The parish includes the hamlet of Henley, southwest of Buttermere village and next to the county border with Hampshire, and the western flanks of Inkpen Hill.

[2] The name is thought to derive from Old English: butere + mere and is generally agreed to mean "lake with good pasture".

[3] The manor of Buttermere was recorded in the 9th century, and from the 11th was held by St Swithun's priory, Winchester.

[7] There was a church here in the 13th century, and a watercolour by John Buckler in 1806 shows a simple building with a wooden west turret.

It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions.