However when we consider that Stanley Abbey was in the vicinity and owned land in Calne, we can see that there may be a connection worth exploring.
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| Part of Abberd Brook running through the underpass with Prince Charles Drive above. |
We first find a mention of Abberd in 1227, when Philip de Culiston gifted a meadow to Stanley Abbey (1151-1536), at this time the area was called Abbreya[1][2].
Gover[3] thinks that the name originally comes from the Old English Abban rid, which is Abba's Stream or brook. If this is the case, then we would have a reasonably clear connection between Abberd Brook and Stanley Abbey.
Spitfire Road that runs almost parallel with Abberd Brook for some way, running past Abberd House Farm and Abberd Fields farm. In the 1840's Wiltshire Tithes, the plots along this track were mostly labelled 'Allotment in Abberd' or 'In Abberd'. These plots were part of Abberd mead, which was a commonable meadow, eventually divided into 168 plots.
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| Abberd Way |
Calne borough council built housing on Abberd Way (which leads to Abberd Lane) in the 1940s[4]. This was due to the urgent need for housing that was identified in the early 1940s[5]. The construction of the roads, sewers, and surface water drains were completed by around 60 German prisoners-of-war[6] (probably from the POW camp in Yatesbury, which housed around 800 Germans)[7]. By 1949, 78 houses had been built, with another 24 under construction at that time[8]. The most recent development at Abberd Way was the completion of 12 new one and two bedroom houses, built for affordable rent, starting in October 2016 with the demolition of 4 vacant flats, this development was completed by September 2017[9].
The brook is the most physical reminder of the name for most residents of Calne as it runs through the east side of the town and includes a spring fed pond close to the River Marden. In the 1960s, with the building of Coleman's Farm Estate, the brook was greatly straightened between Prince Charles Drive and the River Marden. These days Abberd Brook is under the very capable care of the Friends of Abberd Brook.
References:
[1] Internet Archive. 2019. Calendar of the Charter Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office : Great Britain Public Record Office, H. C . Maxwell Lyte, Alfred Edward Stamp : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. [ONLINE] Available at: https://archive.org/details/calendarcharter00stamgoog/page/n59. [Accessed 23 January 2019].
[2] Brown, G., 2011. STANLEY ABBEY AND ITS ESTATES 1151 - c.1640. 1st ed. Leicester
[3] Gover, J., Mawer, A. and Stenton, F. (1970). The place-names of Wiltshire. Cambridge: At the University Press.
[4] Calne: The town in the 20th century | British History Online. 2019. Calne: The town in the 20th century | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp44-51. [Accessed 23 January 2019].
[5] Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending 31st December 1943.
[6] Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending 31st December 1945.
[7] The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 2019. Calne children help in dig to discover more about prisoner of war camp | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/9965786.calne-children-help-in-dig-to-discover-more-about-prisoner-of-war-camp/. [Accessed 24 July 2019].
[8] Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending 31st December 1949.
[9] GreenSquare Group: GreenSquare celebrates completion of affordable homes in Calne. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.greensquaregroup.com/news/greensquare-celebrates-completion-of-affordable-homes-in-calne. [Accessed 24 July 2019].
