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The Wiltshire “>
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SOCIETY
FORMED: IN: THAT: COUNTY “A.D; 1853
EDITED. BY H.C: BRENTNAEL, ~E-S.A.
GRANHAM WEST, MARLBOROUGH
ASSISTANT EDITOR: OWEN MEYRICK,
WHITE HOUSE, MARLBOROUGH
VOLE: ELV:
Nos. 194—197. JUNE, 1951—DECEMBER, 1952
DEVIZES:
C. H. WOODWARD, EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, STATION, ROAD.
DECEMBER, 1952
im
Ai
‘i ei
Se
ay
CONTENTS OF VOL. LIV
No. CXCIV. JUNE, 1951
The Geology of the Corallian Ridge near Wootton
Bassett and Lyneham, Wilts: By W. J. Arkell,
TEV IS yGisc LRU RRS le te i a a
Some Wiltshire Fonts. Part II: By A. G. Randle
The Battle of Meretune, 871: By E. H. Lane Poole
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History
Society Natural History Section: Field Meetings
and Lectures, 1950; Report by the Hon. Meetings
Seenetary, Margaret: BH! Nurse... ...c.0.cesessnedssees
Wiltshire Bird Notes FOR 1949: Ruth G. Barnes,
IMeBL@:U., and Guy: Persons iy... 53.0.400.0sSeece esate
Arrivals and Departures of Migrants, 1950.............
The Redwing and Fieldfare Enquiry in Wiltshire:
Py May PACE NULESE) 1. ccs Seuisco edocs sea c eb sees slethewae dee
Autumn Migration of Passerines: L. Guy Peirson...
Wiltshire Plant Notes—[12]: Recorder: J. Donald
Entomological Report for 1950: By B. W. Weddell
Annual Statement of Accounts of the Natural
Friscony Section, L950. oo osc. 6b. csscenceccoccccccsennes
The 1801 Crop Returns for Wiltshire: By H. C. K.
fenderson. Pil. MuAn BeSe:. eine al
The Application of Steam Power to the Wiltshire
Textile Industry in the Early 19th Century: By
KA. Pelham. M,A., Ph.D., F-R.Hist.S.:....:.......:.
In Memoriam Maud Edith Cunnington..................
NOTES.—A Sarum Grant of the 16th Century.
Wardens of Savernake Forest. Berlegh Chapel,
South Wraxall. Roman Boscombe. An Unusual
“Guide”. The Historical Association, West
Wilts Branch. The de Flore or Flower family.....
Oe S oe
he ait
PAGE
1— 18
19— 35
36— 40
41— 43
44— 60
61— 67
68— 72
73— 74
75— 79
80— 83
84
85— 91
92—103
104—106
107—112
iv CONTENTS TO VOL. LIV.
PAGE
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles............... 113-117
Waltshine“@bituaries. 22005 (ue ee ee 118—119
Accessions to the County Record Office................ 120-125
Additions to Museum and Libratry......2 2 122
No. CXCV. DECEMBER, 1951
The Excavation of Iron Age Villages on Boscombe
Down West: By Miss K. M. Richardson, F.S.A.... 123—168
Chartism in Wiltshire: By R. B. Pugh, F.S.A.......... 169—184
Salisbury Companies & Their Ordinances, With
Particular Reference to the Woodworking Crafts :
By Gey. Eltringham, BA: E.R GS: 3 eee: 185—191
Some Wiltshire Fonts. Part III: By A. G. Randle
1B OTC! Feit 3 ane nes ene ee MORMON TEMES Ne natin a i 192—209
Bradford-on-Avon. The Saxon Boundaries in
Ethelred’s Charter of 1001 A.D.: By J. H. P.
PattOr Gs i A Orla gee Renee 210—218
Annual General Meeting and Excursions............... e1G= 225
Accessions to the County Record Office................ 225
NOTES.—The National Grid. Medieval Pottery
found at Oaksey. A Noteon Stone Axes. Bronze
Implement from Manningford Bohune Down. A
Skeletonvom Gham FIN. me. ee eye ee 226—228
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles............... 229—236
Wiltshire Obituaries... c.0.cc00/cssesseerctsaconeestieece 237239
ist Of NemBErS E14) Sdeiais verses | cs olede enc eee 240—251
Additions, to: Museum and Library...:. 9:3... 202-255
Accounts of the Society for the Year 1950............., 254—256
CONTENTS TO VOL. LIV.
No; CXCVI, -JUNE?1952
The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire : By the late
IMiaehael. Wyndham Mughes. ..:.2..0.....ciee. edie ee se
More About Cumberwell: By G. J. Kidston, C.M.G.
An Analysis of the Parliamentary Representation of
Wiltshire, 1688—1714: by Robert G. Stuckey, B.A.
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History
Society Natural History Section. Field Meet-
ings and Lectures, 1951: Report by the Hon.
Meetings Secretary, Margaret E. Nurse..............
Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951: recorders, Ruth G.
Barnes, M.B.0.U. and Guy Peirson....:..2.:...........
' The Redstart in Wiltshire : Recorder, Cyril Rice.....
A Nineteenth-Century Bird Watcher: Transcribed
yarn, JACODS Mi ar ieee nl i Ee cee,
Wiltshire Plant Notes [13]: Recorder, J. Donald
Entomological Report for 1951: By B. W. Weddell
The Robinson Light Trap for Moths: Charles Floyd
Annual Statement of Accounts of the Natural
IeMiScory. Section: L951 ooo. eae cdcns dadeaevceees
The Provisioning of Edward I’s Journey Through
Wiltshire in 1302: by R. A. Pelham, M.A., Ph.D.,
NISC OE Ss ee ak se ie oan 8a kre tie does duels wee
NoTeEs.—A Parallel fnom Amiens for the Rudge
Cup. Battle of Mertune. Possible climatic origin
of Lower Greensand sarsens. Wiltshire Spas and
Mineral Wells, etc. Stonehenge. Preshute Font.
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles...............
Wraltchnre Obitarlessc er. ee ek veloc cencscvescceles
Accessions to the County Record Office................
Additions to Museum and Library........................
Accounts of the Society for the Year 1951..............
PAGE
297—278
279—288
289—304
305—307
308—326
327—331
332—338
339—343
344—347
347—348
349
350—360
361—366
367—370
S71
373—374
375—376
377
378—380
vi CONTENTS TO VOL. LIV.
PAGE
No. CXCVII. DECEMBER, 1952
A Trial Flint Mine at Durrington, Wiltshire: By A. |
mt. .J. Booth and J. FE. S. Stone, FistAvs: 2. ee 381—388
Dinton and Little Clarendon: By H. F. Chettle,
SONG SN Ay dr tee ne 389—403
The Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet Hill, Kilmington
Parish: By Stuart Pig gote.. i ae eee 404—410
Quidhampton in North Wilts: By June Wilson...... 411—415
The Note Book of a Wiltshire Farmer in the Early
Seventeenth Century: By Eric Kerridge, B.A.,
PhD i A re er 416—428
Some Wiltshire Fonts. Part IV: By A. G. Randle.
Bich ee ee 429—434
NOTES.—Stonehenge and the Winter Solstice. A
Palaeolith from Heytesbury. The Imber Church
of St. Giles. The Grave on the Devizes-Beck-
hampton Road. Medieval Pottery at Overton.
Lost Place-Names. Proposed Agricultural History
Society. Decay of Churches. The Cricklade
Historical Society. John Britton: A bibliograph-
ical note.” sAn old nutcracker... 0... 7.4...) 435—442
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles............... 443448
Waltshire Obituaries... s..ceeeee ee 449—451
A Neolithic Chalk Cup from Wilsford in the Devizes
Museum: and Notes on Others: by Nicholas
MEHOMmas. (\CULACOL! .. ee eae 452—463
Annual General-Meetins) 1952..5..2).. eee 464—468
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History
SOclety MECOEUS DEANCh:\... 00. 60 ee eee 469—470
Accessions to the County Record Office............... 471
Additions to Museum and Library: ..:..<:2:cc.42 ck 472
See a eR Oe EE ie ee 473—484
CONTENTS TO VOL. LIV. vil
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 1; Index map to geological maps of the Corallian ridge, 4.
Fig. 2: Geological map of Spirt Hill, 9. Map of Geology of
Wootton Bassett and Lyneham, opp. 18. Some Wiltshire
Fonts. Plates I—IV. (figs. 17—32); 24—25. ~ Plates V—VI
(figs. 33—40), 32—33. Map showing distribution of Redwing
and Fieldfare observers, 68. Diagram—vTotal Numbers of
Fieldfares and Redwings observed, 70. Map of cereal crops
from parish returns, 87. Map of Wiltshire textile factories,
1838, 93. Excavations of Iron Age Villages on Boscombe
Down West :—Fig. 1, General Plan, opp. 125; Fig. 2, Area
Q, 126; Plates I, II, Features of Area Q, 126—127; Fig. 3,
Working Floor, 128; Fig. 4, Area R, 130; Fig. 5, Areas R and
Q, Pits, 132; Plate III, Skeleton, Ditch: Plate IV, Belgic
Ditches, 132—133: Fig. 6, Section of Belgic Ditches, 134:
Plate V, Inner Ditch: Plate VI, Oven Daub, 136—137; Fig.
7, 8,9 Iron Age A Pottery, 141, 143, 144; Fig. 10, 11, Iron
Age A and B Pottery, 146, 148; Fig. 12, 13, Belgic Pottery,
151, 152; Fig. 14, Roman Pottery, 153; Fig. 15, 16, Metal
Objects, 155, 156: Fig. 17, Objects of Bone, 157; Fig. 18,
Objects of Pottery, clay, stone, 158; Fig. 19, Querns, 160.
Chartism in Wiltshire, Plates :—Notice of Public Meeting,
1838, opp. 171; Caution Notice, 1839, opp. 178; French
Republic, Notice, 1848, opp. 182. Some Wiltshire Fonts :—
Plates VII, VIII (figs. 41—47), 192—193; Plates IX—XII (figs.
48—63), 198—199. Bradford-on-Avon, 1001 A.D., Plate :—
Anglo-Saxon text of boundaries, opp. 210. Map of Marl-
borough, 272. Cumberwell: Plates I and ITI, 284—285 ; Cum-
berwell House in the early nineties of the last century, Cum-
berwell gate piers now at Avebury, The Cumberwell district
in 1773. Redstart Recording Chart, 329. Map of Redstart
Nesting Areas, 330. Map of Edward I’s route through Wilt-
shire, 351. A Trial Flint Mine at Durrington, Wiltshire :—
Fig. 1, Sections of pits and pit-shafts 1 to 5, 383; Fig. 2, Plans
at floor level below pit-shafts 4 and 5, 386; Fig. 3, Petit
tranchet derivative from pit-shaft 5, 387. Dinton and Little
Clarendon :—Map, 396—397. The Neolithic Camp on White-
sheet Hill, Kilmington Parish:—Fig. 1, Plan, 405; Fig. 2,
407; Fig.3, Neolithic sherds from Cutting 1, 408. A Palaeolith
from Heytesbury, 436. A old nutcracker, 440. A Neolithic
chalk cup from Wilsford in the Devizes Museum: and notes
on others :—Fig. 1, 453; Fig. 2, 455.
13
Reh
eS th
Neh
Palas
:
i i yf 1S
Po 1 ue 195]
No. CXCIV . wSJUNE, 1951 Vol. LIV
The Wiltshire
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
SOCIETY FORMED IN THAT COUNTY IN THE YEAR 1853
HON. EDITOR HON. ASSISTANT EDITOR
Pe CG. BRENTINALL, F-.S.A. OWEN MEYRICK
GRANHAM WEST, MARLBOROUGH WHITE HOUSE, MARLBOROUGH
The authors of the papers printed in this Magazine are alone responsible
for all statements made therein
: DEVIZES
-PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY C. H. WOODWARD,
EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, STATION ROAD
Price Eos. 6d. Members gratis
The Wiltshire Archeological & Natural History Society
The annual subscription is £1 with an entrance fee of 10s. A
payment of £20 secures life-membership of the Society.
Members who have not paid their subscriptions to the Society
for the current year are requested to remit the same forthwith
to the Financial Secretary, MR. R. D. OWEN, Bank Chambers,
Devizes, to whom also all communications as to the supply of
Magazines should be addressed.
The numbers of this Magazine will be delivered gratis, as issued,
to members who are not in arrear of their annual subscrip-
tions; but in accordance with Byelaw No. 8 “The Financial
Secretary shall give notice to members in arrear, and the
Society’s publications will not be forwarded to members whose
subscriptions shall remain unpaid after such notice”.
An Index for the preceding eight volumes of the Magazine
will be found at the end of vols. vili., xvi., xxiv., and xxxil.
The subsequent volumes are each indexed separately.
Articles and other communications intended for the Magazine,
and correspondence relating to them, should be addressed to
the Editor, Granham West, Marlborough ;
All other correspondence, except as specified elsewhere on this
cover, to the Hon. Assistant Secretary, Mr. Owen Meyrick,
The White House, Cardigan Road, Marlborough.
The Records Branch
Founded in 1937 for the publication of original documents
for the history of the county. The subscription is £1 yearly.
New members are urgently needed. All correspondence should
go to Mr. W. T. Watkins, 114, Leigh Road, Westbury, Wilts.
The Branch has issued the following :—
ABSTRACTS OF FEET OF FINES RELATING TO WILT-
SHIRE FOR THE REIGNS OF EDWARD I AND EDWARD
i Edited: by Ro B:; Pugh, 1939) Pp xix <_ 190;
ACCOUNTS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY GARRISONS OF
GREAT CHALFIELD AND MALMESBURY, 1645—1646. Ed-
ited by J. H. P. Pafford. 1940. Pp. 112.
CALENDAR “OR” ANTROBUS DEEDS BEFORE _ 1625
Edited by R. B. Pugh. 1947. .Pp lv + 165.
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS IN SESSIONS, 1563, 1574—
1592. Edited by H: C. Johnson. 1949, Pp. xxviii + 246.
Copies of three of these can be obtained on application to Mr.
Watkins. The second is out of print.
The Wiltshire
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
ING. GXGIN JUNE, 1951 | Vol. LIV.
CONTENTS PAGE
THE GEOLOGY OF THE CORALLIAN RIDGE NEAR
WOOTTON BASSETT AND LYNEHAM, WILTS:
ee We Ae Kell: IDDS:,.-F ARIS.) celcc it eeckeaes Di cecass is}
SOME WILTSHIRE FONTS. PART II: By A. G.
PeCMAGICU ICL ee AP he lesan cet navs ee nees ed cacshs {OES 3D
THE BATTLE OF MERETUNE, 871: By E. H. Lane
GOMER T on ee te a eC elo: 36— 40
WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL
HISTORY SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY SECTION.
FIELD MEETINGS AND LECTURES, 1950 : Report
by the Hon. Meetings Secretary, Margaret E.
Nites ureter pe oe HET Es se el Al 43
WILTSHIRE BIRD NOTES FOR 1949: Ruth G.
Bamnes) NoB-O.U. and Guy. Peirson............-...:s0< 44. 60
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES OF MIGRANTS, 1950 61— 67
THE REDWING AND FIELDWARE ENQUIRY IN
WUMIUESHIRE : Margaret HE. Nurse’.......00..0002... 68— 72
AUTUMN MIGRATION OF PASSERINES.:: L. Guy
SISO Meenas clan CR sal ae, Gwe
WILTSHIRE PLANT NOTES—[12] : Recorder: J.
DWomald Grose are La fo 9
ENTOMOLOGICAL REPORT FOR 1950: By B. W.
Wyeddelere iy is. Pn eee One cuit ON. Was RC 80— 83
il
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS OF THE
INATURAL HISTORY SECTION, 1959-0.
THE 1801 CROP RETURNS FOR WILTSHIRE: By
I CAK Henderson) PhD? NWA. Bisse) 2
THE APPLICATION OF STEAM POWER TO THE
WILTSHIRE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN THE EARLY
19TH CENTURY: By R. A. Pelham, M.A., Ph.D.,
ROIS EIS cc Megs Sts or Neen Ci inet OU NS inte ie i a
IN MEMORIAM MAUD EDITH CUNNINGTON......
NOTES.—A Sarum Grant of the 16th Century.
Wardens of Savernake Forest. Berlegh Chapel,
South Wraxall. Roman Boscombe. An Unsual
“ Guide”. The Historical Association, West
Wilts Branch. The de Flore or Flower family....
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND ARTICLES
WiITSHIRE OBITUARIES 300.5050 6 esos cee eee
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE...
ADDITIONS TO MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
@seceeeoe esos
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fig. 1. Index map to geological maps-of the Coral-
EOS a(G LOR COL eee tey cease emer a
Fis) 2. Geological map of Spirt Hill
Map of Geology of Wootton Bassett and Lyneham
Plates I—IV (figs. 17—32). Some Wiltshire Fonts
Plates V—_VI (igs: 33-—40:
Map showing distribution of Redwing and Fieldfare
GDSCEVICES Heese see eee kk meee cod eee aN eee Tortie
Diagram—Total Numbers of Fieldfares and Red-
WVUMOSTODSEEVCU is alice ckdiow a. aoe. sche eee
99 99 99
©eceesceceeceoeerne vee
Map of cereal crops from parish returns
Map of Wiltshire textile factories, 1838
eres eee ee ees ss oee
PAGE
84.
85— 91
92—103
104—106
107-2
el 3 ale
118—119
120-1
122
4
9
opp. 18
2425
32-33
68
70
87
93
DEVIZES: C. H. WOODWARD, EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, STATION ROAD.
THE WILTSHIRE MAGAZINE
MULTORUM MANIBUS GRANDE LEVATUR ONUS
INO CXCIV JUNE, 1951 VOL. LIV
THE GEOLOGY OF THE CORALLIAN RIDGE
NEAR WOOTTON BASSETT AND LYNEHAM,
WILTS
By. WJ. sARKELE? D:Sc.,:F.R.S.
1. INTRODUCTION
From Wheatley, beyond Oxford, there runs westwards and
south-westwards a range of low hills past Faringdon, Highworth,
Purton, Wootton Bassett and Hilmarton to Calne, a distance
of about 50 miles. To the north, separating them from the
foothills of the Cotswolds, lies the vale of the Oxford Clay,
along which the Upper Thames and the Upper Avon flow east
and west from alow watershed around Braydon Forest. To
the south, separating the range from the escarpment of the
Chalk, runs another clay vale, formed of the Kimeridge Clay
and Gault Clay, part of which is the Vale of White Horse.
This range of hills is the Corallian ridge of the geologists.
It is built of a sand and limestone formation, the Corallian
Beds, of which the most conspicuous member is a rubbly lime-
stone called the Coral Rag, made up largely of fossil corals in
position of growth, and the molluscs and sea-urchins that lived
on and in the reef. To geographers the range is a cuesta or
tilted tableland, with the steep escarpment edge facing north
or north-west, and the gradual dip-slope or counterscarp
running down to the south-east or south, where it sinks
beneath the Kimeridge Clay.
Such is the structure of the ridge reduced to the simplest
terms. But detailed investigation almost anywhere along its
fifty miles reveals complications of structure and stratigraphy.
The ridge is in fact full of interest from end toend. Its com-
ponent strata vary considerably in thickness and facies from
VOL. LIV—CXCIV. A
2 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
place to place. In some parts there are as many as three cora
rags one above another, separated by sands and clays. Similarly
the sands and clays locally wedge out and disappear. By
tracing out these changes on the ground and collecting the
fossils it is possible to reconstruct something of the vicissitudes
through which the area passed during the million years or so
that the Corallian period lasted. Then there are structures
superimposed zons later by folding and faulting, and others
much later still, produced during the sculpturing of the rocks
by rain, rivers and frost to form the present landscape. Wash-
ing out of the sands and clays along spring lines has undermined
the Coral Rag plateau in some places so that it sags down the
hill-sides and produces structures simulating folds.
Fascinating problems are posed by the relation of the rivers
and streams to the geological structure. The river Cole at
Sevenhampton and Coleshill, the Bydemill Brook at Highworth,
and the Ray at Moredon cut through from the south side of
the ridge to join the Thames on the north. Similarly the
Brinkworth Brook, one of the headwaters of the Avon, cuts
through the ridge at Wootton Bassett and flows into the sea at
Bristol. Such anomalies lead directly to the problem of the
origin of the natural drainage pattern of England, and afford
the truly scientific because inductive approach to the widest
problems.
In an otherwise clay landscape the ridge has supplied building
stone from time immemorial. Out of the rubbly Coral Rag
everywhere to be had for the opening of a small quarry have
grown up the stone-built villages and towns which have a
characteristic appearance due to their random-rubble masonry.
In the smaller villages the grey rubble walls were usually left
bare, but in the towns, Wootton Bassett, Purton, Highworth
and Faringdon, they were as often lime-washed in various
shades of cream, yellow and pink.
To one who, like the writer, was born and brought up on
the ridge, these small country towns with their gaily coloured
streets, from the end of which beckon views of the~ distant
downs or the blue flat Thames valley, are a peculiarly precious
element of the English scene. So too are the intervening miles
of cornfields and elm trees. Many miles still remain unspoilt,
but some of the most attractive stretches of all, around
Blunsdon, Stanton, Moredon, have fallen before the builder as
Stratigraphy 3
Swindon has sprawled northwards, and the process of establish-
ing a featureless sea of red brick still goes on apace. In the
last twenty years four gaping wounds have been torn in some
of the most rural parts of the ridge to make the airfields at
Lyneham, Stanton, Watchfield, and Kingston Bagpuize.
The map accompanying this paper completes the geological
resurvey of the Corallian ridge on the 6 in. scale which the
writer began at Highworth more than twenty years ago, and
has published at intervals during the last fifteen years. The
present map links up with the revision by the Geological
Survey published on the 1 in. scale on the Marlborough sheet
in 1925. The Marlborough sheet includes the Corallian out-
crop from near its beginning south of Calne to Tockenham
Wick. The maps listed below in order carry on to the point
where the ridge disappears in the clay land that stretches from
Wheatley to the Humber. Fig. 1 (p. 4) is an index map.
2. STRATIGRAPHY
The Corallian Beds of the Wootton Bassett and Lyneham
area comprise the following subdivisions.
(Kimeridge Clay above)
Subdivisions of the Marlborough Lithological subdivisions now recognised ;
Survey Map and Memoir maximum thickness in feet.
Upper Calcareous 7. Red Down Ironsand, 0-5 ft.
Grit 6.: Red Down Clay, 20-25 ft.
. 5: »Coral Rag, 10>ft:
Coral Rag Series 4. Pisolite and oolite, 12 ft.
3. Highworth Grit, 0-9 ft.
ge Preous 2. Highworth Clay, 0-15 ft.
1. Lower Calcareous Grit, 0-40 ft.
(Oxford Clay below)
The following are notes on the seven subdivisions and
remarks on correlation with other areas.
1. Lower Calcareous Grit. This consists of false-bedded
(current-bedded) yellow sands and loams with lenticular bands
and doggers of calcareous sandstone. The maximum thickness
in the present area is about 40 ft., on the outlier of Grittenham
2A
The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
SITIW FO FIVIS © AVN 20
\ Liassva NOLLOOM
. AZODIVL AYVIg A
‘, NCMIN: MS
ee =
a
AYOOWLO
Lower Calcareous Grit 5)
Hill* No significant fossils such as ammonites are known. In
the Calne and Seend area, however, where a thickness of 70 ft.
is reached, there have been extensive quarries, from which
many ammonites were obtained in the past. The area is the
type area of the Cordatus sub-zone of the Cordatus zone, the
e specimen of the index fossil, Cardioceras cordatum (J.
Sowerby), having come from the grit of Wiltshire, probably
tat Hinton, near Semington.” When the quarries were working
jmany fine ammonites were obtained at Derry Hill, Seend Cleeve,
Conygre Farm, and Hinton, and are to be seen in the museums.
They include Aspidoceras acuticostatum (Young & Bird),
A. nikitini Borissjak, Cardioceras cordatum (Sowerby), C. per-
secans (Buckman), C. galeiferum (Buckman), C. ashtonense
1 Not 50 ft. as stated by Hull and often repeated in the literature.
2 The type specimen, previously in doubt, has been stabilised by the
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (Bull. Zool. Nomencl.,
1950, vol. iv, p. 392) as that figured as such in the Monograph on the
Ammonites of the English Corallian Beds (Palzontographical Society), p. 311,
pl. Ixviii, fig. 1.
Key to Index Map opposite
1. The present map. (Facing p. 18).
2. Northern edge of the Geological Survey 1 in. map, 1925,
Marlborough sheet (266). (In part corrected on map 1).
3. Map of the Corallian Beds around Purton, Wilts. 1941,
Wilts Arch. Nat. Hist. Mag., vol. xlix, p. 282.
4. Map of the Corallian Beds about Highworth, Wilts.
1941, Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. lii, p. 108, pl. 5. (Some revisions
in Arkell, 1947, Geology of Oxford, p. 142, fig. 23).
5. Map of the Corallian Beds between Marcham and Far-
ingdon, Berkshire. 1939, Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. 1, p. 508, pl. 30.
(Neighbourhood of Cherbury Camp revised in Oxoniensia,
vol. vii (for 1942), p. 8).
6. Cumnor Hills. 1935, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xci,
p. 110. pl. vi. (Revised Arkell, 1947, Geology of Oxford, p. 82,
fig. 12).
7. Wytham Hills. Geology of Oxford, 1947, p. 146, fig. 25.
8. East of Oxford: Elsfield and Beckley to Wheatley. 1943,
Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xcviii, p. 204, pl. vil.
9. Cowley-Littlemore area. Mapped for Oxford City
Council, 1946. Unpublished.
6 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
Arkell, C. stella Arkell, Goliathiceras robustum (Buckman),
G. nitidum Arkell, G. cyclops Arkell, G. og Arkell, G. repletum
Maire, and G. pseudo-goliath Maire. (For figures of all these
species, see the monograph just cited).
The highest few feet of the grit, notably at Seend Cleeve
quarry, are very shelly and seem to have yielded the few
ammonites of later date known from the district.’ This highest
shelly block probably represents the Highworth Limestones in
age and belongs to the base of the next-higher zone, that of
Perisphinctes plicatilis.
On both the Old Series map of 1859 (sheet 34) and the New
Series of 1925 (Marlborough sheet, 266), Lower Calcareous
Grit is not shown along most of the outcrop between Hilmarton
and Lyneham. There is a similar gap, where Coral Rag
appears to rest directly on Oxford Clay, for a mile between
Vastern and the scarp opposite Wootton Bassett church. The
explanation of this is still uncertain: the sand may never have
been deposited, or may have been removed by erosion during
the Jurassic, the Coral Rag or Highworth Clay overstepping on
to Oxford Clay, or it may have been washed out at the seepage-
line. Washing out at the seepage-line may be a plausible
explanation on the down-dip side of the plateau, around
Goatacre, but even there the edges, including the long finger-
like spurs of Coral Rag, such as that forming Beacon Hill, are
not appreciably cambered. Moreover, here and there signs of
sand appear, as so often in the Purton area, where also the Old
Series map showed it as absent. For instance, there is a
distinct seepage line at a level well below the Coral Rag and
pisolite on both sides of Catcomb, indicating that the Lower
Calcareous Grit is present though loamy; while in other places
there are small exposures of yellow sand, as in two rabbit-
watrens on either side of the valley adjacent to the fault N.E.
of Upper Littlecott Farm. (In both places the Survey maps
mark no Calcareous Grit). In any case, washing out of the
sand could hardly apply on the north side of the plateau near
Clack, nor at Wootton Bassett. The Clack plateau is not
dome-shaped as is the Blunsdon plateau, which shows marked
signs of cambering almost all round.” The Clack plateau, by
contrast, has remarkably sharp edges, apparently free from the
down-bending called cambering.
1 Monograph, op. cit., p. 270.
2 Arkell, 1947, Geology of Oxford. p. 142, fig. 23.
Highworth Clay 7
Near Blind Mill, Lyneham, where the sands of Vastern and
Tockenham Wick suddenly end off, they seem to become
loamy and wedge out below a clay which immediately underlies
the Coral Rag and pisolite. This clay is probably the Highworth
Clay (see below).
Since the subject is still obscure, sand has been shown on
the accompanying map only where signs of it have been
actually seen, and no attempt has been made to join up the
occurrences by a dotted line.
Anyone fortunate enough to see sections in the future should
look for evidence for and against the following six possibilities: —
1. Lateral passage of sand into clay.
2. Local deposition of sand as sandbanks.
3. Local deposition of sand in channels eroded in the clay
(as with the North Wilts Lower Greensand).
4. Removal of sand by pre-Coral Rag erosion.
5. Removal of sand in post-Mesozoic times by circulating
underground water.
6. Local creation of sand by removal of interstitial clay
from dun loam by circulating underground water.
On the present inadequate evidence I favour a combination
Gienos. L225) and 6.
