Parish and Council History
River Nadder at Sutton Mandeville
The Wiltshire Parish of Sutton Mandeville is situated off the A30 between the cathedral city of Salisbury and the historic market town of Shaftesbury. Part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Parish is found in a tributary valley of the River Nadder. The landscape is a largely low-lying patchwork of pastures and meadows, fringed by chalk downland. The Parish is first mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086 as Sudtone (South Town) and was given to the de Mandeville family as part of a grant of land under the reign of Henry I.
It's not so clear where the name Chicksgrove derives from, there are many variations recorded (Chichesgrave, Chikes Grove, Chekesgrave & Cheesgrove among them), the earliest being Chiknesgrava. It may be direct from Chicke which appears independently in the 14th Century as a reduced form of chicken or it may have originated as a nickname used as a surname. Sutton passed to the Pembrokes after the Reformation and then in 1689 both the Sutton and Chicksgrove estates were purchased by the Wyndham family of Dinton House (now Philipps House). The Estates were both put up for auction on 17th July 1917 and many of the sitting tenants purchased the farms and properties.
A Parish Council for Sutton Mandeville first met on November 22nd 1974 at the Cribbage Hut pub (later The Lancers and now Lancers House). Previously Parish business had been conducted at a Parish Meeting but the now formalised Council established itself as being responsible for roads, safety, footpaths and planning (just as we are today!). At that first meeting safety was high on the agenda as a local resident had been severely injured when a heavy branch from a diseased elm fell on him; another was nearly run over using the post box at Panters (the solution being to move the post box to its current position by Dazlett Cottage) and there were further safety concerns due to confusion about the right of way at the top of Jay's Folly.
That same year the idea of a flower show was first put forward and by the time the communities of Sutton Mandeville and Lower Chicksgrove merged a flourishing Society had come into being and was the main social activity of the village. The idea of a merger between Sutton Mandeville and Lower Chicksgrove was first proposed in 1977. The residents of Chicksgrove were canvassed by the Parish Council for their opinions on the matter before it was put to the Boundaries Commission. Of the 90% of residents who replied, 73% were in favour of joining Sutton. It was not until 9 years later that the Boundaries Commission agreed to the change which finally came into effect on April 5th 1986. By this time the Parish Council was holding its meetings at Fovant School, later moving to the Rainbow Centre in Fovant. In 2007 the present Parish Council felt it right that Council meetings be held in the village and the meeting place was moved to All Saints Church.
It's not so clear where the name Chicksgrove derives from, there are many variations recorded (Chichesgrave, Chikes Grove, Chekesgrave & Cheesgrove among them), the earliest being Chiknesgrava. It may be direct from Chicke which appears independently in the 14th Century as a reduced form of chicken or it may have originated as a nickname used as a surname. Sutton passed to the Pembrokes after the Reformation and then in 1689 both the Sutton and Chicksgrove estates were purchased by the Wyndham family of Dinton House (now Philipps House). The Estates were both put up for auction on 17th July 1917 and many of the sitting tenants purchased the farms and properties.
A Parish Council for Sutton Mandeville first met on November 22nd 1974 at the Cribbage Hut pub (later The Lancers and now Lancers House). Previously Parish business had been conducted at a Parish Meeting but the now formalised Council established itself as being responsible for roads, safety, footpaths and planning (just as we are today!). At that first meeting safety was high on the agenda as a local resident had been severely injured when a heavy branch from a diseased elm fell on him; another was nearly run over using the post box at Panters (the solution being to move the post box to its current position by Dazlett Cottage) and there were further safety concerns due to confusion about the right of way at the top of Jay's Folly.
That same year the idea of a flower show was first put forward and by the time the communities of Sutton Mandeville and Lower Chicksgrove merged a flourishing Society had come into being and was the main social activity of the village. The idea of a merger between Sutton Mandeville and Lower Chicksgrove was first proposed in 1977. The residents of Chicksgrove were canvassed by the Parish Council for their opinions on the matter before it was put to the Boundaries Commission. Of the 90% of residents who replied, 73% were in favour of joining Sutton. It was not until 9 years later that the Boundaries Commission agreed to the change which finally came into effect on April 5th 1986. By this time the Parish Council was holding its meetings at Fovant School, later moving to the Rainbow Centre in Fovant. In 2007 the present Parish Council felt it right that Council meetings be held in the village and the meeting place was moved to All Saints Church.
