chapel was built in 1841 and closed in the early 20th century. Governance The civil parish elects a parish council. All significant local government services are provided by Wiltshire Council, with its headquarters in Trowbridge, and the parish is represented there by Paul Oatway. In the House of Commons the parish is part of the Devizes constituency. Notable people Scholarly vicars of Stanton St Bernard include Robert Parker, from 1594 until 1604; he fled into exile in 1607 after expressing nonconformist views. His son Thomas (1595–1677) began a career as a teacher, then emigrated to New England in 1634, alongside a number of Wiltshire men; there he was a pastor, teacher, and writer, and after his death a river was renamed after him. Thomas's sister Elizabeth was a prophet who disputed theological matters with her brother. Robert Parker was succeeded by Richard Stephens, probably a brother of Robert's wife, Dorothy. Richard's son Nathaniel (c.1606–1678) was a controversial clergyman. In the early 19th century, Robert and William Tasker, of Stanton St Bernard, established the Waterloo Ironworks in Hampshire. This developed into Taskers of Andover, making engines and heavy vehicles; the brand survived into the 1990s. References Further reading Nikolaus Pevsner, Bridget Cherry, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire (Penguin Books, 1975) External links Stanton St Bernard at genuki.org.uk stantonstbernard.org – parish website Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire