Amesbury
Sign in to saveAmesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BC. The parish includes the hamlets of Ratfyn and West Amesbury, and part of Boscombe Down military airfield.
Key facts
- UK place.static_image_name
- Thatched Cottages at West Amesbury - geograph.org.uk - 311650.jpg
- UK place.static_image_caption
- Cottages in Amesbury
- UK place.country
- England
- UK place.official_name
- Amesbury
- UK place.label_position
- top
- UK place.population
- 12,995
- UK place.population_ref
- (2021 census)
- UK place.civil_parish
- Amesbury
- UK place.unitary_england
- Wiltshire
- UK place.lieutenancy_england
- Wiltshire
- UK place.region
- South West England
- UK place.constituency_westminster
- East Wiltshire
- UK place.post_town
- Salisbury
- UK place.postcode_district
- SP4
- UK place.postcode_area
- SP
- UK place.dial_code
- 01980
- UK place.os_grid_reference
- SU1642
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Geography
- Climate
- History
- Ancient and medieval
- Modern history
- Recent history
- Population
- Governance
- Transport
- Local media
- Religious sites
- Notable buildings
- Education
- Amenities
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BC. The parish includes the hamlets of Ratfyn and West Amesbury, and part of Boscombe Down military airfield.
==Etymology== The derivation of the name of the town is uncertain. It may derive from an Anglo-Saxon named Ambre, or from the Old English amore-burh meaning 'fortification frequented by buntings or/and yellowhammers'. It has also been suggested that the name is derived from Ambrosius Aurelianus, leader of Romano-British resistance to Saxon invasions in the 5th century.