2. Highworth Clay. Lonsdale in 1832 drew attention to a
marly clay overlying the Lower Calcareous Grit sands at Spirt
Hill, where he saw 12 ft. of it exposed ina quarry.’ Blake &
Hudleston in 1877 noticed this clay at Calne, where it underlies
the Calne Oolite,’ and the Survey (1925, Marlborough Memoir,
p. 20) estimated that it may be there 25-30 ft. thick. I made
descriptions of the Spirt Hill quarry in 1924 and 1931. The
details vary considerably but the two accounts give the
following succession :—
Quarry at Spirt Hill W.d.A., 1924 and 1931)
Fe. Ins:
ve Soil ae ce ae cae
6. Clay, grey-blue to grey-green ; seen to ae So 16)
5. Limestone, tough, grey, oolitic, impersistent,
passing laterally into clay. Pecten fibrosus.... he @
-! Lonsdale’s section reproduced in the Marlborough Memoir, p. 20.
2 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., 1877, vol. xxxili, p. 290.
8 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
| Ft. Ins.
4. Pebble bed: marl full of white-coated rounded
pebbles of mudstone, bored and encrusted
with Serpule: also Grypheza lituola (Lam.),’
G. dilatata (Sow.), Lopha gregarea (Sow.),
Exogyra nana (Sow.), Ctenostreon proboscideum
(Sow Dai ye ay an at 4
3. Interlaminated clay and fine sand with irony
nodules (clay-galls); uneven junction with
bed below 10 es
2. Coarse current-bedded sands with hard doggers Sener)
1. Limestone, hard, shelly, blue-centred, the out-
side soft and ironstained. The quarrymen
said this contained ammonites and wood ... 220
Limestones below, according to quarrymen.
The limestones of Bed 1 and below were quarried to 6 ft. in
Lonsdale’s day, and may be compared with those once quarried
for walling and building-stone at Catcomb quarry, described
by Blake & Hudleston, who noted in them the significant fossil
Rhynchonella thurmanni.” Beds 1 to 3 at Spirt Hill are un-
doubtedly Lower Calcareous Grit. Bed 4 probably corresponds
with the basal pebble bed of the Berkshire Oolite Series, bed 5
to the Highworth Limestones (of which it is but a vestige),
and bed 6 to the Highworth Clay. The total thickness of the
clay on this hill must be at least 15 ft.
Temporary excavations in the clay about 1923 yielded to the
Survey some fragmentary and crumbling ammonites, which
unfortunately have not survived. They were recorded in the
Marlborough Memoir (p. 18) as indicating the Scarburgense
Zone, which is below the Oxford Clay worked at Purton brick-
yard; but since the clay overlies the Lower Calcareous Grit of
the highest sub-zone of the Cordatus Zone, there must have
been a misidentification. Vertebriceras cf. dorsale Buckman,
also recorded, is a fossil of the Plicatilis Zone about Oxford,
and this is much more likely to be the correct age of the clay.
An outlier caps Grittenham Hill (summit 445 ft. O.D.).°
1 Figured, Arkell, Monograph of the British Corallian Lamellibranchia
Palzontographical Society, p 250, pl. liv, figs. 3, 6, and pl. liii, fig. 2.
2 1877, op. cit., p. 294, bed 3.
5’ Height from the Ordnance Survey Office, 1950.
Grits on Spirt Hill 9
HIGHWORTH GRIT
HIGHWORTH CLAY
LOWER CALCAREOUS
Git:
OXFORD CLAY HALE MILE
Fig. 2. Geological map of Spirt Hill. (For location see left bottom corner of Fig. 1).
See text, page 7. (Traced by W. T. Wright from field slips).
10 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
3. Highworth Grit. On top of Spirt Hill is a small outlier of
yellow sand, which was exposed to 9 ft. in a pit on the west
side of the road about 300 yards north of the chapel. The Marl-
borough Memoir (p. 21) states that this pit shows © lower beds ”
than the clay; but the sand undoubtedly rests upon the clay.
In order to establish this succession I made, many years ago, a
detailed geological map of the hill, which is now reproduced as
Fig.2. The sand apparently represents the Highworth Grit,
which likewise follows upon the Highworth Clay around
Highworth and in Berkshire (Hatford district). There are
indications of the same sequence, a band of clay (shown by
seepage) between two sands, in the escarpment near the south
end of Hillocks Wood, at Lyneham Camp. Sand was formerly
worked in a sand pit here, on the escarpment edge midway
between Lyneham Camp and Lyneham Folly, and since the
section is now totally obliterated, for the sake of record I print
the following description from my notebook.
Sand pit between Lyneham Camp and Folly (W. J. A., 1924)
Ft. Ins.
3. Coral Rag : usual fossils PRIA)
2. Pebble bed: oolitic grey marl oh conte rolled
pebbles, as at Tockenham Wick i 5
1. Yellow sand, with a considerable amount of
interlaminated clay, and a few ironstone con-
cretions, seen to a ss 7 =O
I was told that about 4 ft. below de coe of aa pit there
lay a thick band of hard blue-centred stone, which used to be
quarried in extensive workings in the neighbouring allotments,
where it occurs nearer the surface; and that a man near by
started to dig a well by himself but reached this stone, which
he could not break, and had to give up.
The pebble bed (bed 2) here is that at the base of the Coral
Rag at Tockenham Wick and elsewhere, not that at the base
of the clay at Spirt Hill; but the sand below (bed 1) and the
hard blue-hearted stone under it suggest correlation with beds
1 to 3 at Spirt Hill. In that case the seepage below the sand
(bed 1) at Lyneham Camp may possibly be due to the strong,
hard, impervious stone band, rather than to a band of High-
worth Clay. But since Highworth Clay caps Grittenham Hill,
opposite, its presence in the main outcrop at this point is
Pisolite and oolite: Coral Rag 11
probable, and it is shown on the present map to account for
the seepage at the Camp. Moreover, clay occurs immediately
below the Coral Rag and pisolite at Lyneham Folly, before the
underlying Lower Calcareous Grit disappears. Where yellow
sand immediately underlies the pisolite or Coral Rag, it may be
either Highworth Grit or Lower Calcareous Grit proper, and
only one sign for these sands can be used onthe map. The
same difficulty was encountered in the Highworth district and
discussed in a previous paper.’
4. Pisolite and oolite; 5. Coral Rag. These subdivisions
are subject to almost endless variation and have been well
described, with considerable detail, in the Marlborough Memoir
(1925, pp. 21-27). Over much of the district, especially in the
south, about Goatacre and Preston, coarse oolite and pisolite
underlies the Coral Rag, but towards the west and north Coral
Rag tends to rest almost or quite directly on the sands, loams,
and clays already described. For instance, near Lyneham
Camp, as seen in the sandpit just described, and at Tockenham
Wick quarry (figured in the Marlborough Memoir, Plate IIb),
only a hard pebbly and shelly limestone bed, 1 ft. thick or less,
Sepatates the two, On the other hand, at Goatacre and
Preston there is pisolite and oolite 12 ft. thick,® which was
extensively used for building-stone at Goatacre and Hilmarton
and in all the neighbourhood.
There are innumerable small exposures of both Coral Rag
and pisolite along the escarpment edge and in the sides of the
steep gullies that notch the plateau, but the old quarries are
almost obliterated. Blake & Hudleston published valuable
accounts of two quarries, at Catcomb and Green’s Cleeve,*
which showed respectively 9 ft. and 6 ft. of oolite and pisolite
underlying Coral Rag and overlying Lower Calcareous Grit.
There is still a similar section by the steps on the north side of
the Wootton Bassett road 300 yds. E.N.E. of Tockenham Wick
main (Wootton Bassett road) quarry. Pisolite is also exposed
about Blind Mill and the Folly, Lyneham ; east of Trow Lane:
in Vastern Wood; and at the quarry N.W. of Vastern Manor
House. This quarry shows a 6 ft. section with Coral Rag
1 Proc. Geol. Assoc., 1941, vol. lii, pp. 85, 86-91.
2 This bed was described but wrongly correlated in an earlier paper by me,
1927, Phil. Trans. Royal Soc., vol. ccxvi B, p. 117-118.
3 Blake & Hudleston, 1877, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xxxiii, p. 293.
4 1877, loc. cit., p. 294. Now Godsell Farm (west of present map).
1D. The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
resting on oolite. Probably to some extent these rocks are
mutually replacive, as in other districts. No attempt is made
to separate them on the map, but the Coral Rag, being always
on top, has by far the largest outcrop.
A feature of the pisolite at Goatacre quarry when I collected
there in 1924 was an unusual abundance of the giant tropical-
looking marine gastropod known to Blake & Hudleston and
others as Phasianella striata. Dr. Cox has shown that it ranges
up from the Inferior Oolite and that its correct name is
Bourguetia saemanni(Oppel).’ Goatacre was Sowerby’s locality.
Where Brinkworth Brook and the railways cut through the
narrow ridge west of Wootton Bassett station, for a distance
of half a mile the Coral Rag is replaced by a marly facies as at
Hilmarton and at Littlemore near Oxford, called the Littlemore
Clay Beds facies. In the outcrops beside the brook a short
distance to the south, however, there is normal Coral Rag.
The Littlemore facies has been discussed previously and there
is nothing new to add.”
The Coral Rag of this area is undoubtedly the main Coral
Rag of the outcrop from Purton to Oxford, and the underlying
oolites and pisolite have their counterparts in the white oolite
at Faringdon and the Upper Trigonia Bed and Urchin Marls of
the Faringdon ridge. There are also oolite and pisolite on this
horizon at several places around Highworth: e.g.,at Pennyhooks
Farm, where the greatest thickness of 5 ft. occurs.’ Ammonites
found in these beds at Coxwell and Shellingford include Peri-
sphinctes antecedens Salfeld, P. buckmani Arkell, and P. picker-
ingius (Young & Bird), and indicate the Plicatilis Zone. The
Calne Freestone belongs here.
Hull showed an outlier cf Coral Rag on top of Grittenham
Hill,* and stated that it was to be seen in a small quarry.’ The
hill has a capping of clay into which the auger penetrates with
-ease and on the surface there is no sign of Coral Rag. The
quarry (now ploughed over) is at a lower level and entirely in
Calcareous Grit. If Hull saw corals here they may have been
in a local development of Highworth Limestones (which - at
Highworth contain coral beds).
1 L. R. Cox, 1938, Proc. Malacological Soc., vol. xxiii, p. 59.
2 Arkell, 1927, Phil. Trans. Royal Soc., vol. ccxvi B, pp. 146-7.
8 Arkell, 1941, Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. lii, p. 85.
4 Old Series map, sheet 34.
5 E. Hull, 1858, Geology of Parts of Wilts and Glos. (sheet 34), p. 21.
Red Down Clay and Ironsand 13
6. Red Down Clay. This clay was recognized by Hull a
hundred years ago but misleadingly called by him “ a parting of
clay’. Except for the quotation of Hull’s words, the clay is
neither mentioned in the Marlborough Memoir nor shown
separately on the Survey map of 1925; much of its outcrop 1s
coloured as Coral Rag, but in some places it is included with
the Upper Calcareous Grit. Since the clay is everywhere
between 20 and 25 ft. thick, it is an important feature of the
landscape: it is four or five times as thick as the overlying
Upper Calcareous Grit sands and nearly double the usual thick-
ness of the Coral Rag and pisolite combined. Where seen in
numerous pipe trenches and ditches, and on the auger, it is a
mottled silvery grey, yellow, or chocolate brown clay reminiscent
of the Reading Beds. When wet it acquires a buttery con-
sistency, and it forms some very wet land. Bricks were formerly
made of it at Brick-kiln Copse near Lyneham Folly.
This is the clay that was proved to have a thickness of 23 ft.
in the Red Down boring near Highworth—much the same
thickness as in the present area, and, as in the Highworth
district, it can easily be mapped as a separate formation so long
as the Upper Calcareous Grit sand is developed above. Where
the thin Upper Calcareous Grit sand (here called Red Down
Ironsand) disappears, the Red Down Clay can sometimes be
separated from the Kimeridge Clay by its browner colour when
weathered. As in the Highworth district, no ammonites have
been found in the Red Down Clay. From the presence of
Ostrea delta near Highworth, and from superposition, it may be
tentatively correlated with the Sandsfoot Clay of Dorset, which
likewise has yielded no ammonites but contains Ostrea delta.
7. Red Down Ironsand. Although covering a much larger
sutface area than the underlying clay, this sand is probably
nowhere more than 5 ft. thick. It forms the plateau around
Tockenham and dip-slopes along the east bank of the brook
between that place and Hilmarton. As in the Highworth
district, the characteristic soil is a bright rusty red or brown
loam, comparatively dry where well-drained, but becoming wet
in hollows or where the clay lies close beneath. Where the
thin ironsand feathers out on the clay in level tracts, as at and
east of Lyneham, it is not easy to draw a satisfactory boundary-
line. The only exposures seen were in 1950 in drainage trenches
T1858, op. cit., p. 22.
14 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
for new houses S.S.E. of Lyneham church ; these showed about
4 ft. of sandy loam passing down into the Red Down Clay;
and in 1949 in long trenches for water pipes east of Shaw Farm
and east of Old Farm, Tockenham, showing red and yellow
sands resting on yellow and mottled clay. About Tockenham
the fields carry small fragments of chocolate ironstone.
Evidence of the age of the Red Down Ironsand was provided
by a large excavation for a reservoir on the summit of Red
Down, near Highworth, in 1943. The section showed 3 ft. of
the usual red sand with a basal band of ironstone, resting on
the Red Down Clay, as in the boring of 40 years previously.
But whereas only Pecten midas was revealed by the boring, the
tip-heaps from the reservoir showed that the ironstone contains
fairly abundant ammonites identified as Amceboceras prionodes
(Buckman).’ This indicates that the Red Down Ironsand is
the equivalent of the Sandsfoot Grit of Dorset, but not so high
as the Ringstead Coral Bed or the Westbury Ironstone (Pseudo-
cordata Zone).
That a thin representative of the Westbury Ironstone occurs
in the district is proved by many fine ammonites of the genus
Ringsteadia in the characteristic oolitic ironshot matrix, labelled
Wootton Bassett, in the British Museum. A number were
figured by Salfeld.* I formerly supposed* them to have come
from an old brickyard, but during the recent mapping search
and enquiries failed to reveal any signs of an old brickyard in
a suitable place, and I am driven to the conclusion that the
ammonites must have come from the railway-cutting about
1840, as did those of the same genus from South Marston. The
base of the cutting just east of the station reaches to about the
right level, for in 1949 a new washing shed was built in the
floor of the cutting for the private branch line to the milk
factory, and from the foundations were thrown out Pictonig ot
the next zone above (Pictonia baylei Zone of the basal Kimeridge
Clay).
It is curious that this ironshot stone-band with Ringsteadiz
should occur outside the area where Upper Calcareous Grit
sands are developed and apparently not withthe sands. It was
1 Recorded Arkell, 1947, Monograph on the ammonites of the English
Corallian Beds, Part 13, p. 353 (Palzontographical Society).
2 H. Salfeld, 1917, Monographie der Gattung Ringsteadia, Palzeontographica.
vol. 1x11, pls. viii, ix, x, xi.
8 Arkell, 1927, Phil. Trans. Royal Soc., vol. ccxvi B, p. 151.
General correlation 15
also recorded by William Smith in the canal boring at Toot
Hill, west of Swindon. The fragments of ironstone on the
fields about Tockenham are not oolitic, and no trace of the
large ammonites was seen during the mapping.
The “2 ft. of rotten ferruginous rock” resting on the lime-
stone at Preston quarry, noted by Blake & Hudleston,’ and
referred to in the Marlborough Memoir (p. 27) was not in situ;
it must have been some old hill-wash or solifluxion product.
General correlation
The present state of knowledge on the correlation of these
rocks is shown in the accompanying table.
L 4
5 § Stages Zones N. Wilts Dorset
ms
Kim-
eridge ee Pictonia baylei Lo. Kim. Clay Lo. Kim, Clay
Clay
Ringsteadia Westb : Ringstead Coral Bed
pseudocordata GSO UT ym omseone Ringstead Waxy Clay
A ae
a 7 ; Bree ei Red Down Ironsand Sandsfoot Grit
2) a variocostatus
B 5 ? Red Down Clay Sandsfoot Clay
¢ 1) ? Present at Steeple
fx, . .
a rd Perisphinctes eon ci the Teconie Bele
= O TOMES UTS od famous coral bed
e 5 Coral Rag and Osmington
< Oy Pisolite Oolite Series
— Ay
PS » Perisphinctes Highworth Grit Bencliff Grit
O plicatilis
'}) Highworth Clay Nothe Clay
Highworth Limestones Preston Grit
Z, Cardioceras Calne and Seend |
< cordatum Calcareous Grit Noe Ort
Ew Q
4 m4 Cardioceras Red Nodule Beds at
= © costicardia Purton brickyard Eee acae
ae
o O Cardioceras
= ee bukowskii
(@) = Oxford Clay Oxford Clay
ed Se Quenstedtoceras
A 3 | mari
1877, op. cit., p. 293.
16 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
3. STRUCTURE
For a mile S.W. of Wootton Bassett, where the railway and
the Brinkworth Brook cut through, the Corallian ridge is
narrower than at any other point in the 50 miles from Calne to
Oxford. The Old Series map of 1859 explained this by means
of a strike fault cutting off the Coral Rag and throwing down
Kimeridge Clay. Study of the stratigraphy some 25 years ago
having shown me that this line is accompanied by unusual dips
in the Coral Rag, further investigation of the so-called Wootton
Bassett fault was one of the primary objects of the present
revision.
It has emerged that there is no fault in the text-book sense
of a clean break, but only a narrow monoclinal fold. For a
distance of 4 miles in a N.E.-S.W. direction, along a nearly
straight line, the Coral Rag and Red Down Clay suddenly bend
down towards the S.E., the dip being about 10-15° SE. along a
band about 300 yards wide. (Marked by a line of arrows on
the map). The mile of narrow outcrop S.W. of Wootton
Bassett coincides with the dipping limb of the fold. The dip
measured in the cutting when the Severn Tunnel line was made
was 15°. The steep southern part of Wootton Bassett is also ©
built upon the Coral Rag dip-slope. From Vastern to the Black
Dog only the upper half of the dip-slope of Coral Rag is stripped
(that N.W. of the main road); the other half is still under clay
cover and does not show. By Tockenham Wick the whole
dip-slope is free again and well-displayed, though less steep.
At the N.E. corner of the present map the fold enters Kim-
eridge Clay and is lost to view. The last exposure of dipping
rock-bands under the clay isin a stream gully N.N.E. of Upper
Noremarsh. How far the fold continues under the clay is
unknown, but it is in line with the south-eastern boundary of
the Lydiard Tregoze inlier in the Purton map (1941). Four
miles away, at the other end, it peters out near Lyneham
Vicarage. Possibly it breaks up into two very small synclines,
one on the direct line passing north of the Vicarage, the other
running S.S.W. for a few hundred yards along the depression
between the Vicarage and Pound Farm. Both die out before
reaching the village. :
1S. H. Reynolds & A. Vaughan, 1902, Quart. Journ. Geol., Soc., vol. lviii,
p: Jol:
Structure 17
In the area N.W. of the fold (the upthrown side) little of
the Coral Rag has been left by erosion. The surviving pro-
montories extending to Tockenham Wick and Vastern Wood
are perfectly tabular, like the plateau in the Wootton Bassett—
Lydiard Tregoze—Hook—Greenhill triangle. (Purton map,
1941).
On the S.E. (downthrown) side there are minor structures
which from their parallelism evidently belong to the same
movements. Immediately at the foot of the dipping limb of
the fold is a narrow foresyncline, expressed as a hollow south
of Wootton Bassett and as an elongated ridge capped with Red
Down Ironsand between Lyneham Vicarage and Shaw Farm,
south of Tockenham Wick. Parallel to this on the S.E. runs a
narrow, gentle, anticlinal ripple, on which are the two small
Coral Rag inliers shown on the map. These inliers are not
culminations but are due solely to the greater depth of erosion
at those points.
Farther from the Wootton Bassett monocline there are other
minor shallow folds, but they cease to be so long and obviously
parallel, tending to break up into periclines and troughs or
basins. Tockenham village and Court Farm are on the axis of
a pericline about a mile long, expressed at the surface in Red
Down Ironsand. The southern and south-eastern parts are
deeply eaten into by erosion, and the dip mingles with the
regional dip, producing an unusually straight outcrop on the
left bank of the stream. At the N.E. end this pericline closes
in the horseshoe-shaped depression on three sides of Queen
Court Farm, Tockenham. At the other end it is cut off by a
fault (throw about 20 ft.). There is also a shallow basin
structure under and between Littlecott Farms, but the shape of
this is not apparent. Another pericline or dome is indicated
by the inlier of Coral Rag east of Upper Greenhill Farm, dis-
covered by Mr. Wilfred Edwards (Marlborough Memoir, 1925,
p. 27). Coral Rag can still be seen in this inlier in an extensive
though shallow quarry. It must have been very useful for
road-metal in the midst of this wet clay area.
Superficial structures caused by washing out of sand beneath
the Coral Rag along the spring line (’ cambering’’) occur in
some places, but on the whole the main escarpment edge is
singularly free from them and the process can seldom be
invoked to account for the absence of Lower Calcareous Grit.
VOL. LIV—CXCIV. B
18 The Geology of the Corallian Ridge
There are examples in the park at Tockenham Manor and
around Goatacre. .
Spring action is well-illustrated by the steep-sided narrow
valleys or gullies incised in the edge of the Coral Rag plateau
near Goatacre, and at Blind Mill, Lyneham, and S.E. of
Tockenham Wick. ‘The south-eastern edge of the sand outlier
on Grittenham Hill is cusped by springs, and the cusps sag
considerably. The difference between the S.E. (down-dip)
and N.W. (up-dip) sides of Grittenham Hill illustrates the same
principle as the contrasted sides of the stream valley S.E. of
Tockenham: the S.E. side of the valley has straight, parallel,
formational boundaries, while the boundary of the Red Down
Ironsand on the N.W. side is deeply incised by headward
erosion of springs. These long narrow valleys started with a
cuspate outline as at Grittenham Hill, but the process is farther
developed.
The map was surveyed on the 6 in. scale in September, 1949,
and September, 1950, and has been drawn from the 6 in. field
slips by Mr. W. T. Wright with his usual skill and care.
——
GEOLOGY OF WOOTTON BASSETT
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Red Down Ironsand (O-5 ft.)
Red Down Clay (20-25 Ft.)
Coral Rag
Pisolite
Highworth Grit (O-9Ft,)
Highworth Clay (O-I5Ft.)
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CORALIAN BEDS
Lower Calcareous Grit
(0-40 Ft.)
OXFORD CLAY (up to S00 ft.)
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\ $ ONE MILE
19
SOME WILTSHIRE FONTS. Part II
By A. G. RANDLE BUCK
(Continued from Vol. LIII, p. 470)
Late Norman circular fonts, c. 1150-1200
In the second half of the twelfth century, during which a
large number of the smaller parish churches were built, there
were further developments in the Norman design of fonts, both
as regards shape and ornamentation; also, after the accession
of the Plantagenets to the English throne in 1154 and simultan-
eously with the late Norman style, the new Gothic style was
introduced into this country from France and gradually
developed into the “Early English” style which prevailed
during the greater part of the thirteenth century. In Wiltshire
country churches the transition was somewhat slower than in
some other counties. In order, therefore, to simplify classi-
fication, those fonts which retained more generally the
Romanesque Norman style are dealt with first as being Late
Norman, and others of the plainer type and tending more
towards the Early English Gothic style will be included later
in this Part.
Certain characteristics identify fonts of this Late Norman
period, for example, the geometric or inanimate type of
ornament, such as zigzag and arcading, becomes less frequent
and is more elaborate, as shown in illustrations 17, 18 and 19,
and the arcading is usually intersecting; the small “ pellet”
ornament is fitted into hitherto plain spaces, as on arches and
strapwork, e.g., the strapwork on the upper portion in no 28.
Foliage of an early type, developing later into the “ stiff leaf”
but at this time in comparatively slight relief, showing little
more than the outline and not very natural in form, appears on
some Wiltshire fonts, 17, 20, 24, 26, 28, and on a panel not
shown in 32. Figure sculpture, human or animal, is seen on
20, 26, 27, 28 and 32. The square scalloped “ cushion” capital
of the Saxon and Norman periods (see 31) was succeeded by the
“ coniferous ” type, both circular and square ; this was used on
fonts during the Late Norman period, as in 21, 22, and with
variations in 23 and 24, the scallops being ornamented in some
cases with a plain fillet at the edges, or other designs.
ASHTON KEYNES (17), 3m. W. Cricklade. 8; Hart Elly Wongleat, 9) Wardour Park :
Rosa Sherardi Davies var, omissa (Déségl.) W.-Dod. 2, Derriads‘, Chippen-
ham, G.W.C., det. Dr. R. Melville.
+ Pyrus communis L. Pear. 1, Potterne, E.M.M-J. 2, Cocklebury, G.W.C.
5, Hound Wood, P.R.F.
+ Astrantia major L. 2, Clyffe Pypard Churchyard, J.S.
Petroselinum segetum (L.) Koch. Corn Parsley. 5, Farley, J.T.
Galium erectum Huds. Upright Bedstraw. 3, Fox Hill, H.W.T. 8, Lane
to Butler’s Cross, Tilshead.
G. tricorne Stokes. Corn Bedstraw. 3, Liddington. Bishopstone Downs,
Bl: |
Valerianella carinata Lois. 9, Tisbury, B.W. New to South Wilts.
+ Erigeron canadensis L. Canadian Fleabane. 1, Chalcot Park, G.W.C. 3,
Old Swindon, J.O.A.A.
Lepidium campestre—Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus 77
E. acris L. Blue Fleabane. 5, Farley, E.G.
Filago minima (Sm.) Pers. Least Cudweed. 8, Hart Hill, Longleat.
Gnaphalium sylvaticum L. Heath Cudweed. 8, Hart Hill, Longleat, D.M.F.
+ Inula Helenium L. Elecampane. 2, Kington St. Michael, R.T.
Senecio erucifolius L. Hoary Ragwort. 2, Between Corston and Foxley,
G.G. Roundway Hill, R.S. 6, Folly Farm, Bedwyn, H.J.K.
Carduus crispus x nutans. 4, Rockley, R.D.M.
Cirsium tuberosum (L.) All. Tuberous Thistle. 4, Walker’s Hill, E.M.M-J.
C. acaule x tuberosum. 4, Golden Ball Hill.
+ Onopordum Acanthium L. Cotton Thistle. 4, Froxfield, H.J.K.
+ Silybum Marianum (L.) Geertn. Milk Thistle. 4, Ramsbury, O.M.
Centaurea Cyanus L. Cornflower. 3, Bishopstone Downs, H.W.T, 4,
Forest Hill, H.J.K.
Cichorium Intybus L. Chicory. 4, Edmund’s Hill, Ramsbury, L.G.P.
Picris Echioides L. Prickly Ox-tongue. 2, Bradenstoke, G.G.
Tragopogon porrifolius L. Salsify. 9, Field between Fonthill and Tisbury,
B.W.
Vaccinium Myrtillus L. Whortleberry. 1, Near Gare Hill, C.M.F. 4,
Savernake Forest, G.W.C. The first certain record for North Wilts.
Primula veris x vulgaris. 1, Seend, C.G. 2, Biddestone, R.S. 3, Near
Battle Lake.
P. vulgaris Huds. Umbellate form. 9, Wardour Park, G.W.C.; det. Dr.
W. B. Turrill.
Anagallis arvensis L. subsp. phoenicea (Scop.) Schinz & Keller var. pallida
Hook, f. 2, Goatacre, R.D.M.; det. E. M. Marsden-Jones. Var. cxvrulea
Liidi. 2, Derriads, Chippenham, G.W.C.; det. E. M. Marsden-Jones.
A. arvensis L. subsp. foemina (Mill.) Schinz & Thell. 2, Near Sandy Lane,
M.E.N.
+ Vinca major L. Greater Periwinkle. 7, Near Pewsey, E.T.
Centaurium umbellatum Gilib. White-flowered form. 2,Sandy Lane, N.C.
C. pulchellum (Swartz) Druce. 5, Blackmoor Wood, Farley.
+ Anchusa sempervirens L. Evergreen Alkanet. 2, Seend, M.C.F. Easton
Grey. 3, Liddington, R.D.M.
+ Pulmonaria officinalis L. Lungwort. 3, Fox Hill, E.T.
Myosotis sylvatica (Ehrh.) Hoffm. 6, Wood south of Bagshot.
Cuscuta Epithymum (L.) Murr. Lesser Dodder. 8, Cotley Hill, J.F.H-S.
10, Croucheston Down.
Atropa Belladonna L. Deadly Nightshade. 3, Basset Down, H.J.K. 5,
Bentley Wood, P.R.F.
Hyoscyamus niger L. Henbane. 2, Near Biddestone, G.W.C.
+ Veronica filiformis Sm. 1, Near Clyffe Hall, Lavington. 3, Roadside,
Liddington.
Euphrasia anglica Pugsl. 4, West Woods, I.M.G.
+ Melampyrum arvense L. White-flowered form. 4, Manton, E.T.
Plantago lanceolata L. Form with compound inflorescence. 5, Farley, J.T.
+ Amaranthus retroflexus L. 10, Long Close, Downton,
Chenopodium hybridum L. Maple-leaved Goosefoot. 4, Marlborough,
J.H.H. New for North Wilts. 8, Steeple Langford, P.R.F.
