he parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul was founded in the late 11th century. It was given to Salisbury Cathedral c.1115 by Henry I to form part of a living. The value of this church was soon increased by other gifts of property, and within a few years there were canons at Heytesbury. By c.1160 it was established as a collegiate church with a dean and four prebendaries, two each of priests and deacons. A collegiate church was effectively a 'mother church' with resident priests whose task it was to go out into the wider community as missionaries, with the aim of encouraging new 'daughter churches'.
In the 13th century the holder of the deanery became, and remained, the Dean of Salisbury. The college at Heytesbury and its property belonged to him. Most parishes came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Diocese, but Heytesbury belonged to the Dean and was therefore known as a peculiar. The Cathedrals Act of 1840 dissolved the college and abolished the prebends.
The church itself is described by Pevsner as 'a large and impressive church, but an over-restored one'. The external view is dominated by its low, massive and square Norman tower in the centre. Most of the building dates from the late 12th, the 13th and the 15th centuries.