IDMISTON
Few of the newcomers have time to speculate on the unknown Saxon Idma who gave his name to the parish. Most of the people live in new homes and more than half work at the neighbouring military and RAF camps.
Doing your homework can be of practical use, the famous tractor driver, who fell into one of three underground tunnels leading to Idmiston church, had obviously not done his reading. One tunnel led from the 1628 Old Rectory, until 1828 the home of the Bowles family. “Don” Bowle, a 1750 vicar called John, first translated Don Quixote into English. The latest Bowle was buried in Idmiston in 1985.
At Idmiston Manor (another tunnel) lived General Monack who helped Charles II back to power, despite is earlier support from Cromwell.
There was scandal, as well as a tunnel, at the Old Vicarage (where legend claims Charles I once hid). There in 1589, Curate Edmund Rideout “had his pleasure” with his housekeeper Joane Payne “until she was with child”, then exiled her to West Dean. What the bishop said is not recorded.
The old postman, Charlie Tompkins, has written down his memories of agricultural Idmiston, which lasted until 1930s…. a community where Salisbury was “New Sarum”, harvests affected everyone, and everyone’s dread was “parish relief”
Alison Kidd. Publisher, Salisbury Journal, 1988.
Idmiston Manor house
An article written by David Ride in 1983, which mentions the Sun Insurance Company,“The house contains beautiful wood panelling on some of the walls and is one of the original properties insured by the Sun Insurance Company. The badge can be found in what was the Guard Room.”
In the event of a fire, all brigades from the individual insurance companies would rush to the fire in case it was one of their buildings. If the fire was not in one of their properties, then they would either leave or stand and watch. BVHS archive