+ C. Bonus-Henricus L. Good King Henry. 4, Near Axford, H.J.K. 6,
Buttermere, I.M.G,
78 Wiltshire Plant Notes
Thesium humifusum DC. Bastard Toadflax. 1, Bratton, A.G.S. 4, Near
Poulton, H.J.K. Chilton Foliat, H.J.K.
+ Euphorbia virgata Waldst. & Kit. 7, Bulford Camp, 1935, R.A.G.
+ Cannabis sativa L. Hemp. 4, Winterbourne Bassett.
Salix alba x fragilis (x S. viridis Fr.). 3, Battle Lake.
S. purpurea L.. Purple Willow. 3, Battle Lake.
S. atrocinerea x viminalis. 2, Netherstreet, R.D.M. 4, Clatford, H.J.K.
S. arenaria L. 8. Between Redway Plain and Hart Hill, Longleat. New
for South Wilts. ‘
+ Elodea canadensis Michx. Flowering specimens. 1, Near Bradford-on-Avon,
G.W.C. Longleat Park, P.R.F.
Neottia Nidus-avis (L.) L. C. Rich. Bird’s-nest Orchid. 1, Little Cheverell,
A.O.B. 10, Longford Castle, D.S.
Cephalanthera Damasonium (Mill.) Druce. White Helleborine. 4, Rockley,
O.M.
Himantoglossum hircinum (L.) Spreng. Lizard Orchid. The record in
Wiltshire Plant Notes—[9] should read “‘ Yarnbury Castle, 1930, I. Hall”. It
was seen there on the same day by Miss E. H. Stevenson.
Orchis ericetorum (E. F. Linton) E. S. Marshall. Heath Spotted Orchis.
6, Bagshot, H.J.K.
Ophrys apifera Huds. Bee Orchid. 2, Corsham, A.G.S. Sandy Lane,
N.C. Broad Town, G.G. White-flowered form. 1, Coulston Hill, G.W.C.
3, Bishopstone, H.W.T.
O. insectifera L. Fly Orchid. 5, Bentley Wood, J.T. 8, Bidcombe Hill,
H.N.D.
Gymnadenia conopsea x Orchis Fuchsii. 3, Bishopstone Downs, H.W.T.; det.
V.Summerhayes.
Coeloglossum viride x Gymnadenia conopsea. 3, Bishopstone Downs, E.T.;
det. V. Summerhayes.
Platanthera chlorantha (Cust.) Reichb. Greater Butterfly Orchid. 4,
Boreham Wood, J.H.H.
P. bifolia (L.) Rich. Lesser Butterfly Orchid. 5, Bentley Wood, P.R.F.
Allium vineale L. var. bulbiferum Syme. 2, Between Biddestone and
Slaughterford, G.W.C. Near Sheldon Manor, G.W.C. 5, Between Farley
and Hound Wood.
+ Ornithogalum umbellatum L. Star of Bethlehem. 2, Near Hullavington.
Broad Town Farm, G.G. Near Sheldon Manor, G.W.C.
+ Lilium Martagon L. Martagon Lily. 8, Norridge Wood, c. 1917, H.N.D. ~
Juncus bulbosus L. Viviparous form. 8, Near Shearwater, W.O.C.
Luzula Forsteri (Sm.) DC. 5, Hound Wood.
L. sylvatica (Huds.) Gaud. Great Woodrush. 4, Cobham Frith, H.J.K.
9, Wardour, B.W.
Triglochin palustris L. Marsh Arrowgrass. 2,Semington. 4, Marlborough,
HK :
Eleocharis palustris (L.) Roem. & Schult. subsp. microcarpa Walters. 2,
Near Chaddington Farm, Wootton Bassett.
Scirpus setaceus L. Bristle Club-rush. 1, Great Bradley Wood, G.W.C.
5, Blackmoor Wood, Farley.
Carex humilis Leyss. Dwarf Sedge. 7, Wilsford Down, J.F.H-S. 10,
Prescombe Down, Sutton Hill and Gallows Hill, J.F.H-S. Homington, P.R.F.
Thesium humifusum—Thelypteris Oreopteris 79
C. pendula Huds. Pendulous Sedge. 9, Wardour Park, B.W.
C. lepidocarpa Tausch. 7, Near Nine Mile Water, F.P. and N.Y.S.
C. rostrata Stokes. Bottle Sedge. 9, Wardour Park.
+ Phalaris canariensis L. Canary Grass. 2, Chippenham, G.W.C. 4, Marl-
borough, H.J.K.
Agrostis canina L. 8, Hart Hill, Longleat.
Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. Wavy Hair Grass. 1, Longleat Park. 8,
Aart Hill, Longleat.
Sieglingia decumbens (L.) Bernh. Heath Grass. 1, Longleat Park. 4, Near
the Column, Savernake Forest, H.J.K. 8, Near Hart Hill, Longleat. 10,
Win Green. Croucheston Down.
Glyceria declinata Bréb. 4, Near Gopher Wood, H.J.K. Pond on Golden
Ball Hill.
Scleropoa rigida (L.) Griseb. 2, Turleigh, C.G. 4, Near Gopher Wood,
ip BS
Festuca elatior L. subsp. arundinacea (Schreb.) Hack. 2, Near Hullavington.
3, Bishopstone, G.W.C.
Bromus racemosus L. 2, Eastrip, Colerne, D.M.F.
Brachypodium pinnatum (L.) Beauv. 2, Beacon Hill, Heddington, E.T. 5,
Clarendon Park, A.G.S.
Ophioglossum vulgatum L. Adder’s Tongue. 2, Corsham, A.G.S. Near
Webb’s Wood, N.P. 3, Ashton Keynes. 9, Wardour, B.W.
Dryopteris spinulosa (Miull.) Watt. Narrow Buckler Fern. 8, Hart Hill,
Longleat. 9, Wardour, B.W.
Thelypteris Oreopteris (Ehrh.) C. Chr. Mountain Buckler Fern. 8, Hart
Hill, Longleat.
80
ENTOMOLOGICAL REPORT FOR 1950
by B. W. WEDDELL, 13, The Halve, Trowbridge
The very mixed summer of 1950 has resulted in many species
making a poor showing. It may be remembered that in these
‘notes for last year it was mentioned that there was a marked
scarcity of the usual autumn larve. This was largely due to
the unusually dry conditions of late summer, and the prog-
nostication of a poor entomological season in 1950 was also
justified.
In a wet summer sugar” is usually a most prolific bait, but
this year it was almost useless. I am sure that this was owing
to actual scarcity of moths, rather than to bad conditions.
My biggest thrill of the year occurred in May when I secured
a larva of the Purple Emperor. This was after a good many
years’ fruitless search and much hard work. The butterfly, a
female, successfully emerged on July 4.
Another species that must be specially mentioned is the
Essex Skipper (A. lineola) which has been recorded in single-
tons the last few years. This year a good strong colony was
located by Capt. R. A. Jackson, who also found the Scarce
Forester (P. globulariz) in numbers. All of which goes to
show that one never knows what will turn up to reward the
hopeful and observant eye.
It is not impossible that one day in some of our old aspen
copses, the great Blue Underwing, the Clifton Nonpareil
(C. fraxini) may be discovered. It is said to be well established
in Kent. The sight of this moth at rest on a tree trunk would.
be liable to produce a heart attack in any entomologist, young
or old.
The Large Tortiseshell is a butterfly I always expect to have
reported in Wilts. Early spring when the sallows are in bloom
is the likeliest time to meet it.
Thanks again to all who have sent in reports. Space does
not permit all to be included in the following list, but the
reports are all faithfully filed. As last time, the commonest
species have been omitted if they have been previously
recorded,
Large White—Lime Hawk
CONTRIBUTORS:
B.W. B.W. Weddell, Trowbridge. M.C.
@M.R:P.
C. M. R. Pitman, Clarendon. M.C.F.
DS: Dauntsey’s School, REA.
W. Lavington.
F.P. Mrs. Partridge, Ham. R.W.
G.W.C. G. W. Collett, Chippenham.
J.W. Miss Wilson,
Wootton Bassett.
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Orange-tip
Clouded Yellow
Brimstone
Purple Emperor
White Admiral
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
High Brown Fritillary
Dark Green do.
Pearl-bordered do.
Small Pearl-bordered
Fritillary
Marsh do.
Marbled White
Grayling
Speckled Wood
Wall
Purple Hairstreak
White Letter do.
Green do.
Small Copper
Brown Argus
Adonis
Holly Blue
Small do.
Duke of Burgundy
Fritillary
Essex Skipper
Lime Hawk
Pieris brassice
P. rape
P. napi
Euchloé cardamines
Colias croceus
Gonepteryx rhamni
Apatura iris
Ltmenitis sibylla
Polygonia c-album
Vanessa urtice
V. io
Pyrameis cardui
P. atalanta
Argynnis adippe
A. aglaia
A. euphrosyne
A. selene
Meliteea aurinia
Melanargia galatea
Satyrus semele
Pararge egeria
P. megera
Zephyrus quercus
Thecla w-album
Callophrys rubi
Chrysophanus phleas
Lycena astrarche
L. bellargus
Cyaniris argiolus
Zizera minima
Nemeobius lucina
Adopea lineola
Dilina tiliz
81
Marlborough College Nat.
Hist. Soc.
Miss Foster, Aldbourne.
Captain R. A. Jackson,
Codford St. Mary.
Ralph Whitlock, Pitton.
W.1LW. W. I. Washbrook,
Aldbourne.
G.W.C. 30.5, W.LW. 7.4,
59
G.W.C. 16.4
C.M.R.P. 20.4
G.W.C. 20.4, F.P. 4.5
W.LW. 22.4, M.C. 11.6
GW.CiZ2; WELW: 74
RAJ 276, RB. We 47,
C.M.R.P. 24.5 (L)
F.P. 30.6, J.W. 18
G.W.C. 7.4, W.LW. 28.8
M.C. 16.2, G.W.C. 26.3
W.IW. 28.8
M.C.F. 13.6, F.P. 29.5
G.W.C.10.6,C.M.R.P.30.4
C.M.R.P. 18.6, M.C. 28.6
M.C. 28.6
C.M.R.P. 14.5, M.C. 14.5
M.C; 22.5
NMUCs 21-5
F.P, 5.6; “MCF, 5.7
C.M.R.P. 9.7, M.C. 27.9
Rae TA GoW. €. i oo)
M.C.F. 6.6, W.1.W. 10.9
M.C. 10.5. W.I.W. 2.9
M.C!8.7
B.W...24.5 (LL). M.-C, 12.7
COMER P3)20:4) E.R. 15:5:
MCE. 30:5
NECsAS I WW 9
NEC3 1.6
MC. 23.5,17.6; W.1,.W?2.9
G.W.C. 28.5, W.I.W. 22.4
M.C-F. 12:6
€.M.-R.P} 28:5, Mir Gi 2:6
(albino)
R.A.J. 28.7
GMER PS 20:50 DiS:
82
Eyed Hawk
Death's Head Hawk
Convolvulus do.
Hummingbird do.
Broad-bordered Bee
Hawk
Sallow Kitten
Lesser Swallow
Prominent
Pale do.
Small Eggar
Oak do.
Fox Moth
Drinker
Lappet
Barred Hook-tip
Green Silver Lines
Scarlet Tiger
Pearly Underwing
Dotted Rustic
Stout Dart
Six-striped Rustic
Square-spot do.
Entomological Report
Smerinthus ocellatus
Acherontia atropos
Sphinx convolvuli
Macroglossa stellatarum
Hemaris fuciformis
Cerura curtula
Pheosia dictzoides
Pterostoma palpina
Eriogaster lanestris
Lasiocampa quercus
Macrothylacia rubi
Cosmotriche potatoria
Gastropacha quercifolia
Drepana cultraria
HA ylophila prasinana
Callimorpha dominula
A grotis saucia
A. simulans
A. obscura
Noctua umbrosa
N. xanthographa
Lunar Yellow Underwing Triphzena orbona
Green Arches
Grey do.
Light Brocade
Campion
Brindle Green
Small Clouded Brindle
Large Ranunculus
Green-brindled Cresent
Butterbur
Treble Lines
Red Chestnut
Dingy Shears
Brick
Beaded Chestnut
Barred Sallow
Chestnut
Mullein
Shark
Small Yellow Underwing
Bordered Sallow
Marbled Clover
Straw Dot
Small Purple Barred
Fan-foot
Eurois prasina
Aplecta nebulosa
Mamestra geniste
Dianthoecia cucubali
Eumichtis protea
Apamea unanimis
Polia flavocincta
Miselia oxyacanthee
Hydroecia petasites
Grammesia trigrammica
Pachnobia rubricosa
Dyschorista fissipuncta
Amathes circellaris
A. lychnidis
Ochria aurago
Orrhodia vaccinii
Cucullia verbasci
C. umbratica
Heliaca tenebrata
Pyrrhia umbra
Heliothis dipsacea
Rivula sericealis
Prothymnia viridaria
D.S.
R.A.J. 26.6, B.W. 10.11,
DS.
C.M.R.P. 4.9
M.C. 27.3, 30.6, M.C.F. 8.7,
W.I.W. 17.8
M.C. 9.6
B.W. 25.6
B.W. 13.8
M.C. 19.5
C.M.R.P. 15.2
C.M.R.P. 14.8
M.C. 23.5
F.P. 5.6, M.C. 29.6
IMU @eB ei 2o-7,
M.C. 18.5
B.W. 26.5
C.M.R.P. 5.6
€:NMUR:P: 196
Reade ied
M.C. 6.6, 14.7 (L)
B.W. 12.8
B.W. 15.8
R.A.J. 256
MC. 25.7
B.W. 16.6
C.M.R.P. 15.6
M.C. 13.6
B.W. 24.9
RAJ. 43:6
B.W. 24.9
B.W. 1.10
R.A.J. 14.8
M.C. 7.6
C.M.-R.P. 29.3
C.M.R.P. 19.6
B.W. 24.9
B.W. 1.10
B.W. 1.10
M.C. 27.7, B.W. 10.10
M.C: 12.6
C.M.R.P. 23.6, M,C. 8.7
B.W. 2.45
R.A.J. 25.6
C.M.R.P. 13.8
Bowe die7
M.C. 14.5
Zanclognatha tarsipennalis M.C. 13.7
Eyed Hawk—Large Red-belted Clearwing 83
Pinion-streaked Snout
Hypenodes costistrigalis
Light Orange Underwing Brephos notha
False Mocha
Oblique Striped
Drab Loper
Spinach
Water Carpet
Galium Carpet
Argent and Sable
Grass Rivulet “4
Lime-speck Pug
Netted do.
Larch do.
Valerian do.
Ash do.
Narrow-winged Pug
Mottled do.
Double-striped do.
Oblique Carpet
Magpie
Scorched Carpet
Straw Belle
Dotted Border
March Moth
Pale Brindled Beauty
Brussels Lace
Large Red-belted
Clearwing
Ephyra porata
Mesotype virgata
Minoa murinata
Lygris associata
Lampropteryx suffumata
Xanthorrhoé galiata
Eulype hastata
Perizoma albulata
Eupithecia oblongata
Eu. venosata
Eu. lariciata
Eu. valerianata
Eu. fraxinata
Eu. nanata
Eu. exiguata
Gymnoscelis pumilata
Coenocalpe vittata
Abraxas grossulariata
Ligdia adustata
Crocota gilvaria
Hibernia marginaria
Anisopteryx escularia
Phigalia pedaria
Cleora lichenaria
Sesia culiciformis
Cz) = Larva
Bow. i117
B.W. 10.4
B.W. 26.5
M.C. 5.6
C.M.R.P. 28.5
M.C. 6:7
M.-C. 13.5
EPA SES
M.C. 18.5
B.W. 2.7
F.P. 10.6
#.P) 13.6
M.C. 22.5
R.A.J. 2.6
R.A.J. 18.6
E:P. 30.5
B.W. 12.6
B.W. 13.8
M.C. 14.5
M.C. 2.6, 27.7
M.C. 15.6
C.M.R.P. 4.6
M.G, 23.2; R.P.19.3
R3P.'10:3
R:P: 16:2
R.A.J. 8.6
R.A.]J.
SOME INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS:
By R.W., October 4th: Comma butterfly feeding on ripe blackberry.
By C.M.R.P., April 26th: After a heavy fall of snow Small White butter-
fly flying in his garden in extreme contrast to the prevailing weather.
August 14th: duel between a Spotted Flycatcher and an Oak Eggar; the insect
escaped.
would they pupate?
September 9th: swarms of Large White larve full fed on water-
cress growing in the middle of a swiftly flowing stream at Wilton.
Where
December 20th: Micro larve feeding on rat-biscuits
which are deadly poison and dangerous to all domestic animals.
84
NATURAL HISTORY SECTION
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS, 1950.
RECEIPTS. PAYMENTS.
#8 GE GL, s.| d.
Balance 31st Dec., 1949 ... 22 13 10 Postages and stationery :—
Members’ Subscriptions :— Hon. Secretary ... «tse WoO
92 at 7/6 ne L534 10%:0 Hon. Treasurer ... PE Me
Reprints sold Rae sede ag Inquiry expenses ... 9
Coach fares ses Se OOO. Press expenses Ags 8 0
Salisbury Meeting ee OF OE MG Printing and typing 37D. 6
Coach hire ... : ne Ue)
Magazine reprints 11 0 O
Wiltshire Archeological
Society—l1/- permember 4 9 O
Salisbury meeting expenses 817 0
British Trust for Ornith-
ology ee Or 0
South-Western N aturalist 9 0
Balance, 3lst Dec., 1950... 30 9 5
sO 7h AO) £70 7-10
Hon. Treasurer : Audited and found correct :
G. W. COLLET, EGBERT BARNES,
31st Dec., 1950. 6th Jan., 1951.
THE NEW FLORA OF WILTSHIRE
The Committee set up some time ago to assist Mr. J. Donald Grose with
the publication of his new Flora of Wiltshire reports that the book is making
excellent progress. A number of people, too numerous to mention by name, «
are assisting Mr. Grose in various ways. The next big step will be the read-
ing and checking of manuscripts and proofs. Any members, who have had
experience of this sort of work and feel they can spare the time in the coming
winter to assist in this way, are invited to get into touch with Mr. Grose, at
Downs Edge, Liddington, Near Swindon, Wiltshire.
Another important way in which members can greatly assist the publication
of the new Flora is in the financial sphere. A number of individuals and
organisations have already contributed some £525 towards the cost of
publication of the book. Printers’ and publishers’ costs have gone up
enormously in recent years, and are still rising, so that it is hoped to build up
a sum of money sufficient to guard against any eventuality. Further con-
tributions are needed for this purpose and will be gratefully acknowledged by
the Hon. Treasurer to the Flora Committee: Mr. G. W. Collett, 174, Sheldon
Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire,
85
THE 1801 CROP RETURNS FOR WILTSHIRE
By H. C. K. HENDERSON, Ph.D., M.A., B.Sc.
The Anglo-French wars had not been in progress many years
before it was realised in this country that the agricultural land
should be so utilised as to satisfy the needs of the nation. Such
a state of affairs has stimulated interest in agriculture twice in
the present century, as a result of the two World Wars, though
any ideal of self sufficiency has been rendered unattainable by
the enormous increase in population during the last century
and a half.
In 1794, the privately instituted Board of Agriculture pub-
lished its well-known series of reports on the state of the
industry in the various counties of Great Britain, and supple-
mented these by second editions, usually of much greater detail
and length, in the period 1798-1817. The volume on Wiltshire
was written by Thomas Davis, senior, and published first in
1794 and in a slightly modified form by Thomas Davis, junior,
in 1813." Neither of the editions recorded any detailed
stastistics of crop acreages or even of land utilisation. In the
period between the publication of these two editions, the less
detailed account of “The Rural Economy of the Southern
Counties”? was published by W. Marshall who devoted some
fifteen pages to Wiltshire.” It has long been believed that the
earliest statistical records were those compiled by the official
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1866.
Search in the Public Record Office has revealed that parish
statistics for most of the county were compiled in 1801, at the
instigation of the Secretary of State, Lord Pelham. His Lord-
ship requested the bishops of the twenty-six sees in England
and Wales to arrange for their clergy to collect statistics, on a
parish basis, for a number of specified crops. The manuscripts,
though incomplete, reveal a number of interesting facts con-
cerning both the agriculture and the economic history of the
time. A reluctance of some farmers to supply the requisite
details was the chief cause of the incompleteness of the records.
1 Gordon East, in his paper “ Land Utilisation in England at the end of
the Eighteenth Century”, includes an admirable summary of Davis’s Report,
and reproduces the latter’s map of the agricultural regions of the county.
Geographical Journal, vol LXX XIX, 1937, 163-7.
2 W. Marshall, The Rural Economy of the Southern Counties, 1798, vol. II,
331-45.
86 The 1801 Crop Returns for Wiltshire
The fact that the clergy were the responsible returning officers
prompted a suspicion that an increase in tithes might be the
reward of co-operation, and accordingly many refused to reveal
their acreages, while a number of instances occur of remarks
to the effect that the returns “are smaller than the truth”’.
Under such circumstances, the clergy either failed to return
the form or wrote thereon that the unwillingness of the farmers
to supply the desired information had rendered their completion
of the form impossible. At the same time, one finds a number
of instances in which the clergyman was fired by the rebuff,
walked the parish, made his own estimates and completed the
form. It will be seen on the map that the parishes for which
no returns are available tend to occur in groups, which suggests
that this lack of co-operation was infectious.
The rector of Bishopstrow, near Warminster, made a return
and added “Farmers seem very unwilling to give a true
account—being apprehensive their crops are to be heavily taxed.
With repeated solicitations I obtained the enclosed. The
number of acres in the parish 400-500, of which owing to
Manorial Rights, Claims and Privileges a fourth is annually
uncultivated to the detriment of agriculture and the incon-
venience of W. Williams, Rector’.
In a number of returns reference is made to the persistence
of common fields and the associated backwardness of
agricultural methods. In the extreme north of the county,
partly on the clay soils developed on the Oxford Clays and
partly on the Cornbrash, lies the parish of Latton, the vicar of
which wrote— The reason for there being no more corn grown
in this fine corn parish is its being unenclosed. On which
account a fourth part of the common field is every year
entirely unsown. Beside which the farmers can only plant
their clover and other grass seeds where corn would otherwise
be planted. This course of common field husbandry allows
not of turnipping nor any other late or valuable improvements
in agriculture”. The survival of common fields is referred to
in the record for Great Somerford, just south of Malmesbury,
but here it seems the fallow was omitted from the crop system,
which was a three course rotation in three common fields.
In the south of the county on chalk soils, open fields are
said to occupy the greater part of the parish of Laverstock,
just east of Salisbury, while in the parish of Codford St. Peter the
record states— The arable land in this parish consists of 860
87
Parish Statistics
acres, and is divided into four fields ” which were farmed under
a four course rotation of which the fourth year consisted of
feeding a second year feed crop to sheep and was not a fallow,
as at Latton.
WILTSHIRE I80l
-N
CLAY, “ALES CN
X
JURASSIC
on
\) CLAY VALES
A
a hetenae ts “A SWINDON {
WOOTTON
BASSETT,
CHALK COUNTRY
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,
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NY ae tie isn She
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7
JURASSIC
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CHALK COUNTRY
AMESBURY ~-3
4, BREN
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byte ‘ ck
LWA Y
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CHALK COUNTRY ! \~“tispury~7 ¥
. “4 Re '
ACRES
800
640
460
123
| WHEAT
2 BARLEY
COUNTY BOUNDARY
3 OATS
PARISH BOUNDARY
Cereal crops from parish Returns
88 The 1801 Crop Returns for Wiltshire
The cartographic presentation of the statistics reveals certain
striking features in the distribution of the crops. The
accompanying map has been prepared to illustrate the actual
acreage of and the relation between the three principal cereals.
A considerable number of parishes included small acreages of
rye, and while statistics for peas, beans and turnips are quoted
on the majority of the returns the acreages are small in most
cases. Potatoes were included in the list of crops for which
returns were requested, but usually the figures are small and
in many cases reference is made to the production of this crop
only in gardens. Under these circumstances it seems
appropriate to present only the three cereals, wheat, barley and
oats, on a map. The columns for each crop are directly pro-
portional in area to the scale of the map and therefore show
the actual acreages, and afford a visual impression of the
fraction of each parish devoted to the several crops. The
boundaries between the Jurassic country of the lower slopes of
the Cotswolds and the Clay Vale region, and between the Clay
Vale region and the Chalk-Greensand region have been added
to emphasize the regional aspects of the distributions.
The chalk country occupies about two-thirds of the area of
Wiltshire, and in the map includes the zone of Greensand
platform at the foot of the Chalk scarp and extending into the
Vale of Pewsey. As the parishes in the neighbourhood of the
scarp normally extend from the crest of the scarp to the clays
of the Vale, it is impossible to separate these several narrow
soil belts. The importance of wheat is evident in its pre-
dominance in the majority of the parishes, but it should be noted
that towards the south-east there are several instances where _
barley is the most important cereal. With the exception of
the Vale of Pewsey, however, barley is, in almost every instance,
a very good second to wheat. Oats seems to have been an
unpopular crop as a whole in the central part of the region, but
obviously occupied a considerable acreage on the Marlborough
Downs and towards the south of the county.
Davis’ in 1813, referred to several rotations within this region,
within which he differentiated three main soil types. All his
rotations included both wheat and barley, but in his “ White
Land” or higher chalk areas he mentioned oats as an alternative
to barley. As this “ White Land” is essentially the central
portion of the Chalk country there would seem to have been
3 Thomas Davis, General View of the Agriculture of Wiltshire, 1813, p. 61.
Soils and crops 89
some modification in practice between 1801 and the date of his
writing. The approximate equality of wheat and barley
acreages bears out his inclusion of both in all his rotations.
Turnip figures are small in most parishes, and amount to less
than ten per cent of the crop acreage recorded. Davis makes
no mention of this crop on his “ White Land”’; his rotations
for the flinty loams of the chalk valleys and for the “ Sand
Lands” of the Greensand soils are both four course and both
include one year of turnips. This suggests one of two
possibilities; either the turnip greatly increased in popularity
in the ten or eleven years intervening or Davis considerably
overestimated the frequency with which he observed this crop.
With particular reference to the “ White Land” there is little
evidence as to which of his two rotations was the more popular
as neither clover, included in both, nor fallow, included only in
the four course, is recorded in the 1801 statistics.
In none of the Chalk parishes do either peas or beans assume
any importance, but four of those on the Greensand soils of the
Vale of Pewsey have appreciable quantities of both. The
relative unimportance of barley in this Vale is in keeping with
Davis’s reference to the following crop system :—
1 Wheat.
3 Half the field beans, peas or turnips.
(Halt the field barley or oats.
3 | Half the field Vetch.
(Half the field Seeds.
In the Clay Vales, the amount of crop land was very small
with few exceptions, such as Purton, near Swindon, and
Bremhill just east of Chippenham, both of which are on the
narrow discontinuous outcrop of Corallian Limestone. A
number of the clergy returned no figures for their parishes in
this region but remarked that the “ parish is mostly grass” or
“chiefly meadow and pasture”. At this same time, those
parishes with high returns for beans were in this belt, but, as in
the two parishes above, they lie, at least partly, on the soils of
the Corallian Limestone. Wheat is again the most important
cereal, but the barley acreage is often little greater than that
of oats, and, in some parishes, much less. The general impli-
cation of the diagrams for this region is to bear out the present
emphasis on the livestock industry.
In the narrow zone of Jurassic soils in the north-west of the
county, there are records for only about one-third of the
VOL, LIV—CXCLV é
90 The 1801 Crop Returns for Wiltshire
parishes. Here wheat is the most important cereal and oats is
of relatively greater importance than in the other regions. The
acreage of barley appears very inconsistent from one parish to
another, a fact explained in all probability by Davis’s statement
that “ barley has proved the least profitable crop in this district
and beans, peas, vetches and a few oats have been substituted ”.
He also comments that the husbandry was poor, but best
around Hullavington and Grittleton. The rotation he quotes
is (OL Six years Guration:— |. Wheat:,2, Oats: 3. Iurmip 4,
Barley; 5, Clover, mown; 6, Clover fed and followed by
fallow, adding that this is notably practised on the lighter soils.
It was certainly not uniformly adopted in 1801 as, if it were,
the acreages of wheat, oats, barley and turnips should be
roughly equal. whereas the largest turnip acreages are equivalent
to 3 per cent of the recorded arable land in Bradford-on-Avon
parish and about eight per cent in Crudwell, while the in-
equality of the recorded acreages of cereals can be seen on the
map.
The records for Wiltshire are disappointing in the absence
of estimates of crop yields. Though wheat yields are quoted
in nine parishes, the recorders have used three different units
of measure. Barley estimates are available for only five and
oats for only four parishes.
