1932 – 1934
The ancient earthworks, so numerous in this district, bear witness to the fact that the earliest occupied parts of this country were the downlands. It was not until the time of the Saxons that the population began to increase in the valleys. There was a gradual movement from the hills and hill slopes to the valley lands, possibly because of water supply failure or the greater possibilities of agriculture in the valleys.
With the movement of the Saxons to the valleys the downlands saw the end of their popularity as occupation sites, and today their only inhabitants are a few farm workers who live in isolated cottages on the downlands or in the small dry valleys between the hills.
The population, then, still remains in the river valley. Reasons for this seem to be, first and foremost, the people are and have been in the past quite satisfied with life in the valley of the Wylye river. The water supply is adequate, except in extremely dry seasons which do not often occur. From earliest times this district has had good communications, and now good main and secondary roads run on either side of the valley, and the main London to Exeter road cuts across the valley at Wylye.
Not only do the roads follow the river valley, but the railway does so too, linking up the valley villages with neighbouring towns such as Salisbury, Warminster and Trowbridge. The railway simplifies journeys to more distant parts of the British Isles. For a country district the Wylye Valley is extremely lucky to have such good communications, for there are many country villages and hamlets, even small market towns, which are situated several miles from a railway, and have no adequate facilities for travel or transport of goods. The largest villages of the Wylye Valley are on the railway, four miles being about the distance of the longest run between two villages. Such villages as Stockton and Langford, and hamlets such as Bapton and Deptford, have no railway stations and have, therefore, to make use of those att he neighbouring villages or travel by road.
The villages and hamlets in the valley are separated by a few miles only. None have any great number of inhabitants. It has been rather difficult to obtain population figures; some of the following figures are correct and up to date, while others are only estimated. Codford has the greatest population of this district. The number of inhabitants is 527. Of these 273 live in the Parish of Codford St. Peter (compared to 242 in the year 1901), and 254 live in the Parish of Codford St. Mary (277 in the year 1901). It is significant that this village is situated on the confluence of the small Chitterne Brook and the river Wylye. In past centuries it was probably a strategic position for a village, and at the same time was assured of a good water supply. It seems that in the past Codford was closely associated with the woollen trade, for a large wool store still stands near the main road and is used for village dances, entertainments and political meetings. During the War, army camps were erected at Codford and thousands of soldiers from all parts of the British Empire were to be found there. The village has seen prosperous times, but it is now smaller in population, and the prosperity of its inhabitants lies in the land, road and railway work, shopkeeping and domestic work; the usual occupations of the people of this district.
Wylye is the second largest village and at present has 223 inhabitants. Like Codford, however, its population has decreased. The oldest inhabitants, people who have lived in the village all their life, tell me that when they were children the numbers of people in Wylye were many more than there are at present in 1934. They can tell me of rows of houses where now there are but fields or gardens. Houses have fallen down, or been burnt down, and not replaced. In 1933, however, four council houses were completed and occupied immediately, and the district council propose to build four more before December 1935. If these are occupied so quickly as the first four were, there seems a possibility that the population of Wylye will be on the increase.