Are you a Bradford Gudgeon or a Trowbridge Knob?

May be you prefer to be known as a Dabchick or even a Crocodile!

People from many Wiltshire towns and villages are blessed with a sobriquet or nickname, often associated with folklore, legend or historical fact.

For example, villagers from Aldbourne are known as Dabchicks following the sighting on the village pond of a mysterious bird.

A local quack (no pun intended) was taken to identify the strange creature and after some deliberation proudly announced to the gathering that it was nothing more than a dabchick.

Elsewhere, in Bradford on Avon, the golden fish that adorns the top of the town's lockup is reputedly meant to be a gudgeon.

As a result, those born and bred in the town can lay claim to being gudgeons.

Their neighbours in Trowbridge are known as Knobs - and for a similar reason.

On top of the roof of the town's blindhouse is a rounded ball - hence the nickname for local residents.

In Upavon, local are known as Upavon Jacks. More details from the Upavon Parish Council website.

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miss jeana
i could think of loads of names to call you lot,nutters for one but peace and love on such a lovely day so i will hold my tongue,happy spring equinox

Tony Oakes-Phillips
I can expand on Helen Vowles' comment on the Donkey of Colerne. As a serving member of Her Majesties Royal Air Force serving at R.A.F. Colerne in the 70's, during a rather liquid lunch one weekend at the "Fox and Socks", an elderly local told me the tale of a Vicar who had to leave the village for a few weeks and asked a trusted cuople of chaps belonging to his parish to look after his donkey while he was away. Sadly, during his absence his donkey died but not wanting to be accused of selling his donkey and drinking the profits, the couple left the donkey where it fell. After a while the locals started to complain about the stench, so they had a meeting and decided to bury the donkey upside down with the hooves protruding from the ground as proof that they had not sold the donkey. To ensure the donkey was recogniseable as the Vicar's when he returned, the locals set up a rota to polish the hooves. From then Villagers of Colerne have been known as HOOF POLISHERS! Cheers, Tony.

Geoff Black
I have lived in Wootton Bassett for many years,but the only thing I have called the people who were born and bred there were inbreds! Surely there is a stranger nickname!

Helen Vowles
The inhabitants of the neighbouring villages of Marshfield and Colerne have been referring to each other as “haggle throats” and “donkeys” respectively for many years. I’m told this is because the folk of Marshfield are argumentative, and the villagers in Colerne buried a donkey in too shallow a grave, so it’s feet protruded above the ground!

Cilla Liddington
Sherston folk have always been known as 'Little taters' supposedly because the soil here was only good enough to grow small potatoes

mrcoppedge
enjoyed it very much

Adam Butcher
People who were born and bred in Malmesbury are known as Jackdaws and those from Charlton near Malmesbury I understand are Swedebashers.

Dave Taylor
Potterne people were called 'Ba Lambs', Bromham people were called 'Owls' and Edington folk were called 'Tinheads'

Jackie Davidson
Upon moving from Pewsey to Manningford Bruce, we were told (by someone in Pewsey who shall remain nameless), that the people in Manningford were known as Mud-Owls, but now we live there we cannot find anyone who knows (or admits) to this.