Parish Region Wheat/acre Barley/acre Oats/acre
Barford
St. Martin | Chalk 24 bushels 38 bushels —
Bishopstone | Chalk 6 sacks (24)? — —
(near Wilton)
Bradford-on-
Avon Jurassic 20 bushels 24 bushels 26 bushels
Laverstock | Chalk 20-21 bushels _- —
Liddington | Chalk
(Greensand)| 5 quarters (40) — —_
Odstock Chalk 5 sacks (20) 4 quarters (32) 4 quarters (32)
Stourton Chalk
(Greensand)| 20 bushels 30 bushels 35 bushels
Wilton Chalk 24 quarters (20) 3 quarters (24) 4 quarters (32)
Winkfield Jurassic 5 sacks (20) — —
4 The figures in brackets are the equivalents in bushels.
Yields of the cereals 91
On the basis of these figures, it seems that there was little
variation in the wheat yield in the several regions, but attention
should be drawn to the much higher estimate for Liddington,
a parish mainly on Greensand soils, but contrasting in yield
with the similarly sited parish of Stourton. The few estimates
for barley reveal considerable variations, but there are not in
correlation with the soil types. Oats yields appear to have
been more consistent, except for Bradford, but as this is the
only representative of the Jurassic country it would be unwise
to labour this fact.
These statistics give us a less complete record than those
now collected each year by the Ministry of Agriculture, but,
as the first compilation made by the latter was for 1866, they
enable us to obtain a picture of the distribution of crops in the
county some sixty-five years earlier and under very different
economic conditions.
Since the middle of the 18th century, Britain has become
progressively a more industrial country, and the population has
long been far too big to be fed by her own farms. Except in
times of national stress, it would seem that the tendency has
been to accept this fact at its worst, and to rely far more than
is necessary on imports from overseas. In 1801 the “ War in
Europe” implied war at the source of our imports, whereas
today war in Europe leads, by way of modernarms, to hindrance
of supplies from other continents. In 1801, the needs of the
nation had to be met from within, whereas nowadays we have
to produce as much as possible in order to reduce imports. At
both times, interest in agriculture is stimulated and the value
of the land and its cultivator is much more widely acknowledged.
92
THE APPLICATION OF STEAM POWER TO THE
WILTSHIRE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN THE EARLY
19th CENTURY
By R. A. PELHAM, M.A., Ph.D., F.R. HIST. S.
Since 1800 the West Country woollen industry has shown a
marked capacity for adapting itself to changing locational
circumstances, and has retained essentially the same distribution
pattern as the one which evolved during the later Middle Ages.’
Elsewhere the introduction of the steam engine caused a
migration of industry towards the coalfields, because it was
generally more economical to take the mills to the fuel rather
than vice versa. But here in the West Country a geographical
inertia checked this process, though it is not at present
possible to say exactly why. One factor, and perhaps the most
critical, was the reservoir of skill which, if not inherited, had
at least been transmitted from one generation to another within
the region for several centuries. Yet a similar reservoir in
East Anglia did not tether industry there in the same way.
And although the setting up of steam engines was almost
certainly the deciding factor in keeping the industry going in
the West Country, there was no apparent reason why similar
engines should not have been set up in East Anglia, where
sea-borne coal was accessible. Yet they were not set up, and
an industrial region of long standing became rural again.
The Wiltshire manufacturers in the early 19th century were
becoming less dependent upon local wool,’ and although teasles
and fuller’s earth were obtainable nearby, imported raw
materials and coal had in some cases to travel appreciable
distances from the port or source of production. ‘The location
1 For the distribution in the 14th century see map in ‘“‘ An Historical
Geography of England before 1800”, ed. H. C. Darby (1936), p. 250.
2 A Heytesbury manufacturer stated in evidence before a Parliamentary
Committee in 1828 that up to 1825 he had made livery cloths entirely of
English wool, but in that year he began to buy foreign wool because English
wool was getting too coarse (J. Bischoff, History of the Woollen and Worsted
Manufactures, 1842, ti, pp. 146-7). William Cunnington, a woolstapler of
Upavon, stated before the same Committee that up to 1825 he had sold his
wool in the Frome market, but since then he had had to divert it to Rochdale
and Bury where it was used for making the coarser baize and flannel (Parlia-
mentary Papers, 1828, VIII, p. 187). Local manufacturers were said to be
working ‘almost wholly in foreign wools; these are imported in such
excessively large quantities that the prices are constantly declining” (ibid.,
p. 100). The finest German wools were being imported for high grade work
(ibid., 1833, VI, p. 80).
Factories and canals 93
| WILTSHIRE |
TEXTILE FACTORIES |
I838 |
Ra? «while: steam HP. |
black: walar H.P. |
| land over 4ooft.|
- Hd
wennel & Avon canoly IO RAN
@Deitier
CDF O
atic RR
Cec ao aes ee rae wiion
eoevree
SC (Gama orieuenehole ne ON scented tee te SARS SEAS ERE OOO @
soe coor eeees aig) titans , are
Co) . SRCEGS AG ee eee QO we ., R-A-P
rerurrfettaesa rer peduncle tte Ss ete Se SEE SEH ec haa ONC i oeter ee
The unnamed places are: Christian Malford (N.E. of Chippenham),
Corsley (S.W. of Westbury), Longbridge Deverill (W of Heytesbury),
Harnham (S.E. of Wilton), and Mere (S.W., corner).
94. Wiltshire Textile Industry
of most of the mills alongside, or not very far removed from,
navigable waterways (see map) strongly suggests, therefore,
that the transport factor played an important part here, as in
Lancashire and Gloucestershire, in fixing the sites of steam
mills and keeping the industry inland. The colliery companies
were amongst the most active sponsors of the canal Bills, and
it is not surprising that petitions for the projected Kennet and
Avon Canal and for the canals to link the latter waterway with
the Somerset pits were presented to Parliament on the same
day in 1794.° There was considerable delay, however, in the
completion of the Kennet and Avon Canal, lack of funds
making it necessary for the company to postpone construction
of the locks at Devizes.* But the lower section seems to have
been cut at an early stage, and in 1795 another Act was
passed sanctioning the construction of the Wilts and Berks
Canal which was to link up with it at Semington, and to have
branches to Calne and Chippenham.’ Although several years
elapsed before these waterways were completed,’ it seems that
an important network was already in being during the first
decade of the 19th century, making available cheap coal over a
wide area.
Even so, not every steam engine was erected close to a canal,
and at least one site (Malmesbury), as we shall see later, was
retained in spite of, rather than because of, local conditions.
We may, therefore, have to seek at least a partial explanation
of certain 19th century developments in the tenacity and
resourcefulness of the West Country manufacturers. Initiative
is infectious amongst enterprising folk,’ and one man’s success
can become the pattern for the neighbourhood. The arrival of
the first steam engine must have been watched with intense
interest, for it represented a challenge which had to be taken
up.
Water power had served one section of the industry since
long before 1800, for the fulling mill in Wiltshire dates back to
3 Journal of the House of Commons, XLIX, pp. 243-4. The Acts for both
were passed two months later (ibid., p. 485).
4 Several further Acts sanctioning the raising of additional funds had to be
passed before the work was completed.
ONbid.. ep lon.
6 E.g. the Chippenham branch seems to have been completed early in 1801
(F. H. Goldney, Records of Chippenham, 1889, p. 113).
7 It was precisely this quality which was said by a contemporary to be
lacking in East Anglia (Parliamentary Papers, 1840, XXIII, p. 306).
Water power v. steam 95
the early 13th century.” But water power was notoriously
unreliable, summer drought and winter flood combining to
curtail the working year. A steam engine was not subject to
seasonal factors of this kind, nor was its siting so restricted.
Furthermore, since it was often a much more powerful
mechanism than a water wheel, it could carry more shafting,
and that meant more labour per unit.’ Thus the heavy capital
outlay and greater running costs could be more than offset by
greater production. On the other hand, there was considerable
resistance in the West Country, as elsewhere, to the introduction
of machinery that was likely to displace labour, and troops had
to be called out from time to time to deal with disturbances.”
Scribbling, carding and spinning machines were not introduced
until the 1790’s, whilst Crompton’s mule was kept at bay until
about 1828." The gig mill did not appear in the county until
some time after its establishment in Gloucestershire,” possibly
the earliest being set up at Chippenham about 1799,” and it was
not until after 1805 that the shearing frame was introduced.™
The spring loom was particularly unpopular, early attempts to
introduce it leading to riots.” The effect of all this opposition
was to postpone the application even of water power to these
processes, so that it was not until after 1800 that water mills for
8 Economic History Review, XI, p. 46.
® This is well illustrated by the number of employees per unit of power in
those mills for which the statistics permit analysis (see Table I, p.97). Thus, at
Chippenham and Melksham a total of five steam engines in mills employing
altogether 422 persons gives an average of 84.4 persons per unit, whereas the
nine water wheels at Christian Malford, Calne, Corsley, Harnham and Wilton,
provided power for 123 persons, a corresponding average of only 13.7. One
Yorkshire manufacturer claimed that he employed 1,000 persons by the power
of one steam engine (Parliamentary Papers. 1799-1800, p. 34).
10 Tbid., 1840, XXIII, p. 439. A serious riot had been caused by the first
attempt to introduce spinning machinery in 1776 at Shepton Mallet (ibid.,
1802-3, VII, p. 68).
1 Jbid., 1840, XXIII, p. 441.
% John Jones, a Bradford manufacturer, stated in 1803 that he sent his
cloths to be gigged at a mill near Alderley, over 20 miles away, until 1801 when
he set up his own gig mill (ibid., 1802-3, VII, pp. 333-4).
18 By an immigrant clothier who had had his Hampshire mill destroyed by
fire (ibid., p. 138),
14 Tbid., 1840, XXIII, p. 440; XXIV, p. 373.
16 Tt should be noted that the spring loom, with its flying shuttle, could be
worked in the home. Harnessing it to mechanical power was a second, and
even more unpopular, stage in the development,
96 Wiltshire Textile Industry
purposes other than fulling became common.” And since steam
engines were set up before 1810, a prominent feature of develop-
ments in Wiltshire was the very rapid transition from manual
labour to steam driven machinery within a decade, with all the
economic and social readjustments which such changes
involved. |
The earliest statistical record of the mills in the county is
included in the Factory Inspector’s returns for 1838, which
are summarized in Table I. These list 53 factories’ that were
working and one that was unoccupied. Of these 53 factories,
48 were engaged in woollen manufacture, the remainder being
silk factories. Altogether, they contained 40 steam engines,
averaging 17.6 H.P. per engine, and 41 water wheels, averaging
8.4 H.P. per wheel. For purposes of comparison it might be
noted that for the Yorkshire woollen factories in the same year
the corresponding averages were 20.5 H.P. and 10.3 H.P., which
suggests that the Wiltshire units were on a slightly smaller
scale. ‘This is understandable, for the size of the original wheel
depended upon the flow of water, and this varied from one
district to another according to rainfall, run-off and damming
facilities. It was generally greater in Yorkshire, and many very
powerful wheels were set up along the Pennine slopes.” The
steam engines which replaced them needed to be correspond-
ingly powerful. In the West Country the usually smaller
water mill would need only a comparatively small steam engine:
anything more ambitious would involve a complete rebuilding
of the mill.
16 A Wiltshire clothier stated in 1803: ‘‘ In consequence of the Introduction
of Machinery, Manufacturers are now looking out for Mill Scites to work by
Water, which cannot be obtained in Market Towns, and those Places where
the Manufacture has been formerly carried on” (Parliamentary Papers, 1802-3,
VII, p. 335).
17 [bid., 1839, XLII, pp. 154, 270. Kingswood is included in the returns, as
it was then part of Wiltshire, but has been omitted here because economically
it was essentially part of Gloucestershire.
18 The word ‘factory’, as used by the inspectors at this period, meant
neither firm nor mill (see J. H. Clapham, The Early Railway Age, 1939, p. 442),
but in the West Country there is every indication that factory and mill were
synonymous terms except, possibly, in the larger centres where there may
have been some renting of power, in which case the space occupied by each
individual clothier working under the same roof would have been classified as
au factory, «.
19 Water wheels rated at over 50 H.P. were not uncommon,
Mill statistics 97
From the returns we also deduce that in Wiltshire steam
engines comprised 49% of the total power units at work, which
is a remarkably high proportion in view of the absence of coal
in the immediate vicinity. Even in Yorkshire, with coal on the
MILLS |ENGINES| WHEELS | EMPLOYEES
Woot-) sitk| No.| H.P. |No.| H.P. | U"2| Total
Bradford-on- Avon 4 |;—| 5| 86 8 | 88 3 418
Bratton 3 }/—] 2]. 20 SUELO 8 He
Calne 5) de tel 6 4+ 30 4 98
Chippenham i 1} 4) 60 |—J-— 38 299
Christian Malford 1 }—/|—| — 2 8 — 18
Corsley 1 }|/—/—|]— 1 4 — 13
Devizes = Peel 4 iL 2 10 53
Harnham Ly} —{;—| — 1 6 4 15
Heytesbury fs eer eae ay ayo) 2| 20 _- 127.
Holt Te} —} 1}. 18 L.} 10 1 95
Lonebrided Deverill — 1};—| — 1 |: 14 58 156
Malmesbury I-s{—:| 1) 14 2 L8 — 46
Melksham 2° p— | 2) 45 4—] — = 162
Mere — Lj;— |: — Zrii) 10 ial
Trowbridge | 19 | — | 20 | 348 Bey 4 1278
Westbury 8 |— | 2] 80 1 ee 792) — 421
Wilton 2 L-; 12 2 10
48 5 | 40 | 706 | 41 | 346 | 142 3353
TABLE I. Summary of Factory Inspectors’ Returns for 1838
spot, the corresponding total was only 61%. So, proportionately,
Wiltshire steam factories made up in numbers what they lacked
in size and power.”
20 The enterprise of the Wiltshire manufacturers is even more clearly
demonstrated by comparison with the situation in Gloucestershire where, in
1838, steam engines formed only 19% of the total power units in operation,
98 Wiltshire Textile Industry
Table I reveals a number of other features of the industry :
many mills tended to retain their water wheels after steam
engines had been installed; Trowbridge was by far the most
important centre in the county; Westbury employed roughly
the same number of persons as did Bradford, though they were
distributed amongst twice as many mills ; Chippenham had one
exceptionally large mill with four engines and 299 employees.
The more detailed analysis in Table II shows that one unusually
large engine was set up at Westbury, and that steam engines
were not always more powerful, according to their rating, than
water wheels, though they were generally so.
The situation in the Westbury district and at Malmesbury
calls for further examination, because in both cases waterborne
supplies, whether of fuel or raw materials, could not reach the
factories without a subsequent land journey. But there is
reason to suppose that Westbury, Bratton and Heytesbury got
their coal direct from Radstock Colliery by road, for in 1808 it
was stated that the pits there were supplying coal to Wiltshire
consumers as far as the neighbourhood of Warminster”, and
that although “the Canal is now connected with the pits” it
was thought that Radstock would “ continue to supply the chief
markets for land carriage conveyance in those parts”.” In
view of the break of bulk at Trowbridge which a journey by
canal would involve, this is by no means unlikely, though the
greater cost of a longer road haul must not be underrated.
For example, the Stroudwater Canal, although only eight miles
long, was said to have saved the region which it served £5,000
a year in coal costs.”
The existence of a steam mill at Malmesbury cannot be
explained either by nearness to a canal or by accessibility to
coal supplies by road. Here a situation of special interest had ~
arisen, details of which came to light during the examination of
witnesses by the Parliamentary Committee of 1803. Following
riots in Bradford a dozen years earlier, a local manufacturer
named Hill had migrated to Malmesbury where, at that time,
there was no tradition of woollen manufacture, the people
thereabouts being mostly employed in making lace. But its
very remoteness from the other woollen centres was for Hill
its main attraction, because he wished to set up power looms.
a) .-C.-Hi Somerset, Ll. p: 385:
22, W. T. Jackman, The Development of Transportation in Modern England,
1D O7o:
Horse power in 17 factory centres
STEAM ENGINES
Parish 30 FP.) 40-49] 30-39| 20-29 | 10-19 | “ar
Bradford-on-Avon — a 30 20 | 30(2) 6
Bratton = — a aa 14 6
Calne = = = = = 6
Chippenham a — 30 — 14 | 16(2)
Devizes am — = a = 4
Heytesbury — —— “ 25 — —
Holt — — — = 18 —
Malmesbury — _- — — 14 —
Melksham = = — 28 M7 —
Trowbridge — 45 |102(3)| 88(4) | 66(5) | 47(7)
Westbury 60 — _ 20 — —
WATER WHEELS
Bradford-on-Avon — — — 20 |52(5) |16(2)
Bratton — — = — — | 10@)
Calne — — — — 10 | 20(3)
Christian Malford ae — == — 10 8
Corsley — — = — — 4
Devizes = — — — a zi
Harnham — — aoe = = 6
Heytesbury oo — — — |20(2); —
Holt — — = — 10 —
Longbridge Deverill — —_ — a 14 —
Malmesbury — — — — 10 8
Mere — — — — 102)
Trowbridge — — — — /|30(2) 2
Westbury _ _ — — |50(4) | 22(5)
Wilton — _ — _ 12 —
TABLE II. Horse Power Analysis, 1838
99
100 Wiltshire Textile Industry
This would have been impossible in the older weaving towns
owing to the fierce opposition of the workers. There was at
Malmesbury, it is true, a convenient fall of water, but that
solved only the least of Hill’s problems. He had to build up
an entirely new labour force composed mostly of local lace
workers and others, whom he taught, together with a sprinkling
of skilled workers whom he induced to come in from Gloucester-
shire. Both spinning and weaving machines were installed,
worked by water power, and it is almost certainly this mill
which in 1838 had a 14 H.P. engine supplementing two water
wheels.”
Unfortunately, the returns give no indication of the firms
supplying the steam engines, nor of the dates of their installation.
During the early decades of the 19th century steam power was
only just getting into its stride, for the firm of Boulton and Watt
in Birmingham had enjoyed a monopoly of the condenser until
1800, when Watt’s extended patent expired. It was not there-
fore until after that date that other engineering firms began to
enter the market with an efficient product. When they did
so, they had to contend with the well-established reputation of
the pioneer firm, whose surviving account books reveal that,
in spite of competition, several engines from their Soho foundry
in Birmingham were supplied to Wiltshire mills during the
early decades of the century.”
The earliest type of engine providing rotatory motion suitable
for mill work (as distinct from the still earlier reciprocating
engines used for pumping) was the Sun and Planet type,
patented by Watt in 1781. But there was a time lag in the
application of steam power to the woollen industry compared
with other branches of textile manufacture, particularly cotton,
and not one of the Sun and Planet engines appears to have
been erected in Wiltshire. Even in Yorkshire only five engines.
of this kind were installed in woollen mills before 1800, whereas
about 50 were set up in Lancashire cotton mills by the same
date.
Although Boulton and Watt concentrated on the production
of the more efficient crank engine after 1794, when Pickard’s
patent for the crank expired, they found no market in Wiltshire
23 Parliamentary Papers, 1802-3, VII, pp. 85-8.
4 Details of Boulton and Watt engines are taken from MS. sources in the
Birmingham Reference Library.
Boulton and Watt engines 101
until 1807, when they supplied one toa Bradford mill. Assum-
ing that no engines were supplied by other engineering firms
between 1800 and 1807, this would appear to have been the
first steam engine erected in the county, at any rate in textile
mills, and, if waterborne coal was a conditioning factor, it is
not surprising that Bradford took the lead, since it was the
nearest town to the source of supply. But Table III shows
that there was a significant change of focus in 1814, after which
Trowbridge became the chief centre of activity. The decline
of Bradford is well authenticated, for a manufacturer in the
Year Place T ype EER. Firm
1807 Bradford Crank 14 ie
1807 Bradford ? do. 20 Saunders, Farmer & Co.
1810 Bradford do. 14 E. & G. Cooper
1814 Trowbridge do. 14 Strange & Webber
1814 Trowbridge Independent 10 John & Thomas Clark
1815 Trowbridge do. 6 J. Norris Clark
1815 | Calne do: 14 | M. Heale & Co.
1815 Chippenham do. 14 Salter, Taylor & Co.
1818 Westbury Crank 20 Matravers & Overbury
1818 Trowbridge Independent 6 William Webb
1818 Trowbridge do. 10 Peter Anstie, jun.
1828 Trowbridge do. 20 John Stancomb
TABLE III. Early Boulton & Watt engines in Wiltshire
town stated in 1842 that there were then only two firms in
business: twenty years earlier there had been nineteen.” In
1803 there were about thirty.” It may be that labour in
Bradford was more virulent in its opposition to machinery, or
better organised for the purpose. On the other hand, the
Bradford manufacturers may not have been as tactful in their
handling of the situation as were those of Trowbridge. One
of the inspectors remarked of the Wiltshire manufacturers in
25 Bischoff, op. cit., 11, p. 416.
26 Parliamentary Papers, 1802-3, VII, p. 194.
102 Wiltshire Textile Industry
1840 that “a consideration for their work-people makes them
unwilling to introduce power-looms, or anything which would
throw them out of employ”, though he added, significantly,
that “it always happens that some one is bold enough to make
the experiment, regardless of its consequences as they affect
the workman; others must necessarily follow his example, if
any advantage is obtained by it’’.”. Whatever may be the real
reason for the decline, the physical setting of Bradford con-
tinued to offer advantages that were not enjoyed by some of
the other centres of cloth production in the county.
The only other returns available for the first half of the
century relate to conditions in 1850, but unfortunately they are
in the form of county totals.” Nevertheless, they illustrate
familiar trends (Table IV). A number of mills had gone out
of production since 1838, and in those that remained the pro-
portion of steam power had risen from 67%, in the former year,
to 76%. But we also learn that the ratio of power looms to
spindles was low (1 to 199) though, even so, it was somewhat
higher than the corresponding ratios for Gloucestershire (1 to
276) and Yorkshire (1 to 240). The resistance of the weavers
to the mechanically powered spring loom definitely checked
the establishment of weaving mills, and manufacturers were
compelled to continue handing out yarn to men and women
who followed the traditional practice of weaving it on hand
looms in their own homes.” Thus the 170 power looms given
Dever Total H.P.
Factory No. | Spindles cpa Employees
Steam |Water
Woollen : Spinning 22 22,264 — | 357 87 1645
do. Spinning &
Weaving qf 11,540 | 170 | 263 25) 1201
do. Others 7 — — WZ, 47 31
Silk 3 20,300 — 4 34 300
Flax il 500 25 os 8 25
TABLE IV. Summary of Factory Inspectors’ Returns for Wiltshire, 1850
27 Tbid., 1840, XXIII, p. 467.
28 Tbid., 1850, XLII, pp. 458-462.
29 This is apparent from much of the evidence given before the Parliamentary
Committee (e.g. ibid. 1840, xxiii, p. 296).
Silk mills 103
in the table probably absorbed only a fraction of the yarn
produced by the 33,804 spindles, so it seems fair to assume that
a hybrid system of manufacture, based upon home and factory,
carried over into the second half of the century.
In conclusion, reference must be made to the silk mills, which
present a somewhat different picture. Compared with the
woollen mills, they employed rather more persons, though they
used much less power. ‘Table I shows that there were only five
silk mills in 1838, and that although three of them were worked
by steam engines the total horse power was no more than 18.
On the other hand, these five mills employed a total of 350
persons, an average of 70 per mill, whereas the average number
employed at a woollen mill was 63. But much of the work
done in the silk mills was unconnected with machinery, children
being employed for certain simple processes. Thus it happens
that, on an average, 16 children under 13 years of age were
employed in a silk mill, although the 48 woollen mills in the
county employed only 55 children altogether.
By 1850, as Table [V shows, the total number of silk factories
had dropped to three, and the 20,000 spindles which they
contained were being worked by an astonishingly small amount
of power in which steam played an insignificant part. From
these facts, together with the greater relative decline in the
numbers employed in the silk factories,” it would appear that
silk threads were less able than wool fibres to stand the strain
of increasing competition from elsewhere as the century wore
on.
8° Between 1838 and 1850 the total numbers employed had fallen as follows:
Woollen factories from 2978 to 2877 (3.4%)
Silk factories from 350to 300 (14.4%)
104
IN MEMORIAM MAUD EDITH CUNNINGTON
Mrs. Cunnington died on the 28th of February, only three
months after her husband, whose death was recorded in the
last issue of this Magazine. Cf that loss she was never aware:
her thoughts were wholly in the past, and nothing of the last
sixty years remained with her—nothing of her life’s work, but
nothing, also, of her sorrows. She was eighty-one, and her
sickness of long standing. The same devoted friend nursed
both husband and wife.
The marriage in 1889 of the daughter of Dr. Pegge of Briton
Ferry to Benjamin Howard Cunnington of Devizes was an
event of greater moment for the archaeology of Wiltshire than
the young bride could well have dreamed. It was to add new
distinction to a name already honoured in the county for the
work of three generations in that field. To disentangle Mrs.
Cunnington’s contribution from that of her husband would be a
difficult and, indeed, a thankless task ; their work was too closely
associated for either’s part alone to present an intelligible
picture. For forty years their joint labours were spent on the
discovery and record of the buried history of Wiltshire. The
discoveries have been remarkable; the records, which we
associate more particularly with the name of Mrs. Cunnington,
are among the essential documents of British archaeology.
The last 150 years have seen successive phases in the excava-
tion of prehistoric monuments in Wiltshire, where such invest-
igations won their earliest renown. Barrows, dykes, fortifi-
cations and circles have yielded their secrets to the spade or
latterly, and more reliably, to the trowel: it is with the two
last categories that we chiefly associate the names of Mr. and
Mrs. Cunnington. The age of our earthen hill-forts had been
a matter of surmise, though Pitt-Rivers had pointed the way to
something surer. As late as 1904 Bertram Windle could
suggest no better method of classification than by their shape,
from which it was hoped (with some probability) to decide
only whether they were British, Roman or post-Roman. Oliver’s
Castle, Knap Hill Camp, Casterley Camp, Battlesbury, Lidbury,
Figsbury Rings, Chisenbury Trendle, Chisbury and Yarnbury
were each in turn excavated by the Cunningtons, and it is
interesting to compare the reports as their knowledge advanced.
1 In the memoir of B. H. Cunnington (W.A.M., liii, 498) that event was
wrongly dated. ;
Maud Edith Cunnington 105
Season by season from 1907 to 1932, except the war years, the
work went forward; winter after winter saw the patient but
triumphant piecing of the evidence, the comparisons that fixed
the relations of each new discovery or established it in a class of
its own. Theirs was a strenuous use of leisure and an ample
justification for the possession of that commodity, now in short
supply.
They used it certainly to good effect. On Knap Hill in 1908
they revealed the first “causeway” camp to be recognised as such
in this country. The type, with its pottery, is now known as
“Windmill Hill” after the Avebury site which was only heard
of twenty years later. At All Cannings Cross, below Rybury,
their work from 1920 to 1922 established the first definite
evidence of an inland Hallstadt settlement in England. Atthe
site for which they invented the name “Woodhenge” they were,
in 1926, the first investigators of timber circles. Four years
later they found, on Overton Hill, the site of stone circles lost
for 200 years and among them the traces of timber circles
hitherto unsuspected. The honour of publishing these ex-
cavations, each of which marked an epoch in British archaeology,
belongs to Mrs. Cunnington.
With all this she found time to spend in our Museum, helping
her husband to rearrange the collections and Canon Goddard
to compile the illustrated Second Part of the Catalogue (1911
and 1934). She contributed many articles to this Magazine
including a List of Wiltshire Long Barrows (1913) and another
of Romano-British Sites in Wiltshire (1930), both now inevitably
incomplete. She also published a volume on the “ Pottery of
the West Kennett Long Barrow” (1927) and, when field work
was finally abandoned with advancing years, her “ Introduction
to the Archaeology of Wiltshire ’’, which has run through three
editions. In 1931 she was elected President of our Society,
the first, and still the only, woman to occupy that chair. The
delivery of her Presidential Address in 1932 must have been
something of an ordeal to a retiring nature; her genuine
modesty (which should not be confounded with humility) kept
her on most public occasions in the background.
For her work at All Cannings Cross Mrs. Cunnington was
elected an Honorary Fellow of the Scottish Society of Anti-
quaries, but the Birthday Honours List of 1948 brought a
prouder moment still when her name appeared as a Companion
VOL LIV—CXCIV ie
106 Maud Edith Cunnington
of the Order of the British Empire “ for services to archaeology”.
It is gratifying to Wiltshire to know that Mrs. Cunnington
who was one of the earliest women in the field of British pre-
history, was the first to be honoured by such a recognition of
her work.
A wide knowledge, a shrewd judgment and a catholic interest
in antiquity were revealed in that work. When the
Cunningtons retired from active excavation, the methods
introduced by General Pitt-Rivers towards the end of the
last century were being elaborated in the East into something
more resembling feats of field engineering. The efficacy of the
new school has been very striking, and the results obtained
command our admiration ; but we shall not cease to regret the
passing of the generation which led the way or to honour the
names of the pair who so adorned it.
The first World War had broken more than the sequence of
the Cunningtons’ field work: it cost them the life of their only
son, with whom the immediate family tradition promised to
continue into the fifth generation. We like to think that Mrs.
Cunnington found consolation and happiness in the work which
brought an esteem far outrunning the limits of the county.
Between the wars an English visitor to Freiburg met a young
German Prdhistoriker whose interest was at once aroused when
he heard she came from Wiltshire, though he had never been
to Ensland. “Then you know Stonehenge’, he said, “and
Avebury and—the Cunningtons, perhaps?” A chance colloca-
tion, no doubt, of memorable names, yet it came from beyond
the Rhine.
