Medieval village of Imber

Medieval village of Imber, now abandoned. This Wiltshire village did not die because of the plague or the

 enclosure act. It was depopulated by the Ministry of Defence for the war effort. We know of the well known village of Tyneham, Dorset, which was also evacuated in December 1943 and has been deserted ever since. 

What I found interesting with Imber is that it didn’t technically suffer the same fate as Tyneham. The residents of Imber were not evictated at the stroke of a pen. The fact is that the Ministry of Defence had owned the village and land. From the late 1800s, the War Office began buying up land from the landowners, who also owned the houses and buildings of the village. 

The MoD (as it is now called)  leased the land, buildings and homes back to the farmers and villagers, by 1932 all of the farmland was in government hands. On 1 November 1943, with preparations for the Allied invasion of mainland Europe under way, the people of Imber were called to a meeting in the village schoolroom and given 47 days' notice to leave their homes; Imber was to be used by US forces to practise street fighting.

The loneliness was attractive to highwaymen. Solitary travellers carried arms, and in 1716 one such highwayman called Grimes attempted a robbery and was shot dead, he is buried in the Imber churchyard. I couldn't find his grave but expect his grave was marked anyhow.

Until the 20th century, the village could only be reached by tracks across Salisbury Plain, the routes were marked by chunks of chalk called Wiltshire lamps. Because of the remoteness of the village, the residents were very self-sufficient. 

It is said that the plague of the 1600s passed the village. Even in 1943 there were residents that had never seen a train.

The wealth of England came from sheep, from wool, Imber's riches came from the wool trade. To put the scale and importance of wool in medieval England, in 1280, the country exported 25,000 wool sacks to Europe.

Small numbers of former residents have been buried in the churchyard; a report on the 2023 burial of Ray Nash (whose family had left the village in 1936) stated that the last funeral had taken place ten years previously. I have included a picture of Mr Nash’s grave.

Ray Nash and his mother, Tizzy, moved away from the village after his father died. Another relative, Albert Nash, was the village blacksmith until being evacuated. He was found sobbing over his anvil at the prospect of leaving Imber and died shortly afterwards, broken-hearted.

Big loss of life, firepower demonstration:  The event was a dress rehearsal for an upcoming visit by Winston Churchill and General George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and was attended by a number of military personnel. The Spitfires overflew followed by the Hurricanes. 

Five of the Hurricanes hit the correct targets: several armoured vehicles and mock tanks. The pilot of the sixth Hurricane opened fire at the spectators before continuing with the demonstration. Casualties were 25 military personnel killed and 71 wounded.

The village is open to the public just twice a year.