21 Facts About Malmesbury

Malmesbury is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately 14 miles west of Swindon and 9 miles north of Chippenham.

Once the site of an Iron Age fort, in the early medieval period Malmesbury became the site Malmesbury Abbey, a monastery famed for its learning.

In modern times, Malmesbury is best known for its abbey, the bulk of which forms a rare survival of the dissolution of the monasteries.

The town came to be named after Maildubh; the name Malmesbury is a combination of Maildubh and burh, meaning Maildubh's fortification.

Malmesbury natives are sometimes nicknamed Jackdaws, originating from the avian colony of these that inhabit the Abbey walls and roof.

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The status of freemen of Malmesbury was passed down through the generations and remains to this day.

The organisation, The Warden and Freemen of Malmesbury, still owns the land to the south of the town, along with dozens of properties, pubs and shops within the town itself, providing affordable housing to townsfolk.

Malmesbury was a municipal borough until 1974, when Malmesbury Town Council formed as a successor to it.

Malmesbury was part of Wiltshire County Council from its creation in 1889 until it was disbanded in 2009.

At UK Government level in the House of Commons, Malmesbury is part of the North Wiltshire constituency, represented since 1997 by James Gray .

Malmesbury is policed by the Wiltshire Police force and is in the Royal Wootton Bassett Community Policing Team area.

Malmesbury sits on a flat Cotswolds hilltop at the convergence of two rivers.

The Reformation of 1539 brought about a change in the economy of Malmesbury: having no income from the Abbey, the town turned to the wool spinning and weaving industry, having access to large quantities of wool and water.

Malmesbury had a nine-day wonder media event in January 1998, when two Tamworth pigs known as the Tamworth Two escaped from the town's abattoir.

Malmesbury established a shadow factory to produce radar equipment, then a new technology.

Malmesbury has a leisure centre and a public library, both of which are managed by Wiltshire Council.

Malmesbury has a non-League football team Malmesbury Victoria F C, who play at The Flying Monk Ground.

Local Roman Catholic church in Malmesbury is St Aldhelm's Church, which serves the ecclesiastical parish of Malmesbury.

Malmesbury is home to Malmesbury United Reformed Church and The King's Church.

In 2011 Malmesbury was chosen by the Department for Communities and Local Government as a "front-runner" area to test Neighbourhood Planning powers introduced in the Localism Act 2011.

In March 2012 issues of planning in Malmesbury were featured as part of the wider national debate about changes to the planning system and the balance of power between communities and developers.