"The Deverills", as a group, are well signposted from both the A303 and the A350 in the Warminster area of the UK. I suspect that most people treat the signs as a subliminal landmark and have never actually visited the villages. I've put transport and other details here. Situated along the valley of the river Wylye, the Domesday Book of 1086 records at least nine villages: today there are five, with three fine churches, which stand on the sites of ancient Saxon chapels.

Longbridge Deverill - St Peter and St Paul

Wulfhelm, who was a Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 926, granted the Manor of Longbridge Deverill to the Archbishop of Glastonbury. A Charter of King Athelstan certified the grant and the Abbot held the Manor until the dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

 
The Church of St Peter and St Paul was founded by a Charter of King Athelstan in AD 930 and is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086. The oldest part of the existing building is the North aisle, which is of mid-12th century Norman design and the massive bell tower contains a peal of eight bells. The Tenor, inscribed "Peace and Prosperity to this Parish", is dated 1739.

The Altar stone was discovered in 1858 under a path in the churchyard, when the chancel was being rebuilt. Tradition says that it was used by Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury 1162-72, when he came to consecrate the church, and that in 1662, when Cromwellian soldiers were advancing on Longbridge Deverill, the Vicar, the Rev William Parry, concealed it for safety.

 
The east window is a famous work by Kempe and was installed in 1931. The Renaissance style window in the north aisle is comparatively modern and represents the story of Glastonbury, from St Joseph setting sail with his companions to the unfortunate Abbot Whiting being executed on the orders of the King. The thorn tree, standing in the churchyard opposite the entrance to the church, was planted from a cutting taken from the Glastonbury thorn.

The Bath Chapel is at Longbridge Deverill because Longleat House once stood within the parish. The font originally stood under the bell-tower and was designed by Sir Alfred Gilbert, the sculptor of the famous Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus. The splendid altar tomb was moved from the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at Hill Deverill.

Canon Brocklethwaite, a great benefactor of the church, finally provided a legacy to purchase the Kempe stained glass window. He also subscribed generously to the war memorial, as well he should: The local history society emphasises these words of his in the Parish Magazine in 1917 –

Hill Deverill - The Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at Hill Deverill was closed as redundant in 1984. It is situated on the main road and the view through the lytch-gate is quite evocative. Since the old church is now a private house, it's not possible to tramp around the place, but there's a view of the building from the next side-road to the south.

The altar tomb at Kingston Deverill was moved from the Church of the Assumption when it was closed. It is emblazoned with three medieval shields which display the honours of the three families created by the marriages of William Ludstrow with Margaret Rymer, Jack Ludlow with Philippa Bulstrode, and his great great grandson William Ludlow with Jane Moore. From these origins was descended Lieutenant General Edmund Ludlow, a Cromwellian soldier, who was one of the signatories to the death warrant of King Charles I.

Brixton Deverill - The Church of St Michael the Archangel

The Domesday Book records that the Church of St Mary of Bec in Normandy held 'Devral'. The Norman Abbey of Bec-Hellowin filled the role of the Lord of the Manor of Brixton Deverill for some 350 years until the title passed to St Nicholas College (later King's College) Cambridge, during the 1440s. Amongst other areas, Bec-Hellowin also held the manor of Tooting Bec in London.

 
A church thus existed at Brixton Deverill before the provision of the later 13th century building. According to local folklore, Alfred the Great prayed for victory in the village in 878 AD before his successful victory against the Danes at Edington in the year 878. As with most churches in Wiltshire, considerable restoration work was done to the building in the mid-19th century. The tower contains a fine medieval bell, cast in Salisbury about 1400 and inscribed 'AVE GRATIA'. The chancel is of 13th century construction.

The chancel arch has deep, fine mouldings and cloistered shafts. There are also some lovely carved panels fastened to the north wall, which are from the pulpit of the erstwhile church at Monkton Deverill. - the panels show Adam in the Deep Sleep; Eve being formed from his rib; Temptation and the Tree of Knowledge; and lastly the Angel driving Adam and Eve out of Paradise.

The canopied Norman Font came from the Church of St Giles at Imber. It was presented to St Michael's in 1951, when Imber village was finally absorbed into the military field firing area.

Monkton Deverill - King Alfred

The church at Monkton Deverill, which is now deconsecrated, is tucked away in the back of the village. As with Hill Deverill, it's a private house and almost impossible to photograph without intruding on the owners' privacy. The church of King Alfred boasted a magnificent pulpit, probably of Belgian origin, presented to it in 1880 by Lord Charles Thynne, then Rector of Longbridge and Monkton Deverills. Panels from this pulpit (shown above) are in Brixton Deverill church.

Kingston Deverill - The Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is at the south end of the valley and in my opinion, working from North to South saves the best for last.

At the time of the Domesday survey, Kingston Deverill was noted as lying partly in the Mere Hundred and partly in the Hundred of Amesbury. That part which lay in Amesbury was held by the Canons of Lisieux in Normandy and that which lay in Mere was in the holding of the Earldom, now the Duchy, of Cornwall. In 1302, Robert de Vernon, descended from Sir John de Vernon who founded a priory of Black Cannons at Longleat about 1270, became patron of the church at Kingston Deverill.

Bishop Osmonde's Church Register, completed about 1099, recorded the evidence in Kingston Deverill of the Chapel of St Andrew, administered under the Hundred of Mere. This Chapel would have been of Saxon origin and almost certainly stood upon the site of the exiting church building and certainly a Saxon font was discovered buried in the churchyard: this is still in use and stands at the west end of the nave.

The present building was largely rebuilt in 1847. It consists of a chancel, tower and nave and the tower is reputedly 14th Century. There is a set of six bells in the tower, which installed in 1731.

 
Once again, the pulpit is probably of Flemish origin, giving some idea of what the pulpit from Monkton Deverill might have been like. There is also some original 16th century Flemish stained glass.

Continuing the theme, a 14th century wood carving of the Madonna and Child is certainly Flemish and may have come from the cathedral at Mechelen. Although a recent (1970) donation, it must have a fascinating story behind it. It was probably brought back at the end of one of the innumerable wars in Flanders.

A stone slab, set into the front of the Altar, records the first incumbent of St Mary's was Ino Cockerell, appointed in 1302: his successors up to the year 1870 are also listed. Local folklore suggests that in 1636 the Star Chamber prosecuted two Churchwardens for permitting football to be played upon the Sabbath Day.