My GGrandfather (my father's mothers father) was George Duck. He was born in Calne in 1836 and emigrated to Victoria in the early 1860's. He was a piano teacher, and through the church in Ballarat, met my GGGrandfather, George Coleman Robinson. He married his granddaughter Mary Jane Robinson.

I have traced his family back to 1560 when Thomas Ducke was born and married Jane Taylor (born 1564). This was a Norman family and the guy at the Calne museum was amazed that I had traced them back so far. Most people can't get beyond the 1700's

I decided to visit Calne for obvious reasons. It's a fairly large town, made famous because it was here that cured bacon and ham was developed in the UK. So famous that a pig is to be carved into the chalk hill alongside the famous horse. Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen here in 1774.

Isaac Nichols, a transported convict, who became the first postmaster of Sydney was born here in 1770.

The museum had no knowledge of the Duck family, Prof. Google has only ever listed many many Genealogy posts from people all over the world trying to track down Calne Duck relos. I've had contact with a number of them and their branches of the tree going back centuries however no recent Ducks.

By pure coincidence .... I think, they have an annual duck race in Calne. People carve and paint wooden ducks that are floated down the river through town. It's a funddraiser organised by the Lions Club, so similar to the one that used to happen in Sydney.

We only spent half an hour or so in Calne as there are limited numbers of interesting buildings to photograph …. Now there's a surprise. My AA Guide Book, noted that there was a timber church with a thatched roof a couple of kilometres out of town in a village called Sandy Lane. As it was on our way to Lacock (the major site for the day), I had flagged it as something to see. The village is around 700 metres long with thatched cottages in abundance but no signage for the church. I persevered, and eventually found it down a dirt track hidden among the trees.

It was really hard to find, however I'm so glad we did. Apart from being unique as a timber church with thatch, with a lovely organ squeezed into it, it had a number of plaques painted in Illuminate style. It was only toward the end of the visit that I looked more closely at them. On one plaque it listed the names of the men who had served in WW1 and the other was of those who were killed.

Plaque 1: Albert Duck, Arthur Duck, Charles Duck, Frank Duck and Fred Duck.

Plaque 2: Albert Duck, Charles Duck and Frank Duck.

So, in all likelihood, our Duck roots are in Sandy Lane rather than in the town (Calne) itself.

I'll post a photo album as well.

Church of Saint Nicholas, Sandy Lane, Calne Without

Modern settlement at Sandy Lane began in the 18th century and it is very much an estate village. Ecclesiastically it had come under Derry Hill, but in 1864 it was transferred to the new parish of Chittoe. The church of St. Nicholas was built in 1892 as a mission church, to the design of J.H. Hopkins. It is small and of an unusual timber construction with a steep thatched roof. The timbering is in an A form with 6 pairs of trusses resting on brick sleeper walls. The walls of the church consist of 2 timber sections with sawdust rammed between. All fittings are made of wood, except the 19th century brass oil lamps. In 1980 Chittoe church was declared redundant and Bromham and Chittoe parishes were united as a new parish of Bromham, Chittoe and Sandy Lane. Sandy Lane church became a chapel of ease in the new parish. In 1981 the church was rededicated with the present joint dedication.