107
NOTES
A Sarum Grant of the 16th Century. There was recently
found at Canterbury a document which on examination proved
to be concerned with the Diocese of Salisbury. By the courtesy
of the City Librarian of Canterbury it has been sent to the
Dean and Chapter of Salisbury to be placed among their manu-
scripts. Dr. Kathleen Edwards, of the University of Aberdeen,
has kindly deciphered it.
It records a grant in the year 1541 of forty pounds per annum
by Bishop Salcot to Sir Edward Baynton and his son out of the
episcopal Manor of Potterne in exchange for the surrender
of the custody of Ramsbury Park and Manor. Salcot, who
had an alias, ‘Capon, was. Bishop: from 1539 -to: 1557, and
was not an edifying character. After sending several Pro-
testants to the stake in the reign of Henry VIII, he changed
his opinions under Edward VI, but returned to his former creed
under Queen Mary, and sat as judge at the trial of Bishop
Hooper. He was unscrupulous enough to sell some of the
possessions of his see to enrich himself. An account of some
of these transactions will be found in Rich. Jones, Fasti
Ecclesiae Saresberiensis, p. 107. Among them it would appear
that he exchanged the Manor of Ramsbury with the Earl of
Hertford, having ended the Baynton stewardship which had
been granted to them for life by Bishop Shaxton. But no
doubt Salcot managed to retain a considerable profit for him-
‘self from the exchange of properties. He died in 1557, and is
buried in the south choir aisle of the Cathedral.
CGC. T. DIMONT.
Chancellor Dimont was good enough to send a transcript to
the Editor. It is made from a lengthy document which is
obviously the rather careless copy of a lost original. Its main
interest lies, of course, in its evident purpose to clear the
Ramsbury estate of encumbrances as a preliminary to alienating
that oldest possession of the Bishops of Salisbury. But apart
from the reference to Henry VIII as “in terra sub Christo
supremum caput anglicane ecclesie” there are two passages
which, for different reasons, may be quoted. First, the
Bayntons surrendered “ the custody of Ramsbury Park and of
the Manor, garden, orchard and swans”. This is the first we
have heard of a swannery at Ramsbury. It was probably not a
large one—nothing like the thousand birds at Abbotsbury—but
H 2
108 Notes
large enough to warrant particular mention. Secondly there
may, in view of Bishop Capon’s reputation, be something a
little sinister in the clause referring to “the great friendship,
kindness and gratitude so often bestowed upon us heretofore
by the father and the hope of like favours in the future”,
and also to “the good and praiseworthy service rendered and
hereafter to be rendered by the son”’.’ Such considerations, if
implicit in many grants, were not commonly expressed.
The descent of Ramsbury Park and Manor was traced by
H. Avray Tipping when he described the house in Country
Life for October 2nd and 9th, 1920. A few desultory records
of the episcopal tenure are here added from other sources.
The property formed the chief support of both Bishops and
Cathedral from the early years of the 10th century till the
Ramsbury diocese was united with Sherborne in 1058. When
both were merged in Salisbury twenty years later, Ramsbury
continued in the Bishops’ hands and served as their occasional
residence. In 1227 we find the Bishop successfully applying for
the grant of a weekly market on the manor, but in 1240, on the
ground that it was detrimental to the King’s market at Marl-
borough, the privilege was withdrawn and two fairs, in May
and September, substituted. In 1275 the jurors of Selkley
Hundred record that the Bishop owned a chase for hares and
foxes at Stitchcombe, but elsewhere Ramsbury Chase is
described as running from Marlborough to Hungerford. Today
the name is still used (though the Ordnance Survey is unaware
of it) for the fields along the Kennet opposite the Park.
The Park itself contained the Bishop’s deer, an abiding
temptation to the youth of the neighbourhood. In the
fourteenth century a young Sturmy of the Savernake family
led a gang that killed twelve of them, for which he suffered
a whipping and even excommunication. Inthe very year of this
present grant Capon had to complain of a similar, if less
disastrous, raid by a member of the Darell family of Littlecote.
This was Edward Darell, a youth of 19, grandson of that Sir
Edward who had harried the Savernake deer in the reign of
1 Considerantes etiam summam amicitiam, benevolentiam et gratitudinem
per antedictum dominum Edwardum Baynton militem nobis ante hec tempora
sepius diligenter et multipliciter impensas ac sperantes fore imposterum similiter
impendendas ac etiam pro bono et laudabili servitio per antedictum Edwardum
Baynton filium antedicti domini Edwardi militis nobis prestito et in futurum
prestando.
Notes 109:
Henry VIl and future father of the still more notorious “ Wild”
William Darell. But Capon confined himself to a complaint:
the strong measures of his predecessor were no longer politic,
and Capon could afford to make no enemies. Hence his wistful
attitude towards the Bayntons and his negotiations for the
exchange of Ramsbury. Begun, it would appear, when Edward
Seymour was still Earl of Hertford, they were completed
with him as Duke of Somerset after his first disgrace, and
the exchange of Ramsbury and Baydon for Monkton Farleigh,
Ivychurch. Figheldean and Winterbourne Earls (Jones’s Fasti)
was effected in 1551. After Somerset’s execution Ramsbury
passed to the first Earlof Pembroke. It was sold by the seventh
Earl in 1676 to a syndicate who reconveyed it five years later
to Sir William Jones. From that family it went to Francis
Burdett in 1766, and in his family it remained till the death in
the spring of this year of Sir Francis Burdett, the last of his
line. lel (Gy 8)
Wardens of Savernake Forest. From “ The Marlborough
Times” of Jan. 26th. ‘‘ Until the dissolution of the monasteries
there was at Easton Royal a Priory of the Holy Trinity, greatly
favoured by the Esturmys and Seymours, wardens of the
Royal Forest of Savernake. Nothing now remains of the
priory church and the family tombs of the Esturmys and early
Seymours, which were there. To remedy this, their suc-
cessor, the Earl of Cardigan, has by a happy thought given
a tablet which was unveiled on Sunday evening (January 21st,
1951).
~ The tablet in Ancaster stone is the work of Mr. Esmond
Burton, and on it are the arms of the two families and the
Esturmy horn, which is still in the possession of the Marquess
of Ailesbury. The inscription refers to the loss of the family
memorials through the decay of the old church and priory. It
names Sir Geoffrey Esturmy (1245), Sir Henry Esturmy (1295),
Henry Esturmy (1305), Henry Esturmy (1338), Sir Henry
Esturmy (1381), Sir William Esturmy (1427), and Sir John
Seymour (1465), and his descendants. ‘All these’, the inscription
states, ‘lived near by and latterly at Wolfhall, and were the
hereditary wardens of the then Royal Forest of Savernake.
They were constant and generous, until the priory’s dissolution,
in fostering the works of the brethren of Easton. Their
110 Notes
descendant and successor at Savernake in the year 1950 per-
formed this duty to their memory ’.
The service was taken by the Rev. E. G. Davies, vicar, and
Lord Cardigan read the lesson, an historical address being
given by Sir Henry Bashford””.
Berlegh Chapel, South Wraxall. Mr. Kidston has suggested
(W.A.M.., liti, 480-1) that Berlegh Chapel and the Chapel of St.
Ouen (Audoenus) at South Wraxall were identical. The
suggestion may be accepted as probable: Farleigh Priory does
not seem to have possessed more than one chapel at South
Wraxall. The following references can be added.
In 1267 the Abbess of Shaftesbury and Martin the chaplain
granted to the Prior and Convent of Farleigh the chapel and
hospice of St. Audoenus at South Wraxall, with a half hide of
land, meadows and pastures and appurtenances at 14s. a year
and 2d. aid at the sheriff’s tour at Hockday. The place had a
dwelling-house, hall and chapel, and the architecture suggested
to Canon Jones the time of Edward I (W.A.M., xiv, 100-5).
In 1344 the chapel of Berlegh was vacant, and the Priory was
in the King’s hand owing to the war with France. The King,
ina suitat Westminster against the Prior and John, Chapelleyn of
Berlegh, recovered his right of presentation (P.R.O., C47/84/18).
Valor Ecclesiasticus includes among the Priory’s liabilities:
“ Comwell”’ G.e. Cumberwell), Abbess of Shaston, 3s. 4d.
In 1548 Edward VI’s Chantry Commissioners found a free
chapel at South Wraxall; the parishioners could not say what
its yearly value was, or who was the incumbent (P.R.O.,
E301/58/84). ° :
The chapel and 212 acres in South Wraxall were granted to
the Earl of Hertford GV.A.M., xiv, 105). Did Hertford (who
got rid of the Farleigh property at Farleigh a few years after
he acquired it) sell his holding at South Wraxall to Thynne,
who was his close associate ? He Eo CHE bien:
Roman Boscombe. In September 1950, a 5,000 gallon
reservoir was built on a hill $ mile E.S.E. of Boscombe Church.
From this reservoir (NGR. 2077E 3836N) a trench was dug
S.W. across a field. The trench cut through a settlement
occupied from pre-Roman to late Roman times 600 yards N.W.
of the Portway. The pre-Roman pottery is probably Iron
Age A2 with one Belgic sherd ; the Roman includes early ware
which resembles the Iron Age sherds, much New Forest ware
Notes wel
some pseudo-Samian, two Samian and one barbotine sherd.
This small fragment appears to be from the shoulder of a beaker
similar to one illustrated in the Fourth Report on the Excava-
tions of the Roman Fort at Richborough, Kent, No. 458, Plate
NIGIOL :
One Roman pit also contained two nails, tiles, charcoal and
bones. The trench cut five pre-Roman pits and produced
Roman pottery at three other points. With one exception the
pits were small and about 2 feet deep. The length of the pre-
Roman site cut by the trench (100 yards) is 2/3 the diameter of
Little Woodbury, and there are similar Roman and pre-Roman
sites 1 mile W. on Boscombe Down aerodrome. The finds and
full report of the 1950 investigation are in the Museum of
Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Salisbury. V. COLLINS.
It is hoped to publish a complete report of the 1949 excava-
tions on the aerodrome site in the next number of this
Magazine.—Editor.
An Unusual! “ Guide”. Mrs. Laws of Tinhead has a square
of unbleached linen 27 ins. X 27 ins. on which is printed “ The
Traveller’s Guide through England, Scotland, Wales and parts
of Ireland, giving the exact post-stages between town and
town, and the principle inns, and the county in which each
town stands”. For Scotland there is a note: “ not particularised
as being equally good”. Only four inns are mentioned in
Wales and none in Ireland. Wiltshire has the following :—
Calne, White Hart; Chippenham, White Hart; Devizes, The
Black Bear; Marlborough, The Castle; Salisbury, Three Lyons.
We know that Marlborough Castle started busines as an inn
in 1751 and that the Three Lyons, which stood in Salisbury
Market Place, ceased to be a coaching inn soon after 1783.
This “ Guide”, which came originally from the “ Cross Keys ”
in Rowde, may therefore be dated to the latter half of the 18th
century. D. U, SETH-SMITH.
The Historical Association inaugurated a West Wiltshire
Branch at Trowbridge in March of the present year, and we
are glad to learn that it promises to be an active one. Various
excursions are planned for the present season and a membership
of at least seventy is anticipated. The chairman is Mr. Harry
Ross, the vice-chairman Mr. W. T. Watkins and the hon.
secretary Mr. Robert Purnell of 37, Timbrell St., Trowbridge.
The programme contemplates one meeting each month.
112 Notes
The de Flore or Flower family has been domiciled in
Wiltshire since at least the 13th century. If any reader of
this Note has or comes across any information regarding it,
Miss Flower of 2, Lammas Park Gardens, Ealing, W. 5, would
be very glad to have it. First heard of in central Wilts, the
family’s ramifications seem to have covered most of the county
and extended beyond its borders.
113
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND ARTICLES
[The Editor invites all who are in a position to do so to assist in making.
the record under this heading as complete as possible. Books sent forreview
pass eventually to the Museum Library, an extensive collection of Wiltshire
material to which such additions are particularly welcome].
Wiltshire, by Edith Olivier (Robert Hale Limited, 1951, in
the series County Books, 15s.). It was fitting that the late Edith
Olivier should be asked to complete, in a full-scale “ County
Book”, her long record of service to her native county. Her
publishers have added an admirable series of photographs
(though they have chosen to insert them in all the wrong
places). She herself brought to the task an affectionate
partisanship, a capricious but stimulating choice of aspects, an
alert observation, graceful descriptive power, an almost unique
range of friendships in every class. Her chapter on native
building materials may compensate for the purely incidental
treatment of medieval religious houses and hospitals, of post-
Conquest farming and of the clothing trade, whose connected
vicissitudes have helped to shape our towns, our villages and
our own dwellings. But, to quote her niece’s disarming words,
she died before the proofs were ready for correction. Her
publishers have not been kind to her memory.
The map is small and crude; it includes Sidbury Hill, but it
omits Silbury Hill, Fonthill, Wardour, Longford and other names
honourably mentioned in the text. The date of publication is
seriously inconsistent with the descriptions of the Chilmark
quarries, Bowood, Fonthill “New Abbey”, and other sites.
There is an index, but its maker failed to notice (or at any rate to
prevent) the repetition of the same story in different versions on
pages 1-2 and 188, on pages 35 and 166, on pages 127-9 and 290-5.
There are many mistakes of fact, great or small, such as the
description of the almspeople at St. John’s Hospital, Ditchamp-
ton, as crusading knights ; the suggestion (page 62) that abbots
alone were responsible for maintaining bridges ; the rendering
of “ badgers” as “ barley bailiffs’ (page 217). Toomany pages
are filled by long quotations from other authors, who are not
always named or correctly transcribed. The misprints are
numerous.
It is not a pleasing duty to record the defects, due in different
measures to all concerned, which have made this book far less
authoritative than we were entitled to hope.
ie he CHE mer.
114 Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles
The Story of our Cattle, Young Farmers’ Club Booklet
No. 22, by Professor E. J. Roberts. The author traces our
modern breeds from the primeval cattle of Europe and shows
with the aid of a map the probable lines of invasion from the
continent. Till Neolithic days Urus, or Bos primigenius, was
hunted only. Our earliest domesticated cattle seem to have
been across between Urus and Bos longifrons, sometimes with
a strain of Leptobos, a race whose cows were hornless; but the
map shows B. longifrons in possession of the island when the
Roman cattle came ashore. An alleged portrait of longifrons
from the cave-drawings of Lascaux reminds us that it was
roaming France 40,000 years ago. Altogether more captivating
is Professor Zeuner’s reconstruction of Urus, though it recalls a
childish consolation that eased the crossing of a field where
Highland cattle browsed—at least one couldn’t be impaled on
both horns at once! That the Chillingham white cattle are
directly descended from Urus is once again denied: they are
ascribed to Roman importations of an Italian breed.
The great breeders are honoured here as they deserve, and
there isa chapter on the romantic calling of the drovers, who find
an unexpected place in the history of British banking. Another
chapter tells of the great, if apolaustic, role that British bulls
have played in the Americas. The illustrations include a
number of the more important modern breeds and some earlier
monstrosities that must have pained their painters. H.C.B.
A preselite axe-hammer from Fifield Bavant. Dr. J. F. S.
Stone described this find (of 1944) in the Antiquaries Journal
for July-October, 1950. Apart from the excellence of the
specimen its particular interest lies in its material, whichis that
of “ Blue Stonehenge’’, the dressed block from Bowl’s Barrow,
a tool from West Kennett, an axe from Stockton Earthworks
and a fragment of one from Windmill Hill, to mention first the
known occurrences in this county. Five examples are known
from its native Wales, two from Antrim and three from the
south coast region between the Exe and the Avon. Dr. Stone
finds evidence for the exploitation of this Presely stone about
the end of the Neolithic or the beginning of the Bronze Age.
But more will be learnt of its distribution when examples have
been more widely traced: the pattern of the known finds is
still too sketchy for definite conclusions, but the establishment
of a probable date-limit is already an achievement.
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles 115
Biconical faience beads. In the ensuing number of the same
Journal Dr. Stone collaborates with Lady Fox in reporting the
first discovery of Egyptian biconical faience beads not only in
England but in Europe. They were recently recognised in a
necklace taken from a barrow in N. Devon in 1889 and deposited
in the Exeter Museum in 1917. Faience beads have been found
more frequently in Wiltshire barrows than anywhere else in
England, but those found have been segmented, not biconical.
Biconical beads in lignite or other materials are not uncommon:
it is the combination “ biconical faience” that gives importance
to these Devonshire examples. Dr. Stone attributes them to
an Egyptian source of the 14th century B.C., as previously he
attributed the segmented forms to that country 200 years
earlier. As yet, Wiltshire’s interest in the discovery, apart
from Dr. Stone’s share in it, can only be called anticipatory.
Anarticle by Mr.R. W.Feachem in the same issue on’ Dragon-
esque Fibulae”’ assigns them to the first and second centuries
A.D. and attributes the scattering from their source in N.
_ Britain tothe movements of Roman“ personnel”. The example
_ recorded by Mr. Owen Meyrick from Bedwyn (W.A.M. lii, 376)
| may therefore have been dropped by a British legionary on
leave—unless we suppose that some local Lalage lost it.
mn. Cr B;
The Old Deanery, Salisbury. It may be remembered that
the General Meeting of this Society recorded in 1949 its great
regret that this building was to be destroyed, a decision from
which the Education Office was not to be moved. This year
the April number of the Architectural Review recalls that
“unwatrrantable intrusion into Salisbury Close” in the course
of a vigorous attack upon the policy of the Royal Fine Art
Commission, a body set up to protect us from aesthetic errors
in public plans. The Commissioners’ firmness in condemning
the first plans for rebuilding Coventry Cathedral has not been
repeated on other sites. Elsewhere it has been content to
compromise or approve without reservation because, apparently,
nothing better could be expected from our architects and
designers.
“To take an example from outside London”, say the Editors, ‘ public
protests against the demolition of the Old Deanery in the Cathedral Close of
Salisbury to make way for an extension of the Diocesan [Training] College
coincided with the discovery that the Royal Fine Art Commission had already
approved this very dubious proposal” subject to agreed modifications. ‘It
116 Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles
is true that the Commission says in its report that had the matter been raised
earlier it would have suggested adaptions of the existing house instead. If
that was its opinion, then surely its duty was to condemn the less desirable
alternative, even at so late a stage. If the Diocesan Authorities had then
proceeded with the scheme they would have done so in the face of the
expressed disapproval of the Commission, to whom public opinion would
certainly have rallied. But the public was allowed to know nothing of the
Commission’s alternative recommendations. All the public sees is a most
undesirable scheme going forward, blessed once more with the Commission’s
approval”.
Doubtless the Ministry was grieved by its own decision, made,
we may be sure, under the dire constraint of necessity. We
have heard like lamentations from other Government offices,
and we are damp with the tears of their crocodiles. The harm
is irreparable, and Sarum Close will carry the mark of it into
the coming centuries. But that won’t worry Whitehall. The
Architectural Review, it should be added, is scrupulous to admit
the competence of the individuals who constitute the Royal
Fine Art Commission: its complaint is in effect that from the
body corporate the vertebrae are missing. H-€.B:
Salisbury by R. L. P. Jowitt (Batsford, 1951, 8s. 6d.). Just
in time for the city’s festivities (and for notice here) this new
guide arrives. Mr. Jowitt is already known to us as the author
of the revised Little Guide to Wiltshire, a fact which commends
his work more surely than his publisher’s discomfortable
eulogies on the dust-cover. Both for its text and its excellent
illustrations the book is worth possessing. Its author’s task was
difficult : in something well under a hundred pages he had to
impart much information and he contrives to do it without
congestion. Four chapters to the Close and its contents and
three to the City and its surroundings seems a reasonable
allocation, and the account of the cathedral and its bishops will
be generally welcome. A somewhat hasty reading suggests
one correction: the alleged connection between Longford
Castle and Uranienborg is a myth which will doubtless be as
unconscionable a time a-dying as Jane Seymour’s Wiltshire
wedding or Canon Jackson’s discovery of the Saxon church at
Bradford. H.C. B. 2° 4
Cricklade. The “Materials for a History” of this town
accumulate. The latest addition is chapter VII by M. T. Stead
and others, and it fully maintains the standard of its pre-
decessors. The Waylands Estate (or Estates) consisted of
Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets and Articles V7,
houses and meadows in Cricklade bestowed by two Elizabethen
donors and vested in 18 feoffees for the maintenance of the
highways in and about the town. The history of the trust thus
created and its properties is traced to the present day, when
the income is mostly divided between the County and the
Rural District Councils but charged also with the street lighting
ot Cricklade, a duty assumed in 1872. In 1886 the disappearance
of the Longstone and the alignment of sarsens from Broome,
near Swindon, was traced to the Waylands Trustees, who had
bought and used them for road repairs.
Eight other existing Cricklade charities are briefly recorded,
and three which have been missing for about 200 years. Two
more Appendices are also now available dealing respectively
with the existing maps and plans and with the views of the town,
which may be seen in the Museums of Cricklade and Devizes
or in private hands.
Another instalment of these “Materials” reaches us (we hope
| for the first time!) on our way to press. Chapter [, Early
_ History, by the General Editor, T. R. Thomson, was issued in
1950. It begins with the campaign of Aulus Plautius in 43 A.D.
and ends inthe17th century. Materials for that lengthy period
are scanty. The excavation of 1948 across the rampart (or
wall) of the ancient camp (or town) must, in the absence of
any report, be dismissed as abortive—a disappointment for
which nobody in Cricklade is in any way to blame. It reduces
Dr. Thomson to conjecture, and he is wisely cautious in his
suggestions. Conjecture too must supply most of the medieval
history of the town—even the site of the adulterine castle of
Stephen’s day is uncertain—but we are on surer ground with
Henry II’s charter of 1155, witnessed at Marlborough by the
future St. Thomas of Canterbury. Dr. Thomson has gathered
many interesting, if isolated, facts for the later centuries into
which he extends our conception of “early” history. There
remain only the 18th and 19th centuries to be dealt with in a
final chapter. H.C. B.
118
WILTSHIRE OBITUARIES
MAJOR HENRY PHILIP OLDFIELD died at Harrow on Dec. 9th, 1950, aged
84. Commissioned in the Wilts Regt., 1887, he became a tea planter in Ceylon,
1892. Recalled to 3rd Bn., 1914, became adjutant to Lord Heytesbury, 1915.
Served in Macedonia and Constantinople till demobilisation, 1920.
Obit. : Wiltshire Times, Dec. 16th, 1950.
MRS. MARY ARNOLD-FORSTER died at Bassett Down, Wroughton, on Feb.
2nd, 1951, aged 89. Daughter of Professor Nevil Story-Maskelyne, she
matried H. O. Arnold-Forster, later Secretary of State for War. She ably
supported him in his political career in London, but they later made their
home at Bassett Down, which had been in her family for generations, and here
her mind and character found full expression. On the death of her husband
over 40 years ago she wrote a brilliant memoir of him, tracing the influence of
his grandfather, Dr. Arnold of Rugby, and his uncle, W. E. Forster, Secretary
for Ireland under Gladstone. In 1921 she published a volume on the
mechanism of dreams. Only a year ago appeared her book on Bassett Down,
an account of the house, its gardens and treasures through the centuries when
her forbears had lived there down to the present time. In this she catches
its spirit and charm and is able to pass them ontothe reader. Mr. J. A.
Arnold-Forster, our late President, is her only surviving son.
Obits.: Times, Feb. 5th and 8th, 1951.
DR. ERNEST TREVOR SHORLAND died at Westbury in February, 1951, aged
79. Second son of Dr. E. P. Shorland of Westbury, educated at Marlborough;
after medical training at Guy’s Hospital went through Boer War with Royal
Wilts Yeomanry. Joining his father’s practice was prominent in Westbury
affairs. An all-round sportsman, playing cricket for Wilts up to 1914.
Principal M.O. of Heywood House Hospital and prime mover in founding
Westbury Cottage Hospital, he was a gifted doctor, inspiring confidence in
his patients. Magistrate and for some time chairman of Westbury Bench.
Married in 1907, Grace, daughter of W. H. Laverton.
Obit.: Wiltshire Times, Feb. 17th, 1951.
THE REV. THEODORE ROBERT WOOSNAM LUNT died at Cambridge in
March, 1951, aged 72. Graduated at Univ. Coll., Oxford ; curate of Melksham,
1929-31; vicar of Worfield, 1931-34 ; returned to Wilts as rector of Biddestone,
1947. Brother of the late Bishop of Salisbury. Author of Story of Islam and
Quest of Nations. He leaves a widow.
Obit. : Wiltshire News, March 30th, 1951.
FREDERICK H. HINTON died on April 12th, 1951, aged 81. Headmaster of
Ivy Lane School, Chippenham, 1907-32, after holding similar posts in Herts,
and at Carisbrooke and Tisbury ; on retirement lived at Lacock. For many
years organist at Chippenham and Lacock. A keen antiquarian, he contributed
papers to W.A.M. on old Chippenham and Lacock records. Twice married,
he leaves a widow, two sons and a daughter.
Obit.: Wiltshire News, April 13th, 1951.
SIR FRANCIS BURDETT, 8th Baronet, died at Ramsbury, on April 13th, 1951,
aged 81. Only son of Sir F. Burdett, of Foremarke, Derbyshire ; served in Boer
War with 17th Lancers; A.D.C. to Governor of Ceylon, 1901-04; High Sheriff of
Wiltshire Obituaries 119
Derbyshire, 1909, later becoming Deputy Lieutenant. Trained troops on the
Curragh in 1914-18 War. Coming to Ramsbury 30 years ago was for a long
time chairman of Marlborough County Bench and a member of Savernake
Hospital Committee. Provided club for Ramsbury branch of British Legion,
whose president he was for 27 years, and generously supported village
activities. A keen sportsman, also deeply interested in his garden and estates,
and a prominent freemason. Lady Burdett, whom he married in 1905, died
in 1949, and there are no children of the marriage.
Obit.: Marlborough Times, April 20th, 1951.
THE REV. ALFRED MONTAGUE STACY died at Devizes, on May 14th, 1951.
Son of Alfred Stacy, educated at St. Paul’s School and Keble, Oxford ; ordained,
1913. Curate at Whitehaven, 1913-17, St. Saviour, Croydon, 1917-26, Marl-
borough, 1926-30. Vicar of Easterton from 1930, and secretary of the old
Potterne Rural Deanery. Ofa quiet and gentle disposition, he was active in
all matters concerned with the weltare of the parish and held in high esteem.
An accomplished organist and a member of Devizes Camera Club.
Obit.: Wiltshire Gazette, May 17th, 1951.
JOSHUA BOWER died at Old Park, Devizes, on May 23rd, 1951, aged 82.
Of Yorkshire stock, he came to Devizes in 1937 and was prominent in a wide
range of activities. A practical farmer, he was made President of Devizes
Agricultural Society and the Young Farmers’ Club. As Vice-President of
_ Wilts Scouts Association threw open his grounds for County Rover Tests
and for fétes in aid of Scout funds. Appointed chairman of Devizes Con-
servative Association in 1945, he also served on Divisional Executive Com-
mittee. A staunch church worker, and a devotee of field sports. He leaves
a son and two daughters.
Obit. : Wiltshire Gazette, May 23rd, 1951.
120
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE
since the list of December, 1950
A collection of 947 documents concerning the property and business of the
Awdry family, 16th-19th cents :—titles to property chiefly in Melksham, 1560-
c. 1850, also in Lacock, Seend and Potterne 17th-19th cents; court book of the
manor of Melksham, 1631-1723; private, legal and estate papers concerning
members of the Awdry family, mainly connected with the work of John
Awdry asa J.P., receiver of taxes, banker, chairman of the ““ Wilts Association”
of 1780 and member of the Melksham society of clothiers, 18th and early 19th
cents. (Deposit).
About 2,200 documents, records of the Ashe family of Langley Burrell, mid
16th-19th cents.:—deeds of properties in Langley Burrell, Chippenham,
Kington Langley, Kington St. Michael, Hardenhuish, Purton, Rodbourne
Cheney, Lacock, Malmesbury, Yatton Keynell, Devizes, Calne, Cherhill,
Homington, Winkfield, Bradford-on-Avon, Westfield, Somerford, Lyneham,
Hilmarton and elsewhere ; accounts of estate and household affairs at Langley
Burrell and Winkfield from 1661; parish records of Langley Burrell, 1666-1836;
records of the manor of Langley Burrell, 1586-1810; enclosure papers for
Langley Burrell and Overton, early 19th cent. ; justice’s notebook, 1664-1711;
subsidy book for the hundreds of Chippenham, Calne, Malmesbury and
Damerham North, 1641 ; turnpike accounts and receipts for Draycott, Stanton,
Hardenhuish and Chippenham roads, late 18th cent., and other miscellaneous
documents. (Deposit).
An artificial collection of 2,220 documents mainly referring to properties
throughout Wilts, 15th-19th cents; also an extent of Chirton, c. 1379-80, court
rolls of the hundred of Calne, 1509-42, of the manors of Bishops Cannings,
1678-1758, and Steeple Langford, 1716-24; church rate assessment for Great
Bedwyn, 1748/9: and miscellaneous legal, ecclesiastical and private documents.
