From the Visitors’ Guide To Wiltshire, circa 1973:
Wilton – Ancient Capital Of Wessex
The municipal borough of Wilton which is known throughout the modern world for the beautiful Wilton and Axminster carpets produced there, is built on an ancient site.
It is believed that the English realm was founded there on the union of the kingdoms of Wessex and Kent proclaimed by King Egbert in 838 from his palace in the Royal Borough of Wilton. In these far-off days Wilton was an ecclesiastical centre and its Abbey, which dominated the surrounding countryside, was one of the chief nunneries of England till the time of the Reformation.
In medieval times Wilton was fated to be struck an unlucky blow. Bishop Bingham built Harnham Bridge at Salisbury in 1244 and this diversion of the old Icknield Way turned trade away from Wilton, its downfall as an important centre becoming complete with the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539.
For many centuries Wilton has been the centre of the sheep trade in the south west and although the number of sheep in the area has decreased, an interesting link with the past is maintained by the autumn Sheep Fairs which are held by virtue of Charters granted to the town by King Henry VI in 1433.
For the ordinary tourist or the student of history, Wilton House is a gem. For 400 years it has been the seat of the Earls of Pembroke and Montgomery, and is a storehouse of work of art with paintings by Rubens, Holbein, Rembrandt and Vandyke.
To return to an old and yet very modern craft. Visitors to Wilton make a point of seeking out the Royal Carpet Factory where fine, many-hued carpets have been made for centuries. The weavers today are the descendants of those men who founded the industry and earned the approval and admiration of Stuart kings. King William III bestowed the protection of his Royal Charter on the weavers of Wilton in 1699.
In the middle of the 18th century, when the industry was declining, the ninth Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, whose family had fostered the development of the industry, smuggled two French weavers into the country in wine casks! The two foreigners set about injecting the weaving industry with new ideas and enthusiasm and also introduced a number of technical advances which gave Wilton carpeting such an esteemed reputation.
Wilton can also boast a unique style of Parish Church. Only built in 1844 on the site of one of Wilton’s one-time thirteen churches, it is of Lombardic design by Wyatt, with a campanile over 100 feet tall. The interior is richly decorated and contains tombs of the Earls of Pembroke.
Sheep Fairs are held on the second Thursday in the months of August, September and October. There are no Markets and the early closing day is Wednesday.