Calne, a municipal borough of the North-west or Chippenham parliamentary division of Wiltshire. The town stands on the river Marden, is the terminus of a branch railway from the G.W. from Chippenham, 99 miles from London, and of a branch canal from the Wilts and Berks, 5 1/2 miles E by S of Chippenham. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office. Its environs are a fine mixture of dale and hill, and adjoin on the SW the Marquis of Lansdowne's seat of Bowood. It rose originally from the ruins of a Roman station, dates from the Saxon times, and was the scene of the synod in 977, at which St Dunstan presided, for settling the disputes respecting the celibacy of the clergy, when all present, except the president, went down by the falling in of the floor. It is a quaint old place, but a number of large modern houses have been built in recent years. It consists of one long chief street and a few minor ones. The town is governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. A good system of sewerage was carried out in 1880. The town originally returned two members to Parliament, but lost one member in 1832, and was disfranchised in 1885 under the Redistribution of Seats Act. A new liospital for infections diseases has been built at Northfields. It had an hospital so early as the time of Henry III., and has two banks, a parish church, a chapel of ease, five dissenting chapels, and a workhouse. The old town-hall was taken down in 1882, and a handsome new one was erected on the site of the old town mill. The church is Early English, with traces of Norman, has a pinnacled tower by Inigo Jones, 93 feet high, and has been restored. The chapel of the Free Christians was erected in 1868, and is a structure of some elegance. The free school was founded in 1660 by John Bentley, and has an endowed income of £54, with two scholarships at Queen's College, Oxford. The workhouse is at Northfield, and cost about £5000. A large public recreation ground was opened in 1891. The field was purchased and artistically laid out at a cost of about £5000, and presented to the town by Mr Thomas Harris. A large cloth trade was formerly carried on, but has become extinct. The most important branches of trade now are two very large establishments for curing bacon. Population of the municipal borough, 3495. Acreage of the parish, 10,250; population, 5518. The municipal borough is called the parish of Calne Within; the parish of Calne Without includes the tithings of Blaekland, Calstone, Quemerford, Stock, Stockley, Studley, Whetham, Whitley, and part of Beversbrook. The manor was given by Edward I. to the Cantilupes, and passed to the Zouches. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury; value, £793. Patron, the Bishop of Salisbury. The vicarage of Christchurch, at Derryhill, is a separate benefice.
