Town Hall, Market Lane, Malmesbury - 01666 823748 tic@malmesbury.gov.uk

Malmesbury - Mailduf's fortified place.

The key to Malmesbury's existence is defined by its geography, sitting on a flat Cotswolds hilltop at the convergence of two rivers. From the west, the infant Bristol Avon flows from Sherston, and from the north west, a tributary either known as the Tetbury Avon or, locally, as The Ingleburn. They flow within 100 yards (91 m) of each other but are separated by a narrow and high isthmus, just a few yards across, which forces the Bristol Avon south and the Tetbury Avon east. This creates a rocky outcrop as a south-facing, gently sloping hilltop, until the two rivers meet on the southern edge of the town. With steep, and in places cliff-like sides, the town was described by Sir William Waller, as the best naturally-defended inland location he had seen.

The hilltop contains several freshwater springs, which created early settlements. Recent archaeological excavations have revealed stone town wall defences, which have shown history of a Neolithic fort and foundations of a wooden Iron Age fort between 800 and 500BC, making Malmesbury arguably the oldest continually inhabited town in England. Wrestled from control of the ancient Britons by the Saxons in around AD600, Malmesbury is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest borough in England, although Barnstaple has a counter claim: both were given royal borough status by Alfred the Great around 880AD. In 925AD, King Athelstan of Wessex the son of Alfred made Malmesbury his capital.

Being of great clarity and full of Cotswolds minerals, the hilltop springs were regarded as holy wells from the 7th century, resulting in the foundation in 675 of an Abbey by Maidulph. Until this time, the settlement was unnamed, and so gained the name Maidulphesburgh. Later, Bede writes it as Adelmesbirig, derived from Adelm the scholar of Maidulph; others derive it from a part of the names both of scholar and teacher. By the time of takeover by the Saxons, the town had gained the name Malmesbury, said to have been derived from Malmutius a king of the Britons. After the death of Maidulph around 700, Aldhelm became the first abbot and built the first church organ in England, which was described as a "mighty instrument with innumerable tones, blown with bellows, and enclosed in a gilded case." Having founded other churches in the area, including at Bradford-on-Avon, he died in 709 and was canonised. Part of the River Avon on the Sherston branch to the west of the town centre is called Daniels Well. Named after the monk Daniel who lived at the abbey in the 9th century, he is said to have submerged himself in the cold water every day for decades to quell fiery passions. The Abbey was the site of an early attempt at human flight, when noted by historian William of Malmesbury (1095-1143) in 1010, the monk Eilmer of Malmesbury flew a primitive hang glider from a tower. Eilmer flew over 200 yards (180 m) before landing, breaking both legs.

At the time of the Norman invasion in 1066, Malmesbury was one of the most significant towns in England. It is listed first (i.e., most important) in the Wiltshire section of the Domesday Book. King Henry I's chancellor, Roger of Salisbury, seized the monastery under his bishopric in 1118, and held it for 20 years. Renowned as a great builder, he rebuilt the wooden town walls and castle wholly in stone rather than wood. By the Dark Ages, the north of the town was heavily developed as a religious centre, resulting in the construction of the third Abbey on the site, the 12th century Malmesbury Abbey, which had a spire taller 7 metres (7.7 yd) taller than the 404 feet (123 m) one of Salisbury Cathedral. In 1220 this resulted in the construction of the Old Bell Hotel, reputedly the oldest purpose built hotel in England. During the English Civil War Malmesbury is said to have changed hands as many as seven times, resulting on hundreds of pockmarks left by bullets and shot on the south, west and east walls. The spire collapsed in either the late 15th or early 16th century. This was closely followed by the English Reformation of King Henry VIII, who sold the remainder of lands he did not want to a local clothier William Stumpe. The extant part of the Abbey is now the parish church, with the remains containing a parvise which still holds some fine examples of books from the former Abbey library.

Malmesbury natives are known as Jackdaws, originating from the colony of Jackdaws that inhabit the Abbey walls and roof.

The community was the ancient frontier of two kingdoms, with Tetbury 5 miles (8.0 km) to the North in Mercia and Malmesbury was in the West Saxon Kingdom, resulting in centuries of real animosity between the two towns. The location and defensive position of Malmesbury on the latterly important Oxford to Bristol route made it a strategic military point. During the 12th century civil war between Stephen of England and his cousin the Empress Matilda, the succession agreement between Steven and Henry of Anjou (later Henry II) was reached after their armies faced each other across the impassable River Avon at Malmesbury in the winter of 1153, with Steven losing by refusing battle. During the English Civil War, the town changed hands seven times, with the south face of Malmesbury Abbey still today bearing pock-marks from cannon and gunshot. In 1646 Parliament ordered that the town walls be destroyed. As peace came to inland England, and the need to defend the developing sea located port towns became more important, without its Abbey, Malmesbury lost its importance. As developing transport and trade routes passed it by, it regressed to a regional market town.