Ham, Wiltshire

Ham is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The parish borders the county of Berkshire, and the village lies about 3+1/4mi south of the Berkshire town of Hungerford.Ham Hill is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.HistoryHam is first mentioned in a charter of 931, in which King Æthelstan granted land to his thegn Wulfgar. The modern boundaries of Ham parish are little changed from those defined in clauses attached to the charter. Wulfgar willed the estate to his wife and then to the Old Minster, Winchester.The Domesday book of 1086 recorded a settlement of twenty households at Hame, on land held by the Bishop of Winchester. In the 13th century, Ham was considered to be part of Savernake Forest. By 1284 the estate was assigned to St. Swithun's Priory, Winchester, and continued to support the monks until the Dissolution. In 1541 it was granted to the chapter of Winchester Cathedral, who retained ownership until the manor and land were sold in the 19th and early 20th centuries.