Melksham

Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire. It is situated 19 km (12 mi) southeast of the city of Bath, 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Chippenham, 8 miles (13 km) west of Devizes and 14 miles (23 km) north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000 inhabitants, including sizeable environs such as Bowerhill and Berryfield. As such it is Wiltshire's fifth-largest town by population after Swindon, Salisbury, Chippenham and Trowbridge. The town of Melksham developed at a ford across the River Avon and the name is presumed to derive from "meolc", the Old English for milk, and "ham", a village. On John Speed's map of Wiltshire (1611), the name...