About 900 documents, mainly title deeds to the properties of the Temple
family in Bishopstrow, Boreham in Warminster, Upton Scudamore and
Heytesbury, two of the 13th cent., the remainder 16th-19th cents; court
rolls of the manor of Boreham, 1581, 1583 and 1612; court books of the manor
ot Bishopstrow, 1621-1868 ; and estate, legal and personal papers of the Temple
family, 17th-19th cents.
Six estates maps of Mildenhall area, mainly of glebe lands, one plan of open
field tenements and one of property of Mildenhall vicarage in Marlborough
1728-1818; also two plans of Mildenhall church before and after alterations,
1814-1816.
Sixteen title deeds of properties in Warminster, 1781-1861.
Two court papers, 1658, and three other 17th cent. estate papers relating to
Broughton Gifford; private letters to and from John Cam Hobhouse (Lord
Broughton), c. 1828-61. (Deposit).
Nine documents, mainly leases of property in Chitterne All Saints by mem-
bers of the Michell family, 1730-75.
Special licence for the marriage of Martyn T. Kinnard with Cora Elizabeth, ©
Countess Strafford, 1903. i
Terrier of the Wilts estates of Richard Erle Drax Grosvenor, 1815. |
(Deposit). |
Accessions to the County Record Office 121
An appointment by Sir Walter and Carew Raleigh of a deputy steward for
the manor of Mere, 1587; a warrant from Charles II to Sir John Coventry to
be a game warden in Mere, 1663; and two letters to Sir Edward Nicholas from
William Gauntlett, steward of his Wilts estates, 1666/7 and 1667/8. (Deposit).
Probate copy of the will of Thomas Anstey of Alvediston made 19th April,
1660.
Rate book for the parish of Littleton Drew, 1837-43.
Plan of an open field in Stockton, 1640, letters of administration re the family
of Peircey, 1714, two leases of property in Stockton, 1789 and 1903, and
various personal papers, mainly commissions in the armed forces, concerning
the family of Yeatman-Biggs, 1824-1929.
Fifty-three papers re the parishes of Great and Little Cheverell, mainly
1760-1800: parish records, including rate assessments, and documents con-
cerning the offices of overseer of the poor and constable; estate papers
probably referring to the estate of former rectors ; lists of goods and tenements
for the assessment of tithe.
Mortgage of property in Shrewton, John Judd to Robert Long, dated 12th
Nov., 1778.
Seven rate assessment books, 1888-1900, and file of overseers’ accounts and
vouchers, 1901-2, parish of Maiden Bradley.
Lease for a year of property in Castle Street, Salisbury, 1748, and copy of
will and probate of the Rev. John Pyke of Enford, 1839.
A collection of deeds, estate, household and personal accounts and bills,
correspondence, journals and diaries, MSS, school books and sermons, and
miscellaneous printed matter, mainly relating to the families of Lovell and
Willes, 17th-20th cents. Of the 600 deeds, most of the earlier ones, and many
of the estate accounts, relate to Axbridge and a group of North Somerset
parishes; many of the deeds of the 18th cent. and later relate to Cole Park
and other properties in the parish of Malmesbury. Many of the letters, of
which there are about 1,000, centre around John Lovell, who married into the
Harvey family of Cole Park, in 1757 ; other letters concern the Willes family,
linked to the Lovelis by the marriage of John Lovell’s son, Peter Harvey
Lovell, to Charlotte Willes: these concern Edward Willes, Bishop of Bath
and Wells in 1743, his children and grand-children; his son, Sir Francis Willes
of Cockenhatch and Ippollitts, Herts, Hampstead and London, is fully
represented by letters and personal and estate accounts. Among this family
accumulation are 17th cent. records of the borough of Axbridge, a calendar of
prisoners in Newgate Gaol, 1710; a treasurer’s account book of Westminster
Abbey, 1727-30, three sections of the diary of Thomas Smith of Shaw, Melk-
sham, 1715-22, and letters of 1747-49, describing the naval engagement with
the French fleet off Cape Finisterre and operations against the French in
India. (Deposit).
Office copy of the will of William Buckler of Boreham, proved 28th January,
1790, and a mortgage by William Henry Haviland of property in Malmesbury,
11th December, 1830. (Deposit).
122
ADDITIONS TO THE SOCIETY’S MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
Museum
Presented by DR. E. C. CURWEN: Saddle quern and iron pin from Cold
Presented by
Kitchen Hill.
Miss L. J. MATHER: Bracelet, fibula, penannular brooch, and
tweezers (all of bronze), two coins and a segmented bead, from
Cold Kitchen Hill.
THE VEN. ARCHDEACON COULTER: Leaden seal of the Arch-
deaconery of Wilts, dated 1682.
MRs. LAWES: A list printed on linen, of all the main coa<=
routes from London to the principal towns of Great Britain.
with the names of the posting towns and of the chief inn in
each (? late 18th cent.). Mounted and framed by the kindness
of Miss Seth-Smith.
Library
MESSRS DOULTON & CoO.: Illustrated booklet, Pottery in the
Ancient World.
THE LATE MR. B. H. CUNNINGTON: Set of bound volumes
of the Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine, vol. xlvi. Beauties of
Wilts (Britton). History of Devizes (Waylen). History of
Marlborough (Waylen). Birdsof Wiltshire (Smith). Excavations
in Cranbourne Chase, King John’s House, Primitive Locks and
Keys, Address to Archaeological Institute at Dorchester, 1897 (Pitt-
Rivers). Ancient Wiltshire, two vols. (Colt Hoare). Modern
Wiltshire (Heytesbury Hundred), Colt Hoare. Camden's
Britannia (1695 ed.). Cox’s Magna Britannia (Wiltshire part) ,
(1720 ed.). Roman Britain (Collingwood), 1923. Avebury Ex-
cavations, 1908-22 (St. George Gray). Archaeology of the Anglo-
Saxon Settlements (Leeds). The Romanisation of Britain (Haver-
field). Histories of Richard of Devizes and Richard of Cirencester.
History of the Boroughs of the United Kingdom, three vols. (Mere-
wether and Stevens). Marlborough Quarter Sessions Present-
ments, Marlborough Municipal Records (Cunnington). Two
books on The Preservation of Antiquities. A number of
reprints of articles from Archaeologia, Wilts Arch. Mag. and
other publications. Thirty-two large scrap-books labelled
Wiltshire Magazine containing articles from W.A.M. interleaved
with MS. notes, newspaper cuttings, etc. Map of Wiltshire by
H. Moll, 1724. Water colour drawing of Stonehenge. Print of
Stonehenge from Camden’s Britannia, coloured, with printed
inscription in Dutch. Twenty-seven prints and engravings of
Wiltshire subjects, some coloured. Plan of Kennet and Avon
Canal. Some sheets of the Ordnance Survey Geological Map
of Wiltshire. Formulary kept by John Danvers, Sheriff of
Wiltshire, 16-17 Elizabeth (Phillipps MS. No. 14054). |
Mr. R. B. PUGH: Catalogue of the books in the Richard Jefferies
Collections in the Swindon Public Libraries, 1948. dJefferies
Memorial Lecture given at Swindon, by Richard Church, 1948.
FTO ie o,
& “*) PRESENTED
“es.) 31 JUL 1951
Publications to be obtained from the Librarian, The Museum, Devizes
THE BRITISH AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTH
WILTSHIRE DOWNS, by the Rev. A. C. Smith, M.A. Atlas 4to.
248 pp., 17 large maps and 110 woodcuts, extra cloth. One copy
offered to each member of the Society at {1 ls. A few copies only.
CATALOGUE OF ANTIQUITIES IN THE SOCIETY’S MUSEUM.
Part II, illustrated, 2nd Edition, 1935. Price 3s. 6d.
A BIBLIOGRAPHY or THE GREAT STONE MONUMENTS oF
WILTSHIRE: STONEHENGE anp AVEBURY, with other references,
by W. J. Harrison, F.G.S., pp. 169, 4 illustrations. No. 89 (1901) of
W.A.M. Describes 947 books, papers, &c., by 732 authors. Price 5s. 6d.
A CALENDAR OF THE FEET OF FINES FOR WILTSHIRE,
UG Ak@ 272, BY. HE. A. PRY.~ 8vo., pp. 103. ~ Price ‘6s.
WILTSHIRE INQUISITIONES POST MORTEM: HENRY III,
EDWARD Land EDWARD II. _ 8vo. pp. xv + 505. Fully indexed.
In parts. Price 13s., complete.
DITTO. EDWARDIII. 8vo., pp. 402. Fully indexed. In parts.
Price 13s., complete.
THE CHURCH BELLS OF WILTSHIRE, THEIR INSCRIPTIONS
AND HISTORY, BY H. B. WALTERS, F.S.A. (In3 Parts.) Price 16s.
BACK NUMBERS oF THE MAGAZINE. Price from 2s. 6d. to 10s. 6d.
according to date and condition (except in the case of a few numbers,
the price of which is raised). To Members, 25 per cent. less.
7 The Society has also a number of
Old Engraved Views of Buildings, &c., in Wiltshire and
Portraits of Persons connected with the County to dispose of.
The late Capt. B. H. and Mrs. CUNNINGTON gave all remaining copies
of the following to the Society for sale :—
ALL CANNINGS: CROSS (1923), By MRS. CUNNINGTON, Hon.
EvS,a.,,5co0t. “4to. cloth; 53 Plates. 21s.
WOODHENGE (Excavations, 1927—28), By MRS. CUNNINGTON,
FON Foose, ocot., to. cloth, -21s.
RECOKDS, OF THE COUNTY OF WILTS, EXTRACTS FROM
EE OQUARTEK SESSIONS (GREAT ROLLS OF THE. 171th
CENTURY By CAPT -B.H: CUNNINGTON, F.S.A.,Scot.° Cloth. 12/6.
DEVIZES BOROUGH . ANNALS: EXTRACTS FROM THE
CORPORATION RECORDS: By CAPT. °B. H..CUNNINGTON,
io. A., Scot. ‘Cloth. (Vol: 1 is out of print) ‘Vol. -II, 1792 to 1835, 15s.
The Society’s Museum and Library, Long Street, Devizes
All members of the Society are asked to give an annual
subscription towards the upkeep of these collections. The
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The Wiltshire
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|
i
The Wiltshire
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
———__—__—
No. CXCV DECEMBER, 1951
CONTENTS
THE EXCAVATION OF IRON AGE VILLAGES ON
BOSCOMBE DOWN WEST: By Miss K. M.
Richardson, F.S.A
e@xseeseeoceerseeceeereseseeeseseseeseseereeseeeeeeee
CHARTISM IN WILTSHIRE: By R. B. Pugh, F.S.A.
SALISBURY COMPANIES & THEIR ORDINANCES,
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE
WOODWORKING CRAFTS: By G. J. Eltringham,
“EJS \a TRG RSE Cais in Reis aL a es
SOME WILTSHIRE FONTS. PART III: By A. G.
Randle Buck
eeereeeseeeseeesseseeeeseeeeseeeeee2e2e222222882822 228088
BRADFORD-ON-AVON. THE SAXON BOUNDARIES
IN ETHELRED’S CHARTER OF 1001 A.D.: By
J. H. P. Pafford
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND EXCURSIONS
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE
NOTES.—The National Grid. Medieval Pottery
found at Oaksey. A Note on Stone Axes. Bronze
Implement from Manningford Bohune Down.
A Skeleton on Tan Hill
ee ewer e ee ae eee ee eee eee eeee ee eeeeeeene
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND ARTICLES
Ao) ed
PAGE
123—168
169—184
185—191
192—209
210—218
219—225
229
226—228
229-—236
ll PAGE
WILTSHIRE OBIFUARIBS ico le aie es 237—239
LAISTOOE MEMBERS 252006 ee ce eee 240—251
ADDITIONS TO MUSEUM AND LIBRARY............ 252-293
ACCOUNTS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR 1950 254—256
ILLUSTRATIONS
Excavations of Iron Age Villages on Boscombe Down West:
Fig General Plame Wit yee ics eee ee opp. 125
igen 23) Abpea Oe obo Ae aN ak Cube aei a eee 126
Plates’ I, Il. . Features of Aréa @...30000 5. 126—127
Fig, 3. (Working Floor.) 2d en a 128
Bis, 34) Area oo i ee 130
Big: 50 Areas KR and’ ©: Pits). 0 Se) ee 132
Plate III, Skeleton, Ditch. Plate IV, Belgic Ditches 132—133
Fig:\6 Section ot Belgie Ditches.) 3... 134
Plate V, Inner Ditch. Plate VI, Oven Daub......... 136—137
Fis, 7,8,9 Iron Age A Pottery......0..000. 58 141, 143, 144
Fig, 10,11. Iron Age A and. B Pottery.......2...- 146, 148
Pig 12713. .Belsic Potterys 3585 ee eee 151 152
Rigid. Roman Potteryic. Winn cn eae seo e eee 153
Bis 15)16 Metal Objects. ee ge ce to 155, 156
Higuilyes@byjects of Bonen wk ee 157
Fig. 18 Objects of Pottery, clay, stone.................. 158
Big Os Omens oie ye ee ad ee 160
Chartism in Wiltshire. Plates:
Notice of Public Meeting, 1838.......0.2..60000000.00ecces opp. 171
Caution Novice: S30 eas ssi noo seen ee opp. 178
French Republic Notice, 1848.05.00. 35 ee opp. 182
Some Wiltshire Fonts :
Plates Vill. Vill Gugse4 le 47 i. oe ee ee 192—193
Plates: X= xl Caisse 48" 63 eo can ee 198—199
Bradford-on-Avon,1001 A.D. Plate:
Anglo-Saxon text of boundaries:...............-.3..% opp. 210.
DEVIZES: C. H. WOODWARD, EXCHANGE BUILDINGS, STATION ROAD
THE WILTSHIRE MAGAZINE
MULTORUM MANIBUS GRANDE LEVATUR ONUS
Nie: ©XCV DECEMBER, 1951 VOL: ‘LEV
THE EXCAVATION OF IRON AGE VILLAGES
ON BOSCOME DOWN WEST
By Miss K. M. RICHARDSON, F.S.A.
The presence of pits containing animal bones and sherds on the
site of Boscombe Down R.A.F. Station was first reported in the
autumn of 1948 by Mr. Price and Mr. Pearce of the firm of Sir
Robert MacAlpine, while engaged in levelling operations within the
confines of the aerodrome. On the 29th October, Mr. Price, Chief
Engineer in charge of the works, got into touch with Mr. H. de S.
Shortt, F.S.A., curator of Salisbury Museum, who immediately
contacted Dr. J. F. S. Stone, F.S.A., and with him visited the site,
where the dark infilling of numerous pits was clearly visible in the
levelled chalk.
In the meantime, the Air Ministry had notified the Ministry of
Works, suggesting that a qualified archzologist be sent to inspect the
site. Dr. Stone was asked to report and his name was given to the
_ Air Ministry. In November, Dr. Stone had himself sampled some
of the pits. In December, he enlisted the help of Mr. A. Booth,
| Mr, N, Page and Mr. R. M. Puckle and they, with the sanction of
the Officer Commanding the Air Station, proceeded to work through-
out the winter in their spare time, under Dr. Stone’s direction.!
Foreseeing an increase in the pace of mechanical destruction with
the approach of spring and better weather, the Ministry of Works
made arrangements for full time excavation. Work was begun with
four men on April 19th, 1949, and was carried on for five weeks.
As this brief introduction shows, the rescue work on this site was
made possible by the co-operation of several public bodies and
private persons, to all of whom thanks are due. A particular debt is
owed to Mr. Price for reporting the existence of a site which would
otherwise have been destroyed without record ; for my part, I would
like to thank Mr. Price and members of his staff for their active help ;
Mr. Sexton, in charge of the Photographic Section, A. and A.E.E.
Boscombe Down R.A.F. Station, whose staff is responsible for the
1 A note on the site was published by Dr. Stone in the Arch. News Letter,
March, 1949, p. 9.
iW VOL, LIV—CXCV I
124 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
photographs taken on the site; Mr. Booth and Mr. Puckle who
continued to help over the five weeks; Mr. H. de S. Shortt, for his
kind support, and finally Dr. J. F. S. Stone, not only for his con-
structive advice in the field, but for the use of his notes and plans,
which correlated the work done by Messrs. Page and Booth, and which
have served as the basis for the general plan of the site.
I am indebted to all those specialists who have examined and
reported on particular finds. Dr. Stone has kindly written a note on
a stone axe from one of the Iron Age Pits. I have to thank Mrs.
H. N. Young, for drawing the Iron Age A and B pottery, Mrs. Gell,
the Belgic and Roman sherds, Mr. L. Monroe, F.S.A., the small
finds and Mr. Collins the quern stones. And lastly I gratefully
acknowledge the helpful advice I have had from Mr. G. C. Dunning,
F.S.A., Inspector of Ancient Monuments, throughout, and in
preparing this report for publication.
The material from the excavations has been deposited in the
Salisbury Museum as a gift from the Ministry of Supply.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
All Cannings Cross 1923, M. E. Cunnington.
Ashley Rails, Excavations in New Forest Roman Pottery Sites 1927, p. 7, Hey-
wood Sumner.
Bury Hill, Hants Field Club, 1940, XIV, 291.
Caburn, Sussex Arch. Coll. LXXX, 193.
Camulodunum, Rep. Research Comm. Soc. Ant. Lon., 1947, XIV.
Casterley Camp, Wilts Arch. Mag., 1914, XX XVIII, 53.
Clausentum, Ant. Journ., 1947, XXVII, 151.
East Grinstead, 1924, Heywood Sumner.
Fifield Bavant, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1924, XLII, 457.
Figsbury, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1927, XLIII, 48.
Findon Park, Archaeologia, 1927, LXXVI, 1.
Glastonbury Lake Village, Vol. 1, 1911, Bulleid and Gray.
Grimes Graves, Proc. Preh. Soc. E. Anglia, 1923, IV, 187.
Hengistbury Head, Rep. Research Comm. Soc. Ant. Lon. 1915, III.
Highfield, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1934, XLVI, 579.
Lidbury, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1919, XL, 12.
Liddington Castle, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1914, XXXVIITI, 576.
Little Woodbury, Proc. Preh. Soc., 1940, VI, 30; 1948, XIV, 1; 1949, XV, 156.
Long Wittenham, Oxoniensia, 1937, II, 1.
Lowbury Hill, 1916, Atkinson.
Maiden Castle, Rep. Research Comm. Soc. Ant. Lon., 1943, XII.
Meon Hill, Proc. Hants. Field Club, 1933, XII, pt. 2,127; 1935, XIII, pt.1. 7.
Mount Farm, Dorchester, Oxoniensia, 1937, II, 12.
Oare, Wilts. Arch. Mag., XXXVI, 125.
Park Brow, Archaeologia, 1927, LXXVI, 1.
Quarley Hill, Proc. Hants. Field Club, 1938, XIV, 136.
Rockbourne Down, 1914, Heywood Sumner.
s[eling ysialig-oueuioy pue yo71Iq pure sid g ‘pue Vv ey uoll ‘y Pay
!szig pue emnsopuy Weg ‘q PeIV ‘Sid Yysaug-ourMoY “Ss eeIy :siq pue 100[4 suIyIOM G Pue VY eV UOT] ‘CS ealy Suimoys ued jetouey T “siy
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124 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
photographs taken on the site; Mr. Booth and Mr. Puckle who
naatiansad tan hola aver tho five urelza + Mir HH de S Shartt. far hic
THIS LINE,”
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and Pits;
Quarley Hill, Proc. Hants. Field Club, 1938, XIV, 136.
Rockbourne Down, 1914, Heywood Sumner.
The site 125
Rotherley, Excavation in Cranborne Chase, Vol. II, Pitt-Rivers.
Saint Catherine’s Hill, Proc. Hants. Field Club, 1930, XI.
Sloden, Excav. in New Forest Roman Pottery Sites. 1927, 49, Heywood Sumner,
Swallowcliffe Down, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1927, XLIII, 59.
Verulamium. Rep. Research Comm. Soc. Ant. Lon., 1936, XI.
Wilsford Down, Devizes Mus. Cat., II, 1934, p. 155 and pl. LXXVI, 3.
Wisley, Proc. Preh. Soc., 1945, XI, 32.
Worth, Ant. Journ., 1928, VIII, 85, fig. 16 and 1940, XX, 119.
Worthy Down, Proc. Hants. Field Club, 1926-30, X, 178.
Woodcuts, Excavations in Cranborne Chase, 1887, II, Pitt-Rivers.
Yarnbury, Wilts. Arch. Mag., 1934, XLVI, 198.
The site lies near the northern side of the triangle formed by the
Avon, the Bourne and the Amesbury Light Railway.1 Here the
downland does not rise above 400 O.D. The position, though ex-
posed, is not a commanding one, the only strategic advantage lying
in the open nature of the site and the fall to the south and east,
where the land drops fairly rapidly to the valley of the Bourne.
Westwards the ground rises gently, almost hiding the trees which
crown Ogbury Camp some three miles distant, while Figsbury Rings
and Quarley Hill Camp dominate the landscape of the downs flanking
the other bank of the Bourne, three miles to the south and seven
miles to the east respectively.
The subsoil of Boscombe Down West is formed by the Upper
Chalk, here peculiarly friable and easily worked. There is a patch of
clay-with-flints three miles away, while Greensand, Blue Clay, Marl
and Limestone outcrop some ten miles to the south west. It will
be seen below that the querns found on the site, both saddles and
rotary, are of soft sandstone, probably derived from the Greensand.
The River Bourne appears to be the nearest water supply to the site.
This record is only concerned with the features revealed by the
levelling operations in progress at the time—pits, ditches and working
hollows, which afforded evidence of occupation scattered over an
area of some 76 acres. It was impossible to make a complete record
of all the pits, but the main concentrations have been noted on the
general plan (Fig. 1). They appeared to peter out to the north, and the
relatively sharp fall in ground level to the south-east and south would
make a natural limit in that direction. It was not possible to fix the
limits of occupation to the east and west. From the plan it will be
seen that there were four areas of occupation, P Q, and R, with a
subsidiary area S, where pits were sectioned by a trench dug for a
pipe line. It is a curious fact that air photographs taken before 1939,
10.8. 1 inch Nat. Grid. Ref. 41/(or SU)189399 to 41/(SU)192385.
ee
126 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
when this stretch of the downs was under crops, reveal nothing of
the underlying pits and ditches. The pottery and finds recovered
represent the Iron Age A, B, Belgic and Roman cultures, and in
time the occupation ranges from the fourth century B.C. to the fourth
century A.D.
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Pits in Area Q 129
_ Sixteen pits were examined in Area Q. These fall into two groups.
The first illustrates a normal type of storage pit, barrel-shaped but
narrower at the mouth than at the base, or somewhat hour-glass
shaped. The diameter varies from four to six feet at the mouth and
the depth from two to five feet. The sides are jagged and the floor
fairly smooth. The second group includes pits with ledges or a
marked difference in floor level. For example, Pits Q8 and Q9 had
a shelf about two feet wide running round three sides of the pit at
about two feet above floor level. (See Fig. 5 and Pl. II). The shelf
. was found to have a chalky sludge over it, as though it had been
exposed to the weather. Similar ledges are seen in the sections of
the Fifield Bavant Pits, e.g. Pit 8, Pl. III which had a shelf two feet
three inches wide running round two thirds of it at two feet four
inches above the floor level; c.f. also Pit 62, Pl. II. The Little
Woodbury pits do not offer an analogy, for what appears to be a shelf
is merely a widening of an older pit, the infilliag of which remains
level with the shelf and is covered with a hard chalky surface. This
was clearly not the case in Pit Q8, and Pits Q7 and Q12, which also
had shelves, where the tips of infill were seen to run diagonally from
the pit bottom to well above the level of any secondary floor. The
purpose of these ledges in a storage pit is not clear, and nothing was
found on the floor to suggest that any industry was carried on
within.
The infill of the Q area pits consisted of tips of ash, burnt flint,
clay, earth and chalk and the usual occupation rubbish. Some pits
were filled with ash and flints exclusively and the majority of small
finds and pottery came from these. Five of the pits yielded carbon-
ised grain which was incorporated in the ashy tips.1 Pit Q14 contained
the vertebrae, some lying in articulation, of at least five oxen, as
well as other ox bones together with the fragments of a number of
sheep or goat skulls.2 Bird bones present in Pits Q5 and Q9 are those
of ravens, perhaps the remains of raven stew.’ Large slabs of oven
daub, pierced with small holes and surrounding a large central hole,
such as was found in the Highfield and Little Woodbury pits, came
from Pit Q8, while two beehive querns were found in Pit Q5. The
pottery from the pits shows Iron Age A and B types. The small
finds include nine rib-bone blades, six of which came from Pit Q3,
With a rib-bone knife, one bone awl, one bone “‘ gouge’, a bone
ring, two bone needles, four chalk spindle whorls and a hone-stone.
1 For a report on the grain see below p. 165.
* Report on animal bones p. 165. * Report on bird bones p. 166.
130 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
BOSCOMBE DOWN WEST AREAR. PITS & GRAVES
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AREA R
(i) Pits and Ditch
Some 30 pits of this group were wholly or partially examined. Of
these the pits numbered R1 to R18 had been mutilated by levelling,
whereas only the top soil had been removed from over Pits R19
to R28. These were, for the most part, deeper than the Area Q pits,
but showed the same undercutting and profiles. R27A was relatively
shallow and had a very smooth floor, covered with four inches of
sandy clay and chalk, the surface of which was hard as though
trampled. (See Fig. 5). The filling had been cut through in making
a second and deeper pit, R27B. Pit R23 shows in plan three pits
Pits of Area R 131
Opening out of each other, with their floors at different levels. The
infill showed no sign of one pit having been cut through by another
so that all three could have been opened at the same time. The usual
filling of these pits, as in Area Q, was tips of clay and chalk and ashy
earth, but again in some cases the pit was almost entirely filled with
burnt flints and ash.
The pottery from this group of pits again included both Iron Age
A and B wares and forms. Fragments of saddle querns were recover-
ed from nine of the pits, Pit R27A produced a bronze ring-headed
pin. The remaining finds were 11 bone “ gouges’’, two bone awls,
one bone needle, six rib-bone blades, one clay and three chalk
spindle whorls, four stone hones, one pottery crucible, one clay and
six chalk loom or thatch weights, five of which came from Pit R2.
Fragments of oven daub, unpierced, but with a large moulded
circular hole, similar to that from Pit Q8, lay on an ashy layer in Pit
R27B, and pieces of wattle-marked daub came from lower down, in
the ashy filling. Lastly Pit R28 yielded a broken stone axe. (See p. 162).
A section was dug across a little ditch running north and east of
Area R pits. This proved to be three feet deep, six feet wide from
lip to lip and six inches across the bottom. No post-holes were
found on its margins. Although only a few abraded sherds and
lumps of slag were recovered from the filling, it may be assumed that
the ditch was related to the pits, as it appeared to limit the area of
their main concentration. This ditch may be compared to the Little
Woodbury Ditch DY, which was a little over three feet in depth and
three feet six inches wide at the top; or the early ditch at Meon
Hill, six feet five inches in depth and five to eight feet wide at the
top. It may have served to prevent the cattle and children from
falling into the storage pits. (See Fig. 6)
Examination of an oval-shaped pit at the northern end of Area R
led to the discovery of Skeleton I, which was lying in a north to south
line with knees bent, the pit being too short for a fully extended
position. Mr. Page, who saw the body in situ, is of the opinion that
this was not a burial in the proper sense but that the body had
simply been thrown into a convenient rubbish pit. The filling of the
pit was continuous above and below the body and contained other
human bones together with animal bones and Iron Age A sherds,
The fact that no attempt had been made to extend the pit to make a
grave, as was the case with the burial of Skeleton XVII (see below
p-. 133), supports the claim that this skeleton is of Iron Age A or B
1 For the report on the skeleton see p. 167.
132 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
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Fig. 5. Areas R and Q Pits
A. Grave of Skeleton XVII, Cutting into Pit R20. (See p. 133)
B. Area R, Enclosure Ditch. See p. 131)
(Photos. by Photo. Section, A.A.E.E., R.A.F. Station, Boscombe Down)
Place IV
A. Area P. Outer Ditch of Belgic Enclosure
B. Area P. Inner Ditch of Belgic Enclosure. (See p. 133)
(Photo. by Photo. Section, A.A.E.E., R.A.F. Station, Boscombe Down)
Skeletons in Area R 133
date. Similar haphazard interments in rubbish pits have been
recorded in other Iron Age contexts,
(it) The Cemetery
The location of fifteen skeletons was noted, scattered over Area R.
Almost all of these were destroyed in levelling operations and, under
the circumstances, only a scanty record could be made. It appeared
that the graves had been cut hardly more than two feet into the natural
chalk. The majority were roughly orientated east to west. Large
iron nails with wood adhering were found in three graves with
Skeletons X, XII and XIII, showing that these had lain in coffins.
