Baydon

Baydon is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.

Local government

Baydon is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It falls within the areas of Kennet District Council and Wiltshire County Council. All three councils are responsible for different aspects of local government.

In the census of 2001, the parish had a population of 525.

It's the highest occupied settlement in Wiltshire.

Location

Position:

Nearby towns and cities: Hungerford, Marlborough, Newbury, Swindon

Nearby villages: Aldbourne, Lambourn

History

The 17th Century physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, lived in Baydon. It is said to be the place where the famous apple fell that prompted him to formulate his theory of Gravity.

Baydon might be the legendary site of a famous battle connected with King Arthur. The village is not too far from the Ridgeway, an ancient path in use before the arrival of the Romans in Britain.

Baydon stands on Ermin Street which runs north to Cirencester.

See also

*List of places in Wiltshire
*List of civil parishes in England

Sources

*Wiltshire County Council Website page on Baydon, retrieved 15:30 Oct 6, 2004 (UTC)
*Kennet District Council Website page on Baydon parish, retrieved 01:00 Oct 6, 2004 (UTC)

Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster - 1855 (Google Book Search)