allied squadron with jets, relocating with Gloster Meteor Is from Culmhead and then re-equipping with Meteor IIIs
Notable residents
- Derek Fowlds (b. RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield is a former World War II Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield Derek Fowlds (born 2 September 1937) is an English actor Personal life Fowlds was born in Balham London, the son of Ketha Muriel 1937), the British actor (of Yes Minister fame, and formerly straight man to Basil Brush) is a resident of the village. Yes Minister is a multi-award winning satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted Basil Brush is an Anthropomorphic fox best known as a British television character aimed at children
- Brian Ashton (b. William Brian Ashton MBE (born 3 September 1946 in Leigh, Lancashire) is a former Rugby union player and the former 1946), rugby union player and England coach from late 2006 to April 2008, is a resident of the village.
- Goldfrapp (b. Goldfrapp are a British Electronic music group known for their visual theatrics and contribution to the popularization of Electronic dance music. 1966 & b. ?), the electronic music duo, are former residents of the village.
- Kristan Bromley (b. Kristan Bromley (born March 7, 1972) is a British skeleton racer who has competed since 1996 1972), the former World Cup and current European skeleton Champion. Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time
- Shelley Rudman (b. Shelley Rudman (born 23 March, 1981) is a British Olympic athlete 1981), Britain's number one female skeleton athlete and the partner of Kristan Bromley, are currently resident in Colerne. Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time Kristan Bromley (born March 7, 1972) is a British skeleton racer who has competed since 1996
The Colerne Donkey
According to village legend, a Colerne parson in former years owned a donkey to which he was much attached. While the clergyman was away, the unfortunate ass died, and the sexton felt it proper to have the beast buried in consecrated ground. But the undertaker, inexperienced in interring specimens of E. asinus, neglected to dig the grave wide and deep enough, so the donkey was buried feet-up with its hooves sticking out. The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. The parson had the animal reburied when he returned, but the story was already out, and well into the 20th century young men from the nearby villages of Box or Marshfield who were at a loose end needed only visit Colerne and mention the word Donkey sufficiently loudly in order to be rewarded with a violent altercation on a moment's notice. Box is a Village located in Wiltshire, England, about 8 km (5 miles east of Bath and 11 km (7 miles west of Chippenham. Marshfield is a Village in the local government area of South Gloucestershire, England, on the borders of the counties of Wiltshire and It was also the habit for visiting footballers unacquainted with Colerne history to be dispatched to the home dressing room with a piece of sandpaper and instructions to ask to polish the donkey's hooves. This usually resulted in the erstwhile innocent becoming sadder and wiser in short order.
References
- ^ Wiltshire Community History Colerne Census Information. Retrieved on October 10, 2006.
External links
- Colerne Net – portal
- Ecolerne – sustainable village group