Historical information

Devizes is a medieval market town in the centre of Wiltshire, 16 miles from Stonehenge and 8 miles from Avebury. The building of a castle in Norman times dictated the layout of the town which is still visible. It contains over 50 Heritage Plaques. There were people in Devizes locality in prehistoric times and a Roman villa once stood on The green. The Wiltshire Museum is home to one of the best Bronze Age collections in Britain and includes finds from around Stonehenge including the famous Bush Barrow gold. Some convicts that were tried at the Devizes Assizes were transported to Australia. Amongst these was John Chew, transported to Tasmania, but later his family settled in Victoria.