Malmesbury is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest borough in England

Malmesbury - Malmesbury Top Trumps

Malmsbury was given royal borough status by Alfred the Great around 880AD.

Restled from control of the ancient Britons by the Saxons in around 600AD, Malmesbury is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest borough in England, although Barnstaple has a counter claim: both were given royal borough status by Alfred the Great around 880AD. In 925AD, King Athelstan of Wessex the son of Alfred made Malmesbury his capital.