Three of the bodies had been buried with their boots on, for 48 iron
hob-nails were found in the grave of Skeleton VII, 19 with Skeleton X
and 16 hob-nails and 5 cleats with Skeleton XII. Some of the graves
had been dug in the filling of pre-existing Iron Age pits. Thus two-
thirds of the grave of Skeleton XVII was cut in the natural chalk but
its western end had penetrated into Pit R20, and the head and
shoulders of the body rested on and were covered by the dark, ashy
infill of the pit, which contained Iron Age A and B sherds. An iron
cleaver lay on the chalk floor of the grave near the skeleton’s legs! (see
Fig. 5 and Plate IITA), Skeletons XIV and XV, a child and an adult,
were also probably intrusions in an Iron Age pit, judging from the
sherds and animal bones found in the filling. The adult’s skull rested
on an iron knife, and a bronze “ dolphin ’”’ brooch was found four
inches above the ribs. An almost complete New Forest ware thumb-
pot came from under the legs, on the floor of the grave. The grave of
Skeleton XIII contained part of a late Roman bone comb. These
burials are late third to fourth century A.D. in date.
The record of the Boscombe Down West Cemetery is perforce
incomplete, but it appears to bear out Mr. G. C. Dunning’s observa-
tion that when hob-nails are present in a burial, grave goods are
absent, from which he concludes that the bodies which were buried
with their boots on were those of the peasant folk who could not
afford grave goods.”
. AREA P
This area includes the two concentric ditches seen on plan (Fig. 1)
and the pits they enclose. The dotted lines follow the course of the
ditches as revealed by depressions in the ground clearly seen after
rain, while the lengths of ditch shown in solid black were emptied
1 For the report on the skeleton see p. 167. Itis curious to find a cleaver in a
woman’s grave.
2 I am indebted to Mr. Dunning for letting me read his forthcoming article
on this subject, which will include the Boscombe Down evidence.
Excavations on Boscombe Down West
134
by the mechanical excavator. It is presumed that the eastern circuit
of the ditches skirted the edge of the scarp. The material from pits
and ditches proves them to have been dug by the Belgae.
The choice of site for this plateau fort is curious, for little advan-
tage was taken of the natural features. Had it been situated some
600 feet further south, both its eastern and southern flanks would
have been defended by a fairly sharp fall in ground level. As it is,
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Enclosure Ditch
Ditches of Area P 135
only the eastern circuit is so protected, while the ground is level for
600 feet to the south and is rising very gently to the west and north.
Sections were dug across the inner ditch, Ditch II, and outer
ditch, Ditch I, on their western curve. (See Fig. 6), The inner ditch was
found to be 12 feet deep and 19 feet wide from lip to lip. The sides were
steeply cut in the yellow crumbly chalk, and narrowed down to two feet
across the bottom, giving a V rather than a funnel-shaped profile. The
outer ditch was six feet deep, twelve feet wide at the top and one foot
across the bottom. In section, the layers of the inner ditch filling
seemed to fall sharply from east to west, as though the bank had been
thrown down into the ditch, rather than that the latter had gradually
filled in by weathering action.1 The more level layers of the outer
ditch may have accumulated fairly slowly. No signs of post holes
were found on the inner margin of the ditches. Roman sherds
occurred in the upper filling of the inner ditch and low down in the
outer ditch levels. A burial, Skeleton XVI, was found at no great
depth in the filling of the inner ditch on its southern curve ; a bronze
pin or needle with circular eyelet came from two feet below it.
Levelling by bull-dozer in this area had destroyed all but the last
few feet of the pits within the defences, so that the average shape
could not be recorded, but some of the more complete examples are
beehive or hour-glass in profile and do not vary from the Area Q and
R pits. The infill is similar; ashy earth, burnt flints, daub and
kitchen rubbish. Two fragments of the same flat rotary quern come
from Pits P13 and P14 and a Hod Hill brooch from pit P13. A bone
needle with a curved business end like a sail needle was found in
Pit P19. The iron knife seen in Fig. 16, 10, was a surface find from
this Area, Pit P12 produced a piece of second century Samian.
AREA S
Ten pits were sectioned in the laying of a pipe line, 100 yards to
the north of the Area R ditches. Certain of the pits produced Belgic
pottery ; late third to fourth century A.D. material was found in the
others. From Pit $8 came two late third century A.D. coins, an iron
door hinge and a bone pin. An iron lock plate and a coin of Constans
were picked up from the surface of this area.
A pit which lay 140 yards to the north of Area S (Pit at 2760 ft.”)
contained a number of stone slabs, one of which was perforated at
one end and was probably a roofing “slate” of the type, usually
hexagonal in shape, found on the site of Romano-British buildings,
1 The O.S. map has no record of any surviving banks. Their disappearance
may be due to continuous ploughing or to the slighting of the defences by the
Romans at the conquest. 2 Salisbury Museum reference.
136 Excavations on: Boscombe Down West
The chalk floor and sides of the pit showed signs of scorching and a
layer of ash covered the floor. The slabs lay at all angles in the pit
filling, which consisted of ash, burnt clay, and large flints also show-
ing signs of contact with fire. These slabs, which may have been the
remains of an oven, could have originally come from the roof of
some sort of building in the vicinity. A few indeterminate Roman
sherds were recovered in the filling.
‘THE CULTURAL SEQUENCE
Others have already emphasised that the association of finds in the
rubbish tips of pit fillings is no proof of their contemporaneity and
that such material can only be treated typologically. On the face of
it, this would certainly apply to the present site, where the bulk of
the pottery and finds is derived from pits, and the only strictly
stratified evidence comes from the Belgic enclosure ditches. In this
case, however, the pits are not restricted to one site, but fall into
groups, two of which are situated nearly half a mile apart, with the
third and fourth groups of Belgic and Roman pits lying somewhere
between them. Although there is an overlapping of cultures in the
material from individual pits in the one area, others appear to
contain pottery of one type only. On the evidence of the finds, the
following sequence is suggested for the various groups: The Work-
ing Hollow, QI, together with Pit Q15, Iron Age A phase 1; the
Area R pits, Iron Age A phase 2; the Area Q pits, Iron Age A
phase 3; Area R and Q, Iron Age B; Area P, Belgic and Ist-2nd
century A.D. Roman; Area S pits and Area R graves, 3rd—4th
century A.D. Roman.
Although the total of sherds and small finds from the infill of the
Working Hollow is relatively small, the shape and decoration of the
pottery is distinctive. Here are hematite bowls with omphalos
bases, decorated with furrows or faintly tooled patterns impressed
before firing, and shouldered vessels in coarse ware with finger print
ornament. The graceful profile of the bowls, the profusion of finger
printing on the rough wares, and the pronounced carination of the
group are features consistent with an early dating. The only strays
are the rim and ring-foot of a cordoned and incised bowl. The
pottery from Pit Q15 falls into the same category, which is clearly
related to the earlier Iron Age A phase at All Cannings Cross and
Meon Hill, but which can offer individual bowl types such as Nos.
20, 22, 27 and 29 that cannot be closely paralleled elsewhere in this
country.
If this group of pottery be compared with that from the Q pits
(see below p. 137) it will be seen that there are certain differences. The
Plate V
Mechanical Grab clearing out the Inner Ditch of the Belgic Enclosure, Area P
(Photo. by Photo. Section, A.A.E.E., R.A.F. Station, Boscombe Down).
Plate VI
(TOT “@22S)) “qneq: weaCG,
= ——EFE Sat
Cultural sequence 137
virtual absence of later strays in the filling of the Working Hollow
wares suggests that this had been filled in before the pottery from
the Q pits was in use, while the rim of a cordoned hematite bowl
links the Working Hollow group to the Area R pottery series.
Hematite sherds are relatively scarce in the Area R pits but these
include fragments of hematite bowls incised after firing. The
coarse pottery shows large, undecorated vessels with weak shoulders
and flat-topped rims, similar to the vessels representing the later
phase of Iron Age A at All Cannings Cross, Little Woodbury, Meon
Hill and also found at Fifield Bavant, Swallowcliffe, Yarnbury,
Quarley Hill and further afield at Maiden Castle, where they are
characteristic of the later phase of Iron Age A. Finger print decora-
tion, now rare, is found on vessels with flat, widely projecting rims.
Together with this “A’’ ware, pottery is found showing Iron Age
B features, one saucepan-pot, pedestal vessels and a fragment with a
tooled curvilinear pattern. This sort of pottery is represented at
Little Woodbury, Fifield Bavant, Swallowcliffe, Yarnbury, Meon Hill
etc. and is equated with the settlement in these parts of aggressive
refugees from the Continent, against whose coming the Iron Age A
natives dug defensive ditches round their open settlements. At
Little Woodbury and Highfield, Salisbury, there were indications
that the ditches of this period were never completed. At Boscombe
Down West there was no such ditch, unless it defended a habitation
site west of the Area R pits, and thus beyond the limits of excavation.
The pits in Area R were filled in, perhaps not long after the arrival of
these people on this site, for, apart from the pottery, the small finds,
none of which would be out of place on an Iron Age A site, include
six rib-bone blades, 11 so-called bone “‘ gouges ”’ with the butt at
the distal end and 9 fragments of saddle querns. The bronze ring-
headed pin from Pit R27A, with groove decoration on the front
of the ring, is not a closely dateable object, but these decorated
variants are not early in the series.
Although the Area Q pits held a higher percentage of hematite
fragments than the area R pits, these were very fragmentary and the
only piece illustrated appears to be a degenerate form. The rough
pottery, though still of Iron Age A ware, does not include the flat-topped
situlate type seen in the Area R group, and has no predominating
forms. ‘“‘B’’ elements are clearly on the increase and show both
saucepan and pedestal vessels. Included in the small finds are nine
rib-bone blades, a type found in a purely “‘A”’ context at All Cannings
Cross and Lidbury ; on the other hand, no saddle querns were
138 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
recovered, whereas the upper stones of two beehive rotary querns, a
type never found on a purely “A” site, came from Pit Q5 which
contained only Iron Age B pottery.
Occupation at the Little Woodbury steading and the hill-forts of
Figsbury, Quarley Hill and Meon Hill, ceases before the arrival of
the Belgae towards the close of the Ist century A.D. The Bury Hill
hill-fort was reoccupied by AB natives who apparently offered some
resistance to the new aggressors, but the site was annexed as was
Yarnbury hill-fort, the Highfield settlement and Boscombe Down
West, Area P. Whether the Iron Age A cum B inhabitants were still
occupying the site at this date or not, cannot be affirmed. There
appears to be little geographical overlap in occupation, for no Belgic
pottery was found either in the Area R or Q pits, and only two pieces
of Iron Age A pottery were found in a pit within the Belgic area, which
may have been opened and filled in before their arrival. Sooner or
later the two ditches were dug, either as a protection from the local
tribes, or, more likely under the threat of the Roman invasion,
round about A.D. 44 in these parts, what time Bury Hill and possibly
Yarnbury had their defences strengthened and Casterley Camp was
first constructed.
The earliest Belgic pottery is seen in fragments of imported Terra
Nigra plates and butt beakers Claudian in date, together with copies
of Continental forms in native ware and a range of bead-rim bowls,
jars, etc. in typical grey gritty paste, a series which can be matched
in part at Bury Hill, Yarnbury and Highfield, and is typical of the
Salisbury Plain Belgic culture.
A fragment of Claudian Samian from a pit within the defences is
witness to the Roman conquest, and the impact of this new culture
is reflected in the native pottery, in which old forms persist, but now |
fashioned in finer-grained, evenly fired ware, almost metallic in
texture. |
It has already been suggested that the Inner Ditch was partially ||
filled in not long after the arrival of the Romans, for the levels, up to |
within four feet of the top, contained Belgic pottery exclusively. The |
sharp slope of the layers from the inside of the enclosure outwards |
could well result from the slighting of the main bank, while the first |
dateable piece of pottery, the base of a Samian form 29 (c. A.D.70-90) |
came from a layer (2) only a foot or so from the top of the infill, |
The outer ditch apparently remained open for some time longer as |
a Samian base, form 37 (A.D. 60-75) was found only one foot j
above the ditch bottom. It was round about this date that the Bury |
en oer eee ee
Cultural sequence 139
Hill entrance defences were put out of commission; the site itself
was abandoned not long after. But at Boscombe Down occupation
continued into the second century as is attested by the presence
in Pit P12 of part of a form 37 dated A.D. 110-130.
Evidence of activities in the late 3rd—4th century A.D. was forth-
coming from three pits which lay to the north of the Belgic area, and
from the Area R cemetery.
Pottery occurring in New Forest sites in the first half of the fourth
century A.D., and which included a cavetto-rim jar and part of the
rim and body of a rope-rim storage jar, was found in Pit S8 together
with a coin each of Claudius (A.D. 268-270) and Probus (A.D. 276-
282). A coin of Constans (A.D. 333-350) was picked up from the
surface near by.
The cemetery has been described above on p. 133. The burial of
bodies in hob-nail boots appears to be a late Romano-British custom,
this agrees with the dating evidence. A late Roman bone comb was
found with Skeleton XIII and a thumb pot in the grave of Skeleton XV,
which, by reason of its metallic fabric, may be ascribed to the last
phase of the New Forest pottery kilns, running on from A.D. 330
into the last half of the fourth century.
The following paragraphs have been contributed by Dr. J. F. S.
-— Stone:-—
** We thus have at this extensive site evidence for almost continuous
occupation over some 800 years during that most formative period in
our history preceding and subsequent to the Roman occupation.
Such continuous occupation in rural sites, especially in Wessex, is
_very rarely encountered, and it is therefore most regrettable from an
archeological and historical point that the whole site, or at least a
major part of it, could not be systematically examined. The very
nature of the constructional work in progress demanded the most
urgent and rapid decisions on the spot, as a day’s delay in cursory
examination of a particular area would have resulted in that area
being totally swept away by mechanical excavators. As it was, the
friendly co-operation of the contractors permitted work to be held
_up temporarily on areas already skimmed of surface soil and chalk
_and which bore evidence of occupation. But such procedure inevi-
tably destroyed all post-holes and hut foundations leaving storage
pits and ditches alone available for rapid examination. Thus the
evidence gleaned from this important collection of steadings, or even
possibly villages, is unfortunately in no way comparable to that so
laboriously and carefully extracted from Little Woodbury a few
| miles distant.
VOL. LIV—CXCV K
|
|
|
140 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
“« All areas, including pits and ditches shown on the plan, have now
been swept away and laid under a continuous sheet of concrete. The
central strip alone remains more or less intact with undisturbed
post-holes and pits below for future examination at greater leisure.
For one thing we must be very thankful: had it not been for this
major operation of land leveiling we should have remained, not only
in total ignorance of the presence of this site, but also of its vast
extent in comparison with other well-known steadings. If a steading
or village can be totally moved a few yards when it has become
fouled and useless, it seems not impossible that other comparable
sites, already examined, may in actual fact be only units of much
larger complexes, and extending over a greater range of time than
that deduced from the examined unit only. Considering the labour
involved it seems clear that in future we may have to accept either
complete excavation of a unit only of the Little Woodbury type, or a
vastly more extensive bull-dozer operation, which must necessarily
entail the sacrifice of considerable detail though yielding comparably
a very much clearer picture of the whole.”
THE POTTERY
AREA Q.
The Working Hollow Q1 and Pit Q15. Iron Age A (Figs. 7 and 8).
The Coarse Wares (Nos. 5 and 8, found in Pit Q15). The rough pottery
consists mainly of bowls and jars in hard, well baked ware, with pale buff
surface, decorated with finger-tip impressions showing the imprint of the nail.
For Nos. 1 and 4 cf. Hengistbury Head pl. XVI, 10 and 11 and All Cannings
Cross pl. 29. 5.
11. Cf. Swallowcliffe pl. VI, 5.
For the group as a whole cf. Meon Hill 1933, fig. X, P77 etc. and 1935, Pl. 22.
The Haematite Wares (Nos. 15, 22, 29 from Pit B15).
13. Rim of a cordoned and incised bowl.
14,15. Furrowed bowls, No. 14 in grey ware with white grits showing through
the surface, which has a dark red-brown slip. The grooving is deeply scored
and uneven. No. 15 in gritless ware, with pale red slip, and very lightly im-
pressed furrows, for which cf. All Cannings Cross pl. 28, 6. For both profiles
cf. All Cannings Cross pl. 28, 1, Lidbury Camp, pl. VI, 1 and 2, and Hengistbury
Head pl. XVI, 1 and 2; cf. also the weak profiles of the Woodbury examples,
Fig. 3, 2ai, perhaps indicative of a late stage in the series.
21. In rather rough grey ware with grits.
20, 22-25, 28, 29. Vessels with faintly tooled decoration impressed before
baking and chiefly composed of diagonal strokes sloping from right to left.
Nos. 20 and 22 are of comparatively coarse grey paste with flint grits, the rest
are in fine grey ware. The same technique has been used on some of the
haematite pottery from All Cannings Cross and Meon Hill which also shows a
few kindred forms. At the latter site the related vessels are in the coarser group
3, hematite ware.
141
22
Fig. 7. Area Q Iron Age A pottery from Working Floor and Pit Q 15.
Nos. 13-23 coated with haematite. (4). (See p. 140) K 2
142 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
20, 22. Cf. Meon Hill 1935, pl. 23, P307 with upright rim, and All Cannings
Cross, pl. 44, 7.
23. This bowl has faint lines impressed horizontally round the neck and criss-
crossed over the body. Cf. Meon Hill, 1935, pl. 23, P246 for similar treatment.
24. Cf, All Cannings Cross pl. 28, 2, and 39, 2.
25. Cf. All Cannings Cross pl. 28, 10, and 7,
28. The rim has been anciently broken, and levelled all round, cf. Meon Hill
1935, pl. 23, P353.
29. A particularly well made bowl with burnt grey core and fine slip. The
rim is slightly beaded, cf. All Cannings Cross pl. 28, 5.
26. Vessel in rather coarse gritted grey ware with deeply fluted pattern
incised before baking. For similar decoration cf. Little Woodbury 1948, Fig. 4,
2d, but this is not in hematite.
27. Vessel in fairly coarse grey ware, the pattern is more deeply impressed
than on the main group.
AREA R
Pits. Iron Age A and B (Figs. 8, 9 and 10).
None of these pits produced purely Iron Age A or purely B groups. Nos.
30-51 and 53 are considered to be ‘*‘A’”’ in character, Nos. 52 and 54—60 to be
““B’’, Nos. 61, 62 from Area P have been included with the latter group.
The Haematite Wares
30-32. Two rims and part of the body of bowls with decoration incised after
firing. Meon Hill 1935, pl. 25 and 26. From Pit R19 and R27B.
The Coarse Pottery
33. For ware see No. 38. Cf. Maiden Castle Fig. 60, 70. From Pit R23.
34-37. Large devolved situlate vessels with flat-topped rims, in buff surfaced
hard, sandy ware containing flint grits. Cf. Quarley Hill, Fig. 16, 1-4 and 11;
38, 39, 47, 50. Small jars, roughly made in usually over-fired ware, with buff-
Little Woodbury Fig. 5, 10f etc., Swallowcliffe,, pl. V, 1, 3, 5, 6 and Maiden
Castle, Fig. 57, 28 and 29 etc. From Pits R9, R23, R21.
coloured burnt surface. The profile is very weak and the rim tends to be
slightly everted. Cf. Maiden Castle, Fig. 57, 24, 33, Fig. 58, 40, 41 etc. From
Pits R23, R27, R28.
40. Cf. Little Woodbury Fig. 3, 31, 3k, and Maiden Castle Fig. 56, 17. From
Pit R13. ;
41, 42. Large barrel-shaped vessels in sandy ware with large grits, surface
buff to dark brown and very roughly made. Cf. Swaliowcliffe pl. V, 8, All
Cannings Cross pl. 29, 9. See below, No. 61 for another of this type from
Pit P17 in the Belgic Area. From Pits R13 and R22. |
43, Cf. Little Woodbury Fig. 5, 14e. From Pit R11.
44, 46,48. Finger-printed wares were exceptional in this area, as they were at
Little Woodbury, Swallowcliffe aad Fifield Bavant and the following were the
only examples recovered from the R pits.
44, Jar in grey ware with large shell and flint grits, buff to brown surface,
brushed diagonally as with twigs. From Pit R2. |
46. Vessel in grey gritted ware, red to buff surface, rough and brushed |
From Pit R24.
a Iron Age A Pottery 143
l Fig. 8. Iron Age A Pottery coated with haematite. Nos. 24-29 from Area Q Working
| Floor and Pit Q 15. Nos. 30-32 from Area R Pits. (4). (See p. 142).
144 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
Fig. 9. Area R, Iron Age A Pottery from pits. (4). See pp. 142-5)
Iron Age A and B Pottery 145
48, 53. Hammer-headed rims, 48 with rough, pale buff to black surface, 53
with large shell and flint grits showing through a smooth, pale buff surface.
Cf. Little Woodbury, Fig. 5, 10i, k, c, undecorated (an unillustrated rim des-
cribed as having finger-printing on rim top). Cf. also Meon Hill 1935, pl. 27,
P369 and pl. 28, P86. From Pit 27B and R20.
49. For ware see No. 46. From Pit R27.
51. From Pit R20.
The relationship of this rough pottery to the hematite wares, 30-32 and to
the pottery showing Iron Age B features (see below) could not be determined
stratigraphically as they occurred together in the same pits irrespectively. The
three main types described above, Nos. 34, 38, 41 occur at All Cannings Cross
p. 155, pl. 29, 8-10 and pl. 30, 1, 2, but ail three are described as exceptional
forms. At Quarley Hill, the weak situlate, flat-topped vessels are directly
associated with cordoned and incised haematite bowls. At Maiden Castle they
originate in the “‘A’’ phase and degenerate under ‘‘ B” influence. A barrel-
shaped vessel from Yarnbury (see below parallel for No. 61) was from a pit
which post-dated the filling of the ditch, in which cordoned and incised
hematite pottery was found in the lowest levels. The pit material would then
equate with Iron Age B. Elsewhere at Swallowcliffe, Fifield Bavant and Little
Woodbury neither the weak situlate nor the barrel forms can be definitely
assigned to a purely ‘‘A’”’ context.
The arrival of the Iron Age B culture on the site is reflected both in new
forms and wares. The paste may be of two qualities, hard grey, with black or
brown slipped and polished surface, or crumbly brown with tooled polished
surface which tends to flake off.
45. Vessel in gritless grey ware, with dark brown surface, and a deeply cut
groove at the base of the neck. This would appear by its paste to be Iron Age B.
From Pit R24.
52. Vessel in rather ill-made, grey gritty ware with black slipped surface,
showing rough horizontal tooling round the neck and shallow tooled lattice
pattern on the body. A bowl of comparable form Wisley, Fig. 3, 33 and p. 34
with a ‘‘ scored lattice pattern ’’ was from group with both “* A” and ‘* B”
associations. Cf. also All Cannings Cross pl. 36, 8. From Pit R9.
54. Bowl in hard fine grey ware with highly polished black surface. From
Pit R9.
55. Saucepan pot in fine sandy ware with polished black to buff surface.
From Pit R14.
57. Jar in gritless grey ware with pale buff sandy surface. From Pit R20.
56, 59. Vessels of pedestal type, 56 in ware with some flint grits and polished
black surface, 59 in very hard fine, gritless grey ware with tooled and polished
black surface. The graceful profile with high, well placed shoulder of this
vessel should put it early in the series. Cf. Swallowcliffe, pl. IV, 4 and 6. From
Pits R9 and R20.
58. Pedestal presumed to belong to a vessel similar to 56, 59, in ware similar
to that of the pedestals from Area Q pits, see Fig. Nos. 67, 74, 69, 71, 78. For
a similar form cf. Swallowcliffe pl. IV, 4. From Pit R25.
60. Sherd in crumbly brown ware with polished dark brown surface, deco-
rated with shallow tooled curvilinear pattern. From Pit R28.
61. Barrel shaped pot with swollen rim in poor gritty ware with red to black
146 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
surface. For the rim cf. Little Woodbury Fig. 2, 1g., Yarnbury, pl. XV, 6 and
Meon Hill, 1935, pl. 28, P1760. See also above Nos. 41, 42 and general remarks
following on No. 51. From Pit P17.
62. Rim of bowl, surface orange, tooled and polished. The colouring is as
hematite but the surface unslipped. The swelling rim is Iron Age B in
character. From Pit P17.
Pe EY ys
Fig. 10. Area R. Nos. 52-60. All Iron Age B Pottery, excepting 53, Iron Age A.
Area P Nos. 61-62 from Pits. (). (See pp. 145-6).
AREA Q
Pits Iron Age A and B (Fig. 11).
The pottery from individual pits in this area falls into groups which can be
assigned to Iron Age A or B, showing signs of over-lap in some examples.
Pottery of Area Q 147
63. Vessel with pushed-up knob in medium fine grey ware with smooth,
black to red surface, polished, still definitely in the A tradition, cf. All Cannings
Cross, pl. 29, 2 and 42, 1, and many unpublished examples.
64-68. With the exception of the pedestal, 67, these are A in character, and
all from Pit Q4.
64. Bowl in black-surfaced ware with rough, vertical tooling on body and
polished on bevelled rim. Cf. Maiden Castle Fig. 66, 88. From Pit Q4.
65. Bowl in ware with pale brown surface. Cf. Maiden Castle, Fig. 57, 33
and Little Woodbury, Fig, 2. la, le, very large vessels but with the same hooked
rim. From Pit Q4.
66. Jar in good grey ware with smooth buff to black surface, faintly polished,
decorated on the rim with finger-prints. The ware and surface of this vessel is
very different from that of the finger-printed wares from the Working Floor.
Cf. Little Woodbury, Fig. 4, laa, lbb, lcc, From Pit Q4.
67. See below No. 78. From Pit Q4.
68. Jar with buff surface, uneven and roughly brushed vertically. From Pit Q4.
69. 71. See below No. 78. Plus finds in Area Q.
70. Ware as No. 68 ‘‘A”’ tradition. From Pit Q17.
72. Situlate vessel in sandy ware with pale buff surface. From Pit Q8.
73. See 72. From Pit Q7.
74, Pedestal in rather rough grey ware with hematite slipped surface. The
only hematite example on the site. Cf. below No. 78. From Pit Q7.
75. Hematite bowl somewhat degenerate in profile. From Pit B7.
The following from Pits Q3, Q5 and Q6 appear to be Iron Age B in character.
76. Rim in ware with small shell grits, surface black and polished. See below
No. 79. From Pit Q3.
77. Base in sandy grey ware, outer core brown, surface black and tooled.
From Pit Q3.
78. Pedestal base in rather coarse grey ware, surface slipped reddish buff.
From Pit Q3.
The group of pedestals, No. 58, from Area R, Nos. 67, 69, 71 and 78 from
Area Q pits, are similar in ware. Part of the body of a vessel with swelling
shoulder and in the same ware came from an Area R pit. Compared with the
Park Brow (Fig. 10B and 10A) and Findon Park (Fig. 11) pedestals, the Bos-
combe Down examples are still early in type. Cf. Swallowcliffe pl. IV, 4 and in
particular Fifield Bavant, pl. VII, 1-5, which are very similar in ware and
colour. The derivation of these pedestal vessels is discussed in the Caburn
Report, p. 230-252.
79. For ware and form cf. No. 56. From Pit Q3.
84. Pot with swollen rim of saucepan type, in brown, sandy, crumbly ware,
with tooled black surface. From Pit Q3.
80-81. Saucepan pots in rough ware with buff surface, for 82 cf. Little
Woodbury, Fig. 3, 4a, 4b and Yarnbury pl. XIV, 4. From Pit Q5.
83. Ware similar to 84. Cf. Little Woodbury, Fig. 3,3c; Yarnbury, pl. XVII,
undecorated rim, all in similar ware. From Pit Q5.
85. Same ware as 83. From Pit O5.
148 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
87 89
i Fig. 11. Area Q pits. Nos. 67, 69, 71, 74, 76-89. Iron Age B Pottery, the rest
Iron Age A. (4). (See pp. 147, 149).
Pottery of Area P 149
86, 87. Hard ware with black tooled surface. For other vessels with swelling
rims, see Bury Hill, Fig. 13, Nos. 8, 9, 10. Fifield Bavant, pl. VII, 39-45.
From Pit Q5.
88. Rim in similar ware to 84. From Pit Q6.
89. Rim in grey ware with polished black surface. The everted rim is a
common feature of this group. From Pit Q6.
AREA P
Inner Ditch and Pits. Belgic and Roman—Fig. 12 and 13.
Belgic Pottery.
The sherds from the section dug across the Inner Ditch filling were, up to
level four, purely Belgic in form and mainly in the native Belgic ware,
though, even here, the metallic paste due to Roman influence is already present,
e.g. No. 117 from the lowest level in the Ditch. The sherds illustrated as
“From Ditch II’, were associated in an ashy layer in the Inner Ditch which
appeared to be free from Roman pottery, though the ware, in several cases, is
Romanised in texture.
90. Cf. Bury Hill, Fig. 15,9. From Pit P7.
91. In hard, metallic ware with pitted dark grey surface and pattern in burn-
ished lines on a matte background, cf. Yarnbury pl. XVI, 3. From Pit P13.
92. Thin hard ware with pale olive surface. From Pit Pl.
93. Large necked jar in orange ware with black slipped surface and pitted as
No. 91. From Pit P13.
94. Copy of a Terra Nigra platter in grey ware with polished zone on rim.
From Pit Pl.
_ 95. Copy in fine hard ware with black polished surface of Terra Nigra platter.
Cf. Camulodunum Type 13. From Pit P13.
