Durrington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village lies about north of the town of Amesbury, north-northeast of the city of Salisbury, and northeast of the Stonehenge monument. It is on the eastern part of Salisbury Plain, the largest remaining area of chalk grassland in northwest Europe. The parish includes the hamlet of Hackthorn, on the northern outskirts of Durrington, and the military settlement of Larkhill, to the west. Durrington has a long history, dating back to the Neolithic era. Two ancient sites lie in the parish: Durrington Walls and Woodhenge. The parish is in the Upper Avon valley, with the River Avon forming its eastern boundary; Durrington village is close to the river. The toponym is derived from the Old English Deor ingtūn, meaning 'farm or settlement connected with Deor', Deor being a personal name. The village's population of about 5,000 is served by several shops, two pubs, schools covering all levels of compulsory education, and a swimming pool and fitness centre. History Prehistory The area had been occupied since Neolithic times but not necessarily continuously. The parish contains two important Neolithic sites: Durrington Walls and Woodhenge. Recent archaeological excavations indicate that the Neolithic inhabitants of the village kept a large number of pigs, with bone evidence suggesting that the pigs were unusually large for the time. This may be because inhabitants fattened them up to sell them to visitors to nearby Stonehenge. Middle Ages There is little evidence of Saxon occupation, but this may be because buildings and utensils of that time were made of wood, so little survives. The Domesday Book recorded two estates in 1086, having land for one plough team and with of meadow. These two estates may represent the later two manors. West End manor was part of the king's estate of Amesbury until 1120 but East End manor had different origins, being privately owned by Patrick de Salisbury. At this time each manor was using the open field system, but over time this system evolved into a two, and then a three, field system. The population also began increasing and in 1377 there were 139 poll tax payers making Durrington one of the most populous villages in the hundred of Amesbury. In 1390, Durrington's manors had a rental income of £40 which gradually decreased to £29 8s 6d in 1521. In 1399 the West End manor was given as