From The Official Guide, Salisbury & Wilton Rural District, Wiltshire, c.1950:
Stapleford
Covering an area of 2,105 acres, the parish of Stapleford is situated on the River Wylye, seven and a quarter miles from Salisbury, four and a half miles from Wilton, and two miles from Wishford Station. The name is recorded in Domesday Book as being derived from one of its earliest landholders.
The parish church is dedicated to St. Mary, and is an ancient foundation, dating from the twelfth century, the fabric being restored in 1869. The present building, which can seat two hundred worshippers, is of flint and stone in the Norman style, with a northern embattled tower with pinnacles and containing five bells. The Church Registers date from 1637. There is also a Methodist chapel.
In the parish the visitor will find an ancient earthwork, crossing the river, and called “Slaygate.” The name is derived from the legend that a landlord was killed by a priest on this spot.
Apart from the land acreage, there are thirteen acres of water within the boundaries of the parish, which is served by a Post and Telegraph Office, and by a daily service of buses to Salisbury and Bath.