Urchfont is a rural village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey to the north of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, about southeast of the market town of Devizes. The hamlet of Cuckoo's Corner is in the northwest of the village; the parish includes the hamlets of Wedhampton and Lydeway. The population of Urchfont taken at the 2011 Census was 1,075.
History of the name
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', or the first element may be a lost personal name such as Eohric. Over 100 variations of the spelling are recorded; e.g. Lerchesfonte, Erchesfonte, Erkesfonte, Archesfunte , Urchesfunte, Orchesfunte, Orcheffunte, Archfounte al. Urshent, Urchefount al. Urshent, Urshent al. Erchfont.
Governance
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. The civil parish elects a parish council. It is in the area of Wiltshire Councilunitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.
Amenities
The 13th-century AnglicanChurch of St Michael and All Angels is Grade I listed. There is a primary school, Urchfont C of E Primary School. From 1947 to 2012 Urchfont Manor, a Grade II* listed building, housed an adult education college, Urchfont Manor College. There is a family-run dental practice, Urchfont Dental Care, offering private and NHS services. There are also many local sports clubs and societies and the village has its own tennis courts, cricket pitch and skittle alley.
Notable people
Sergeant Thomas GrayVC 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.
The cricket scorer Bill Frindall 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.
The Urchfont Scarecrow Festival
The Urchfont Scarecrow Festival 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. 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:
