Village of Hindon

The village of Hindon has remained faithful to the plan that was drawn up in regard to its construction during the early 13th century. Until 1218 this was deserted downland populated only by sheep and shepherds. In 1219 the Bishop des Roches of Winchester set up a borough around the Salisbury to Taunton Road. This was fairly close to the productive villages of Nadder and Wylye Valeys but far from the already established centres of Mere and Shaftesbury and it was hoped that it would act as a market for these villages.

Hindon was built as a town and the houses were set out in narrow burgage plots on either side of the main street, so the dwellings could be occupied by artisans and craftsmen rather than farmers. Now, over 700 years later, traces of these plots can still be seen. Records show that in 1250 there were 150 houses and over the centuries many craftsmen and tradesmen came and went. The market was very busy and was rated by John Aubrey in 1650 as being second only to Warminster as a corn market. At that time Warminster was considered to be the largest corn market in Southern England. A Michaelmas Fair was granted in 1219 and by 1332 there were two fairs lasting for three days each, and naturally the dues from both of these markets went to the church. There was considerable development as a centre for travellers up until the mid 18th century, and the market probably accounted for the 14 inns and public houses that existed in 1754. This was an inauspicious year for the history of Hindon for it marks the first of its major setbacks, when fire was a most unwelcome guest.

At about 3pm on 2nd July Mr Tyier, a cutter was working in his forge and sparks ignited the thatch of his house which was on the western side of the High Street to the north of the church. The fire soon spread with the wind blowing the flames from one side of the street to the other. As the houses were packed so tightly together there was nothing that the townspeople could do, not being aided by the fact that having been built on high land the towns wells were deep and it was impossible to get any quantity of water to quell the flames. But miraculously only one person was killed and one seriously injured. After four hours of the fire, 140 houses were destroyed and numerous outbuildings, barns and stables which were of wooden construction were lost. Of the 14 inns only one survived and it is recorded that vast quantities of beer as well as the supplies of hay and corn had been lost.

Hindon quickly recovered and rebuilt. Relief funds were started in many towns and cities (including one as far afield as Canterbury) and some of this money would have found its way to the inhabitants who used Chilmark and Tisbury stone in their reconstruction. For a new era of prosperity was ahead and its beginning was marked when the first mail coach stopped on its journey from London to Exeter on 2nd August, 1784. The coaching era brought many jobs and in 1800 The Lamb was said to have kept 300 post horses. In the early years of this century W. H. Hudson stayed at the inn when writing his acclaimed A Shepherd's Life (1910).

Population peaked in 1831 and then gradually declined. The market also declined when the railway came to Tisbury in 1859 and had ended by 1882. The fair had been reduced to single days by 1790 but lasted until the First World War. After the railway had ended Hindon's importance as a centre for travellers, the town also lost its Petty Sessions and police station to Tisbury. Six centuries of town-life were at an end and Hindon sank gracefully to village status.