History

The name Corsham is thought to be of Saxon origin, signifying the 'home of Cossa' whose origin is obscure. The lie of the land undoubtedly made it a good place for a settlement because it had good soil and plenty of water from springs. Being on the edge of a forest, there was plenty of fuel and somewhere to hide when there was any trouble.

The Roman road from Bath to Silchester ran all along what is now the southern boundary of the Parish and part of the great ditch, The Wansdyke, was dug there to mark the boundary between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex.

The Court Roll of Ethelred the Unready (978-1017) mentions the King staying at his Manor House at Corsham when hunting in Melksham Forest.

Corsham remained a Royal Manor until Edward the Confessor gave it to his brother-in-law, Tostig, 4th son of Earl Godwin. But his villainy led not only to him being banished from the country, but also to the confiscation of the Manor by the King.

As a result of the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror became Lord of the manor. The Domesday Book lists its people, cattle, mills and lands. William gave the Church, and its lands to the Abbey at Caen in Normandy, as thanks for defeating King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

The secular part of the manor was granted on terms of years to various people until 1242, when Henry III gave it to his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and he in turn farmed it out to the "customary tenants" at a rent roll of 110 marks a year. The original Deed of Grant, signed and sealed by him is still in existence, and may be seen at the County Records Office in Trowbridge, the county town of Wiltshire. This grant to tenants was continued by succeeding Kings, and the income from their rents formed part of the dowries of their daughters or their Queens.

The last royal holder of the Manor was Queen Elizabeth I. She sold the manorial rights to her Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton for £5000 He later fell out of the Queen's favour and his financial problems forced him to sell the Manor of Corsham at a loss.

Among the later Lords of the Manor was Sir Edward Hungerford, a prominent Parliamentarian at the time of the Civil War. His widow built the Almshouses which can be seen to this day alongside the Town's Cricket Ground.

In 1745, Paul Methuen bought the Manor House originally to house his collection of paintings. The Methuen family still own Corsham Court, as it became, to this day.