Urchfont

The village hall of 1930 carries the name Erchfont

The name of Urchfont is often thought to derive from the phrase "Church Fountain" and is possibly derived from Latin fons meaning 'spring, fountain, well' (cf. fount), or the first element may be a lost personal name such as Eohric. Over 100 variations of the spelling are recorded; e.g. Lerchesfonte (1086), Erchesfonte(e) (1175, 1605), Erkesfonte (1175), Archesfunte (font) (1179, 1376, 1426), Ur(i)chesfunte (1242, 1289), Orchesfunte (1259), Orcheffunte (1428), Archfounte al. Urshent (1564), Urchefount al. Urshent (1611), Urshent al. Erchfont (1695).[4]

The village is in the 'Urchfont and the Cannings' electoral ward. This ward starts in the south at Easterton, stretches through Urchfont to end in the north at Bishops Cannings. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 4,350.[5]

The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.

The 13th-century Anglican Church of St Michael and All Angels is Grade I listed.[6][7]

There is a primary school, Urchfont C of E Primary School.[8] From 1947 to 2012 Urchfont Manor, a Grade II* listed building,[9] housed an adult education college, Urchfont Manor College. There is a family-run dental practice, Urchfont Dental Care, offering private and NHS services.[10]

There are also many local sports clubs and societies and the village has its own tennis courts, cricket pitch and skittle alley (within The Lamb Inn pub).

• Sergeant Thomas Gray VC was born in Urchfont in 1914. An Air Observer/Navigator in the Royal Air Force, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after he was killed in action in 1940.
• Singer Elvis Costello has a summer home in the village.
• The cricket scorer Bill Frindall (nicknamed 'The Bearded Wonder') lived there until his death.
• Major Charles Ingram who allegedly cheated on the ITV game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire" lives nearby and is occasionally spotted enjoying a local ale in The Lamb Inn.

Urchfont Scarecrow Festival: Ali Baba

The Urchfont Scarecrow Festival (a registered charity)[11] was the first of its kind in Wiltshire. While other Wiltshire villages, including local rivals Lacock, have now established their own festivals on a similar model, the Urchfont festival predates them, having been established in 1997, and is amongst the best attended. The idea was first brought to the village by a resident who saw a similar festival in Derbyshire. In its entire history the festival has only been cancelled twice: once in 2001 because of the threat from Foot and Mouth disease and again in 2020 due to COVID-19. Apart from those cancellations the 22 festivals to date have taken place on the weekend of the first bank holiday in May every year, and have grown to become a major local event attracting large numbers of local and national visitors while raising money for local charities and good causes.[12]

Over 50 themed scarecrows made by villagers are distributed around the village, and visitors can buy a trail map which provides clues as to the identity of each scarecrow. There is also a children's trail and the village is a buzz with festivities.

Past festivals have included:

• 1997–2000 – No theme
• 2001 – Cancelled (Foot & Mouth)
• 2002 – Characters for the Young at Heart
• 2003 – Professions
• 2004 – Book Titles
• 2005 – Songs & Music
• 2006 – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
• 2007 – Film Titles
• 2008 – Scarecrow Pursuits
• 2009 – Musicals – Stage & Screen
• 2010 – Pairs
• 2011 – Advertisements
• 2012 – A, B, C
• 2013 – Singers
• 2014 – Myths & Legends
• 2015 – At the Oscars
• 2016 – A World of Firsts
• 2017 – From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
• 2018 – It's Showtime!
• 2019 – Back to the 80's
• 2020 – Cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

• Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.); Baggs, A. P.; Crowley, D. A.; Pugh, Ralph B.; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1975). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 10: Swanborough hundred; the borough of Devizes.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1975). Cherry, Bridget (ed.). The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0 14 0710-26 4.