execution of his great-grandson Edward, 3rd Duke the land passed to the Crown. It was granted to Sir William Sandys, later Baron Sandys, and remained in Sandys ownership until 1654. Later owners included Sir John Hynde Cotton (d.1752) and Sir John Dugdale Astley (d.1841) whose great-grandson Sir John (d.1894) sold the estate. The manor house was at the east end of the village, near the church and mill; the present Wilsford Manor is a three-bay brick house from the early 19th century. In the 13th century the Earls of Hereford subinfeudated part of their estate, which came into the Dauntsey family whose descendants include Sir John Dauntsey (d.1391), Member of Parliament for Wiltshire. From the 17th century the estate passed through several hands, and by 1808 had been acquired by Francis Dugdale Astley and thus reunited with the main manor. The manor house was at the west end of the village, where the present Wilsford House – four bays, in brick – is from the late 18th century or early 19th. Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England of 1858 used the name Wilsford-Dauntsey for the parish. Local government Wilsford elects a joint parish council with nearby Charlton St Peter; the council is named Charlton and Wilsford. It falls within the area of the Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions. Parish church The parish church of St Nicholas is built in ashlar under slate roofs, and has a west tower with a stair-turret. A church at Wilsford is first mentioned in the earlier 12th century, although the present building is from the next century. The 13th-century chancel has a low 15th-century roof and is described by Historic England as a "splendid example of a modest medieval chancel that rarely escaped C19 restoration". In the 15th century the tower was added and the nave largely rebuilt. During restoration in 1864 the nave was re-roofed and the south porch rebuilt; a north chapel was removed in 1959 and there was further restoration in 1960. A blocked doorway in the north wall of the chapel contains reset stones from a small 12th or 13th-century doorway. Five bells were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester in 1718. The tenor fell in the early 20th century and the remaining four were repaired and rehung in 1959. Monuments in the churchyard include three 18th-century chest tombs. The church was designated as