[Bell Historians] Minsters

[A Willis]

The minsters in this part of the world (Wiltshire)were an Anglo-Saxon
development AND were centres of worship for an area which in modern terms
would cover several parishes. The minster or 'mother church' had burial
rights which the other outlying chapels or daughter churches did not have.
These outlying churches were often chapelries until Victorian times, though
sometimes they would acquire full church stsus, with burial rights, earlier.
Holy Trinity, Bradford on Avon was 'mother church' to a large area
approximating to the hundred of Bradford. Daughter churches included
Atworth, Broughton Gifford, Holt, South Wraxall and Westwood. Broughton
Gifford 'broke away' in the ?thirteenth century to become a church, with a
vicar in its own right.

Someone has written quite extensively on the Minster system in Wiltshire and
Dorset, and if I can remeber his name (he lives in Northamtonshire) I'll
post it.

AW