Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about northeast of Swindon town centre. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 8,151. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael's. Etymology The root High references the geography of the town, as it sits on a hill above the Upper Thames Valley. The suffix -worth is derived from the Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍂, which is transliterated as warō in Old English and as worth in Middle English. It means "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend". History Highworth is on a hill in a strategic position above the Upper Thames Valley, and seems to have been occupied almost continuously for 7,000 years. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Wrde', which derives from the Old English word 'worth' meaning enclosure. The prefix 'High', owing to it being situated on a hill, was not added until around 1200 AD. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name is spelt both Highwoth (for the hundred) and Hiworth (for the town itself). In 1206 it was granted a charter for its market, which is still held weekly. The origins and layout of Highworth are medieval. Highworth was a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War, but on 17 June 1645 Sir Thomas Fairfax captured it and Parliamentarian troops garrisoned it until October the next year. The occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of plague. Traders moved their business to Swindon, and Highworth market did not recover until the end of the 17th century. Highworth benefited from the economic boom in the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution, and many of the houses in the town centre date from this time. From 1894 to 1974 there was a Highworth Rural District but the town is now part of Swindon unitary authority. Highworth was once larger than neighbouring Swindon, when Highworth's population exceeded 12,000. Geography Highworth is on a hill above the Upper Thames Valley, and at above sea level it is the highest town in Wiltshire. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands. Highworth is the most north-easterly town in Wiltshire, near the border with Oxfordshire. The town is 39 miles (63 km) north-northeast of Salisbury, the same distance east-northeast of Bristol, 6 miles