Edward Hutton, in his book Highways And Byways In Wiltshire, written before the outbreak of the First World War, first published in 1917, reprinted 1919, noted:
” . . . Upton Scudamore . . . is well named – it stands high, more than 400 feet above the sea on the most western cape of the main Plain. It got its name of Scudamore as early as the time of King Stephen when Walter Scudamore held lands here, and his son Godfrey got a grant of the whole vill from Robert de Ewyas in the following reign. Thus the Scudamores established themselves here, and in the thirteenth century obtained for Upton a charter for a market day every Thursday, and a fair of three days on the vigil, feast and the morrow of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (September 8), in whose honour the church is dedicated. This they probably rebuilt largely as we see it, but the ancient font, possibly Saxon, and fine sculptured north porch, a work of the end of the twelfth century, perhaps also due to the family, remain from an older building. In the large north chapel two of the Scudamore tombs may be seen or rather two old and much decayed recumbent effigies, male and female, which are thought to represent Peter Scudamore and his wife Margery (temp. Edward I.).”