| Description | These were reports made by the churchwardens on affairs within their parish; they were given in at the bishop's visitations, which were held every three years, in addition to one held in the first year of a bishop's episcopate, called the primary visitation. They were supposed to be answers to a series of 'articles' or questions circulated before the visitation; and some of the earlier presentments were, in fact, framed to answer the articles, point by point. Very occasionally, a copy of the articles themselves is found among the presentments, with the answers written in the margin. But more often the presentments consist of whatever the churchwardens thought needed reporting in their parish. Up to about the end of the 17th century the presentments are generally fairly full and detailed. They often include long lists of people who refused to go to church or take the sacrament, but after the 1688 Toleration Act, this almost ceases, and the presentments become more and more stereotyped; often nothing is reported except 'omnia bene', though there are still occasional reports about disorderly and immoral behaviour, the state of the church fabric, and so on. Rarely, other visitation papers, such as apparitors' lists, are found with the presentments. The visitation was organised by deanery, of which there were nine in Wiltshire, besides the small sub-deanery of Salisbury, and four in Berkshire. In general, Malmesbury, Newbury and Reading were each visited separately, while Cricklade and Marlborough, Avebury and Potterne, Amesbury and Chalke, Wilton and Wylye and Abingdon and Wallingford were dealt with in pairs; the sub-deanery went either with Amesbury and Chalke or with Wilton and Wylye. There were of course occasional variations. The parishes in the bishop's peculiar were usually visited separately, once or twice a year, in the years when there was no regular diocesan visitation, as well as during the regular visitations. Trowbridge and Staverton do not appear in peculiar visitations until 1717, and Berwick St. James only appears occasionally. Some presentments, particularly for the bishop’s peculiar are filed with citations, see D1/41/1
From 1806 until 1885 (after which the presentments were abolished) the bundles have not been examined. They have been kept for selected years only.
After 1835 only Wiltshire deaneries are included, Berkshire having been transferred to the diocese of Oxford in 1836, and the Dorset deaneries not being included.
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