Wilton is a town in Wiltshire, England, located at the confluence of the River Wylye and the River Nadder. The Anglo-Saxons founded Wiltun in the 8th century AD, and, by the late 9th century, Wilton was the county town of Wiltunscire, remaining the county town until the 11th century. Wilton Abbey was founded in 771 AD, and, in 871 AD, King Alfred the Great was defeated by the Danish Vikings at Wilton, but Wilton remained a prosperous until the Norman conquest of England. The building of Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury led to the construction of a new bridge over the Avon which led to traders bypassing Wilton, and Wilton went on to decline as a result. In 1539, Wilton Abbey was surrendered to King Henry VIII amid the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By the 17th century, weaving had become a busy trade, and the carpet industry later boomed after the arrival of two French weavers in 1741. In 2011, Wilton had a population of 3,579 people.
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