96, 97. Butt beakers, 96 in pale buff ware, with rouletted pattern, 97 in
whitish ware with roughly executed vertical striations. Both are imports on the
site and Claudian in date. From Pit P4.
98. Storage jar in the harder Romanised ware with grey surface. From Pit Pl.
99. Large roll rim in Romanised ware with hard gritted core and pale grey
surface. From Pit P23. Another also from Pit Pl.
100. Bead-rim bowl very roughly made in grey gritty ware with matt black
surface and a polished zone round neck. From Pit P13.
101. Bead-rim bowl in fine metallic off-white ware, illustrating the continua-
tion of this type into the Roman period. From Pit P13.
102. Base or lid in buff to orange ware, with tooled lattice pattern. From
Pit Pl.
103. Lid with roughly tooled black surface. From Pit P20.
104. Lid in grey ware with dark brown surface, apparently hand made.
From Pit P18.
105-107, 111. Butt beaker type, but in hard Romanised ware with pale grey
polished surface. The rims are bevelled on the inside, that of 106 is slightly
concave as on early Ist century types, but the more globular bodies are character-
istic of later examples. No. 105 has had its rim broken anciently but levelled
all round and so continued in use. Cf. Oare, pl. IV.B. From Ditch II.
150 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
108. Fragment of a pot in thick hard metallic ware with tooled irregular
interlacing. From Ditch IL
109. Dish in ware with black surface having a polished zone below the rim
and vertical burnished strokes on a matt background. From Ditch II.
110, 112, 114. Bowls in dark brown surfaced ware, having a glossy zone be-
tween rim and shoulder and tooled lines on matt surface radiating from the
foot to the shoulder. These are native variants of Loescheke Type 73A from
Haltern, a common form at Verulamium. From Ditch II.
113. Storage jar in native porridgy ware with polished orange surface. From
Ditch II.
115, 116. Bowls in hard grey ware profusely decorated inside and out with
tooled patterns of chevrons, strokes, and trellis on a gritty, dark grey, matt
surface. The ware is Roman in texture, and the form has departed very far
from the Gallo-Belgic platter. The same predilection for ornament, is seen in
the haphazard lines decorating a series of native bowls found at Clausentum.
Fig. 9, 2-6. Cf. Highfield, not illustrated. From Ditch Il.
117-119. Large globular vessels similar to 91, No. 117 with light grey surface
from Ditch II; 118 in fine whitish paste with near white surface from Pit P13;
119 with orange surface pitted as are Nos. 91, and 93 from Pit P4.
120-132. From the Ditch II level. These illustrate the range of the prevailing
forms of necked jars and bead-rim bowls. They are all in gritty dark grey ware
with grey to black surface, with the exception of Nos. 120 and 127 which are
orange surfaced. Nos. 123, 127, 128 are polished overall, the others have zones
of matt and polished surface with burnished decoration as seen also at Bury
Hill. (See Fig. 14). No. 125 is hand-made and has a burnished cross on the
base. These two types survived into the Roman period with little modification
in form, but now made of finer and harder paste, as noted above for No. 101.
Roman pottery (Fig. 14).
133. Rim of bowl with pale grey to buff surface. From Pit P3.
134, 135. Cavetto rims of late 2nd century date. From Pits P25 and P3.
Area S Pits. Roman Pottery. (Fig. 14).
136. Rim of cavetto jar, late III to IV century A.D. from Pit S8, found with
a coin each of Claudius and Probus.
137. Rim of bowl. From Pit S8.
138. Rim of large, very roughly made jar in coarse grey ware, with large finger-
prints on rim and the body combed all over. Both rim and body are pierced
with holes before baking, which may or may not penetrate right through the
walls of the pot. This type was made in the New Forest pottery kilns and first
appears in the mid-III century A.D. Cf. East Grinstead, pl. X, 19, Ashley
Rails, Fig. XI, 3, and p. 38, Sloden pl.XXX, 26, Rotherley, pl. CX, 5-7 and
Woodcuts, pl. XXXVIII, 9 and 10. From Pit S8.
139. Jug neck in metallic ware with pale grey glossy surface. Also a product
of the New Forest potteries. Cf. No. 1 kiln Sloden pl. XVII, 2. From Pit S9.
Area R Cemetery. Roman Pottery. (Fig. 14).
140. Thumb pot in hard metallic ware which may be assigned to the last
period of the New Forest Potteries, i.e. from about A.D. 330 into the last half
of the fourth century. From grave of Skeleton XV.
PS ON
Sy)
Gare ennrsnen
| eee
3
Fig. 12. Area P. Belgic pottery from Pits and Ditches. (4). (See pp. 149, 150). Is
152 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
xN
‘ ’
\ro--- 4
so ane aol nna nea
Fig. 13, Area P. Belgic Pottery from Pits and Ditches.
By Miss K. M Richardson 153
Higii4> (Roman Pottery Nos. 133-135 from Area P Pits’
Nos. 136-139 from Area S Pits and No. 140 from
Grave of Skeleton XV, Area R. (4). (See p. 150).
ST. REMY WARE (not illustrated)
Report by E. M. Jope, F.S.A.
Rim of a bowl similar to Samian Form 29, in fine white paste with fine
yellow lead-glaze both inside and out. The decoration is rather roughly incised
and not moulded asis the case with the best wares of this class. Date, about mid
ist century A.D. This type of pottery may have been imported from Gaul
before the Conquest, but its import continued for some years after, as it is
found on many purely Roman sites as far north as Chester, Wroxeter and
Great Casterton, near Stamford. These fine yellow, lead-glazed wares tend to
give way to rather coarser green, orange or brown lead-glazed wares later in
the mid Ist century A.D. and in the west the whole fashion of lead-glazed
pottery dies out during the 2nd century A.D.1
From Ditch II layer 2 and associated with Samian dated 75-90 A.D.
(See below Samian Report No. 7).
SAMIAN POTTERY (not illustrated)
Report by E. B. Birley, F.S.A.
Rim of Ritterling 9. Probably Claudian. From Pit P3.
Rim of 18/31. South Gaulish. From Pit P3.
- Base of 18/31. South Gaulish. From Pit P3.
- Fragment of form 37. The figure-type is not in Oswald’s Index, but is
closest to 0.644A though not the same; the piece is certainly Lezoux ware,
circa A.D. 110-130, but I cannot at present identify the potter. From Pit P12.
5. Form 37 South Gaulish. The continuous winding scroll is insufficient to
identify the potter. From Pit S3.
6. Base fragment of form 29. South Gaulish, probably c. 60-75 A.D. From
layer 4 in Ditch I (outer Ditch Area P).
7. Base fragment of form 37. South Gaulish, probably c. 75-90 A.D. From
layer 2 in Ditch II. (Inner Ditch Area P).
Bw NH =
1E. M. Jope ‘ Roman lead glazed pottery in Britain’, Arch. News Letter,
May, 1950, p. 199.
154 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
POTSHERDS CONTAINING OYSTER SHELL BACKING
Sample 1. From Pit R27B. A fragment probably part of a clay oven. See
below p. 161.
Sample 2. From Pit R23. A fragment of a mass of coarse pottery found
belonging apparently to a vast storage jar, or the lining of a storage pit. No
rim was found, but the pieces were very slightly curved.
Oyster shells are not commonly found on inland Iron Age A and B sites and
none were recovered from the pit fillings of pre-Roman date.
Report by A. G. Davies, F.G.S.
Sample 1. Sherds with chalk pellets and rare Ostrea fragments.
Sample 2. Sherds with abundant Ostrea fragments.
The shell fragments are friable and partially decomposed, perhaps slightly
calcined. The species is probably Ostrea edulis Linn.
THE SMALL FINDS (Illustrated)
Figs. 15-18.
1. Iron socketed chopper, cutting edge worn near the shaft. Cf. Verulamium
pl. LXIV, 12 and 14 of late 3rd century date. Found with Skeleton XV.
2. Iron lock piate. A surface find near Area B pits and may be assigned to
the late Roman period. Cf. Worthy Down, 190, pl. VI, 90, also a surface find,
and Woodcuts pl. XXIV, 2.
3. Hinged bronze brooch of derivative Hod Hill type, decorated with heavy
mouldings on the head of the bow near the hinge, at the junction of bow and
catch-plate and at the end of the foot and cross piece. The catch plate is
pierced by three holes. The usual fluting on the bow is absent. Cf. Camulodunum
Type XVIII B, 174 (but this has fluting on the bow) dated from the conquest to
the end of Nero’s reign. Found in Pit P13 with Belgic pottery.
4, Bronze brooch with hinged pin, T-headed, the head of the bow turning
over at a sharp angle. A derivative of the ‘“* Dolphin type”. This type,
normally of Ist century A.D. date, can survive into the 2nd century A.D., but
to find it still in use in the late 3rd—4th century A.D. is a remarkable proof of ©
the longevity of brooches. From the grave of Skeleton XV, Area R.
5. Bronze pin or needle with a round flat eye. From two feet below Skeleton
XVI in the filling of Ditch II, the Inner Belgic Ditch.
6, 7. Iron cleats. Four oval cleats and one long shaped, were recovered from
the grave of Skeleton XII together with hob-nails. See above p. 133.
8. Coffin nail. Similar examples with square section, were found with Skele-
tons X, XIII, XV in Area R graves.
9. Iron door hinge having two large nails, the overlapping points of en are
roughly hammered back. The remains of wood fibres were found running
transversely across the under side of the end with the point and loops. Cf.
Lowbury Hiil pl. XVI, 8 “‘ door pivots or hinges’. From Pit S8.
10. Tanged iron knife. A surface find from Area P.
11. Tanged iron knife. Cf. Woodcuts, pl. XXII, 4 “ single edged with curved
back’’. From grave of Skeleton XV.
12. Bronze ring-headed pin decorated on the front of the ring-head with a
groove between two incised lines. One of the pins from Woodeaton in the
Ashmolean Museum has similar decoration. The present example was found
Objects of metal
Fig. 15. Objects
VOL. LIV—CXCV
of bronze and
aH
i
anne t Fia
iron, 3 and 4 (4), the rest (4).
8
(See p. 154)
L
156 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
Ls rata i
in |
lay Wh (Less
Nt
TART CET
10
Fig, 16. Objects of bronze and iron, 12 (4), the rest (3).
(See p 154)
sayy
Objects of bone
Le
(See p. 158).
), the rest (4).
L
Fig. 17. Objects of bone, 13-16 (
158 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
in a pit containing Iron Age A pottery (Fig. 47, 49) the filling of which was cut
through by another pit, the infill of which contained sherds of haematite
incised after firing (Fig. 31, 32, 48). No close dating can yet be given for the
ring-headed pin series, a sufficient number have not yet been found with un-
questionable associations, and, apart from this, pins as well as brooches have
a long life. From Pit R27A.
13. Bone pin. From Pit S8, late 3rd to 4th century A.D.
14-16. Bone needles. No. 14 has the point curved like a sail needle. From
Pit P19. No. 15 is a normal Iron Age needle, Glastonbury Type A. From
Pit Q14. No. 16 is from Pit R25.
17. Bone handle from metatarsal of an ox. The distal end is roughly pointed
and pierced perhaps to take a thong; the proximal end is broken across two
rivet holes and pierced longtitudinally. Cf. an identical tool found at Swallow-
cliffe Down, pl. X, B35. From Pit R22.
18. Bone gouge of All Cannings Cross type A (see p. 82), but this is a shoul-
dered example and hitherto unparalleled. It is carefully worked and highly
polished. From Pit R24. (See also p. 164 unillustrated examples).
19, 20. Rib-bone blades with incised patterns. From Pits Q3 and Q7. Such
delicate blades can hardly have been used for cutting and may have been
connected with weaving activities. The area of their distribution (whether
plain or decorated) is limited. They have been found at All Cannings Cross,
pl. 12, 7 and 10, 4 and 5; Lidbury, pl. TX, 7 and pi. X, 12, 13; Swallowcliffe
pl. X, 31, 32,48; Wilsford Down, pl. LXXVI,3; Yarnbury, pl. X,2; Wainter-
bourne Monkton, fig. 4, p. 109; Knaphill (not illustrated) and Cold Kitchen
Hill (not illustrated).
21. Handled rib-bone knife. Cf. All Cannings Cross pl. 7, 1-8 and Lidbury
pl. X, 11. Found with No. 19 in Pit Q3.
22. Pottery tile. The function of this object is not clear. The small knobs,
defined by a slight hollow, project a little above the surface and are reminiscent
of metal work. Pottery ** rivet-heads ’’ are seen on a type of Belgic pottery,
the so-called ‘* Dumnonian ”’ bowls, found in Wessex and an example of which
came from Rotherley on Cranborne Chase. (See Maiden Castle p. 233 and
Fig. 73, 191). From Ditch II, Area P.
23. Baked clay spindle-whorl, somewhat conical in shape, having the broad
end markedly dished and the narrow end very slightly so. This example differs
from others with a counter-sunk base, which are more or less biconical in form,
and some of which may belong to the Marnian culture, e.g. a whorl from
Worth. Cf. also Park Brow, Fig. H; Mount Farm, Fig. 9, U13 and Wisley,
Fig. 3, 32. The nearest analogy appears to be one from All Cannings Cross,
pl. 25, 1 though this is only very slightly dished. Associated with the earliest
““A”’ pottery on the site. From the Area Q Working Hollow, Ql.
24, Baked clay spindle whorl with a rounded section, a flat base and slightly
flattened top. Cf. All Cannings Cross, pl. 25,2. From Pit RI.
25. Pottery crucible, with rounded base. Cf. Long Whittenham Fig. 1, 3.
From Pit R20.
26. Stone axe. From Pit R28. (See below p. 162).
by Miss K. M. Richardson 159
Rea or, 6
Fig. 18. Objects of Pottery, baked clay and stone (4) (for 22-25 see p. 159;
for 26 see p. 162)
QUERNS
Fig. 19.
3,4. Upper stones of beehive-shaped rotary querns, of glauconitic calcareous
sandstone. No. 4 is of normal size, about 15 inches in diameter and fairly well
made, No. 3 had a diameter of 20 inches and is very roughly made. They are
identical in pattern, and each has a hollow on top to serve as hopper; No. 4
has a circular feed-hole, while that of No. 3 is more oval than round. The
handle sockets are oval in section, and in the case of No. 3 the socket has broken
through the milling surface and a second socket has been added on top. (Cf.
_ Maiden Castle Fig. 115, 16). These querns are of Dr. Curwen’s Wessex type,
and, judging from the relation of their height to their width, do not come at
_ the beginning of theseries. (See an example from King’s Barrow Quarry, Port-
—land,? another from Fifield Bavant?and a third from Maiden Castle, Fig. 115, 16
1 Antiquity, XI, 1937, p. 133.
_* Antiquity XI, 1937, p. 141, Fig. 7.
Sibid. Fig. 8.
160 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
a)
q
i
q
AUPE ee say Se ema i
oe es em as es ae oe ae
Querns 161
more rectangular in profile, dated to the end of the Ist century B.C.;
neither of these has the pronounced hopper of the Boscombe Down West exam-
ples. Both of these querns are from Pit Q5 which contained Iron Age B
pottery exclusively.
1. Upper stone of rotary quern of glauconitic calcareous sandstone. Compare
Dr. Curwen’s Series, Figs. 15-18.1 The Boscombe Down example appears to
lie somewhere between these, it still has a fair slope to the grinding surface,
and a sunk hopper, but the profile is rectangular; No. 15 from Hardham
Mansio, Sussex, is dated A.D. 50-150. From Pits P13 and P14, two pieces
joining and associated with a derivative Hod Hiil brooch.
2. Lower stone of rotary quern of glauconitic calcareous sandstone. This has
complete perforation of the central socket, a flat lower face and a faintly concave
grinding surface, rising slightly towards the socket. This may be referred to
Dr. Curwen’s flat type (a), late Roman. A surface find in Area P.
Petrological Report by Dr. F. S. Wallis.
1. Saddle Querns.
Glauconitic calcareous sandstone. Nine from Pits R1, R4, R7, R13, R20, R21,
R23, R24.
Ferruginous decalcified sandstone. One from Pit R6.
2. Beehive Rotary Querns.
Glauconitic calcareous sandstone. Two from Pit Q5. (Illustrated, see Fig. 19,
3 and 4 and p. 159).
3. Rotary Querns.
Glauconitic calcareous sandstone. Three from Area P. One a surface find and
one each from Pits R13 and R14 (illustrated, see Fig. 19, 1 and 2).
Ferruginous decalcified sandstone. Three from Area P. One surface find and
two Pit P14 and Pit P18.
Ferruginous calcareous sandstone. One from Pit S8.
I have no doubt that all three types of stone are from the Upper Greensand
and local in origin. Upper Greensand deposits vary much in character, and I
feel that it would be safe to assign them to the local deposits. The decalcification
took place after the quernstones were made. It seems strange that these people
Should have used such relatively soft rocks for this purpose.
OVEN DAUB
PLATE VI (at p. 137)
Oven daub of roughly baked clay backed with large flint grits. Several
pieces about 123 inches thick were found scattered over the surface of a layer
in Pit Q8. Some of these fragments came from the moulded edge of a circular
hole 9 to 10 inches in diameter. This larger hole was surrounded by smaller
perforations just over an inch in diameter, the margins of which were rein-
forced with an extra thickness of clay. Many fragments of similar rough daub,
With oyster shell? and chalk nodule backing were found lying together on the
Surface of an ashy layer in Pit R27B. These also came from the edge of a large
circular hole but lacked the secondary perforations. Pieces of baked clay or cob
1 Antiquity, XI, 1937, p. 143.
7 See above p. 154 for a report on shell-backed pottery.
162 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
showing these same features were found in the Highfield pits, where they are
referred to as “‘ oven covers ”’ see p. 586, Fig. 4. Similar fragments have also
been recovered from pits at Little Woodbury 1949, Fig. 2 and 3 and are thought
to be the remains of corn drying ovens, but the purpose of the large hole or
vent as against that of the smaller ventilation holes is not explained.
STONE AXE, Fig. 18 (p. 159), no. 26.
Report by Dr. J. F. S. Stone, F.S.A.
The small greenstone axe found in Pit R28 is of interest in a number of ways.
Morphologically it is a short thick-butted stumpy specimen of oval section
6 cm. wide and the same long, though originally it was slightly longer, probably
about 8 cm. The cutting edge has disappeared through use.
The axe has been examined (see below p. 164) and has been shown to
possess the usual characters of Group I (Proc. Prehist. Soc.) (1941) VII, 51;
(1947) XIII, 48), the source of which has until recently eluded petrological
study. Examination of large numbers of Cornish axes from the Penwith
district has, however, now confirmed the original suspicion that greenstone
outcrops near Penzance or Cape Cornwall were exploited in late Neolithic
times on a large scale for the production of the great quantity of Group I axes
found in the southern counties. At least 60 have so far been identified; and
their petrological identity is so close that one can deduce that they were all
manufactured at about the same time and that all came from a very restricted
area or outcrop, the exact source of which has not yet been found.
Other neolithic objects were not found during the Boscombe Down excava-
tions. We may, therefore, legitimately enquire whether this specimen was a
stray, or whether it was found and treasured for some purpose by the Early
Iron Age occupants of the site. Now it so happens that Group I axes have
been found in datable deposits, though the majority have been surface finds,
Whilst clearly of late Neolithic origin—the earliest was found in the later
occupation layers of Windmill Hill—it is surprising that many have been found
in later contexts as if they had been specially sought after and venerated by
virtue of some persistent magical or charm-like character traditionally attaching
to them. Leaving aside three tools of the same rock found in Wiltshire Bronze
Age barrows, we have a weathered axe from a post-hole of the Thorny Down
Deverel-Rimbury late Bronze Age farmstead (Jbid., (1941) VII, 132), a frag--
ment of another from mound xxxvi in the Meare lake dwellings (bid., (1947)
XIII, 49), and yet another found during excavations of a Roman house of 3rd —
century date in Rowberrow field near Radstock, Somerset, though possibly
not directly associated. (Unpublished. Information kindly supplied by the
Camerton Excavation Club).
Axes of other rocks have frequently been found in late contexts, and a general
summary of the problem was contributed by Sir John Evans in his well-known
work on Stone Implements (1872, 50 ff.) where he gathered together a great
many facts bearing upon the magical significance of stone axes, universally
known as ‘ thunder-bolts ” and presumed to have originated from the sky or
the gods.
Later, Pitt-Rivers found a part of a polished stone axe in Pit No. 46 of the
Romano-British village at Woodcuts (Excavations, I, 163) and three others in
the Rotherley village of the same date (Ibid., II, 184). More recently the writer
The stone axe 163
found another of gabbro derived from Cornwall in a Late Bronze Age cattle
kraal on Boscombe Down East, Wiltshire (Wilts. Arch. Mag. (1936) XLVII,
479) ; whilst Hencken has recorded a number from the post-Roman stone fort
of Cahercommaun, County Clare (Roy. Soc. Ant. Ireland (1938),55). Itis true
that he felt bound from this to infer that stone axes survived as tools until
comparatively recent times and had been adapted to some special -purpose ;
but he cites other instances of axe finds in Irish crannogs of the Christian
period and refers to others from post-Roman crannogs of Scotland and from
the Glastonbury lake village. Yet another, a minute one from the Iron Age
hill fort of Bredon, Gloucestershire, suggested to him that they may have
possessed value as charms. More recently still O’Riordain has recorded a
number from his excavations of early Christian sites at Lough Gur (Proc. Roy.
Irish Acad. (1949) LII, 86).
To account for the seeming interest by late occupants of these islands in
typical Neolithic polished stone axes we have but to recail that originally they
- possessed a dual purpose and significance ; a strictly utilitarian one for carpen-
try and the like, and a magical or ceremonial one ultimately derived from the
Mediterranean as typified by the double axes of Minoan Crete used as religious
symbols or votive offerings and the tomb of the Double Axes at Knossos
(Archaeologia (1914) LXV, 1). How else can one adequately explain for instance
the unused polished stone axes deposited at the bases of menhirs in the Tertre
Tumulaire du Manio near Carnac in Brittany (Le Rouzic, Carnac, fouilles faites
dans la région, 1923, 51) and the very large number of magnificent axes deposited
as funeral furniture in Breton megaliths such as Mané-er-Hroech, tumulus de
Saint-Michel and Tumiac (Marsille, Catalogue du Musée Archéologique de la
Société Polymathique du Morbihan, 1921, 43-51)? We should recall that both
Le Rouzic and Déchelette clearly felt that a distinction should be made between
polished stone axes used for votive purposes and those used as normal tools
(Carnac, Menhirs- Statues avec signes figuratifs et Amulettes ou Idoles des Dolmens
du Morbihan, 1924,9; Manuel d’Archéologie (1924) I, 516), and Daryll Forde
in his discussion on the use of greenstone in the Megalithic culture of Brittany
felt satisfied that the facts justified the application of the term ‘* ceremonial’ to
many used in tomb ritual (J.R.A.I., (1930) LX, 211). In this connection it is
germane to recall J. G. D. Clark’s review of Winter’s account of the Danish
Megalithic settlement at Troldebjerg ‘‘ An interesting glimpse into the spiritual
life of the Troldebjerg people was obtained by the discovery of a flint celt in
the wali-slot of one of the rectangular structures ; the practice of incorporating
* thunderbolts ’ (usually prehistoric celts) in cottages and barns survived among
the peasants of the island up to the present day ”’ (Antig. Journ., (1937) XVII,
457). Possibly we should view the primary exploitation of the coarser Cornish
greenstones as a reflection of Breton interest in the manufacture of polished
axes of jadeite or other rare rocks for magical or religious purposes.
The survival in folk memory of this cult significance of axes would thus
explain the frequent occurrence of such objects divorced from their normal
early contexts in deposits of later date, superstitiously collected, no doubt, for
their value as charms; and the recognition of their original magical value
would likewise explain their very frequent occurrence as surface finds in sharp
and mint-like condition, used possibly for fertility purposes in agricultural
Operations,
164 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
Report by the South-Western Sub-Committee for the Petrological Identification
of Stone Implements.
No. 549, Petrology :
Macro: A coarse-grained, greenish-grey igneous rock, spotted black.
Micro: Usual characteristics of Group I.
SMALL FINDS NOT ILLUSTRATED
Rib-bone blades. Eleven undecorated. These have a rounded or squared end.
Two from Pit Q4, three from Pit-Q3, one each from Pits R9, R22, R26, R27
and two from Pit R13. One piece with incised decoration from Pit Q3.
Bone “‘ gouges’’. Nine. Of these, four unclassifiable : from Pit R6, R19, R20
‘and Q8. Four of Ali Cannings Cross Type A, from Pits R20, R24, R17; one
of All Cannings Cross Type B, from Pit R24.
Bone Awls. One from the trimmed root of a pig’s incisor, from Pit R17. One
from the metatarsal of a sheep, pierced longtitudinally, from Pit Q4. One from
a splinter of bone, from Pit R23.
Bone ring. Like a napkin ring, one inch high and 4 inch thick, from Pit Q3.
Bone Tool. Wade from the limb bone of an animal, and has rivet-holes at one
end, the other end roughiy shaped. Perhaps a chisel or a pick. Cf. picks found
at Grimes Graves Fig. 10, a, b, c. From Working Hollow, QI].
Bone Comb. Smail fragment of comb which originally had teeth on either side
of a central handle, strengthened by iron rivets. A common type in late Roman
and successive periods. From Grave of Skeleton XIII, Area R.
Hob-nails. Seventy-three or more. From graves of Skeletons VII, X, XIII.
See above p. 133 for note on hob-nails in graves. .
Triangular clay loomweight. Fragment from Pit R16.
Chalk loomweights. One from Pit R20. Five from Pit R2. Fragmentary.
Chalk spindle-whorls. Seven, of which four very crude whorls from Pits Q5,
Ql, Ri, R20, and four better made from Pits Q4, Q10 and R5.
Clay sling-stone. One from Pit Q3.
HONE STONES, ETC.
Report by Prof. K. C. Dunham
Three bars of stone, less than one inch thick, with the angles worn away.
1. Pale brown, impure sandstone stained with limonite. Probably from the
Millstone Grit. From Pit R19.
2. Paleish brown, fine grained, impure sandstone stained with limonite.
From Pit R20.
3. Brownish grey, medium-grained sandstone. From Pit R27.
4. Stone about 2 inch by 14 inches, broken at one end. The two wider faces
and one of the narrower faces are hollowed by pointed objects which have
been rubbed on the stone to sharpen them. White dolomitic siltstone. From
Pit R20.
5. Slab of stone smoothed and polished. White calcite mudstone. From one
of the hard beds in the Chalk. From Pit described on p. 135 which contained
Roman stone roofing tiles.
by Miss K. M. Richardson 165
COINS
Report by B. W. Pearce, F.R.N.S., F.S.A.
1. Anton. Claudius II. IMP. C. CLAVDIVS AVG. Bust r. rad. cuir.
R. FIDES EXERCI. Fides st. r. with two ensigns. R.JI.C. 36. 20.5 mm.
From Pit S8.
2. Anton. Probus A.D. 276-282. IMP. C.M. AVR. PROBVS AVG.
Bust r.rad.cuir. R. VIRTVS AVGVSTI. Mars walking r. with spear and
exophy.- J.C. 58. 21 mm. From Pit S8.
S22, Constans. -Type of GLORIA EXERCITVS. 13.5mm. . Surface
find in Area S.
The following five coins, were found on Boscombe Down Aerodrome in
Feb., 1941, and are now in Salisbury Museum.! All but no. 4 are very worn.
4. Follis of Constantius Chlorus as Caesar. R. GENIO POPVLI ROMANI
HT. A (Heracleia). 28 mm.
5. Anton. of Claudius II. 15 mm. (barbarous).
6. #. Type of GLORIA ROMANORVM. Emperor with captive. 17 mm.
7. #& Valentinian. Type of SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE ?B CON
(Arelate) Victory with wreath advancing 1. 18 mm.
8. Valens. Similar to no. 7, but ? mint. 17 mm.
SLAGS
Report by Dr. A. F. Hallimond
1. This consists chiefly of coarse quartz grains in a glassy matrix. At one
side there is a little slag, but it is not normal iron slag and probably represents
the matrix material more fully fused and darkened with additional iron. This
might be a piece from a furnace hearth or wall, but is not an iron slag. From
the Ditch Area R. Iron Age A and B.
2. Atypical cindery iron slag with fayalite and magnetite. From Pit $3. Roman.
Report by W. H. G. Alston
1. This sample includes several species. The large round-ended grains are
probably Emmer (Triticum dicoccum), which seems to have been the commonest
Iron Age wheat. Some of the smaller rounded grains might possibly be Bread-
wheat (T. vulgare) or Club Wheat (T. compactum), but there are not many of
them, and as grains swell and become distorted when they are carbonised, I do
not feel confident. The small pointed grains are probably Spelt (T. Spelta)
which was rather local in Britain but found just in this area (see Jessen, K.
Dansk Vid. Selsk. Biol. Skr. 3, No. 2, p. 41 (1944)). For wheat similar to some
of this see J. Percival, Wheat in Great Britain, 1948, p. 16, fig. 2. From Pit Q9.
2. Mostly wheat, probably Emmer. Note the flat ventral side and narrow
furrow. Some smaller pointed grains may be Barley. From Pit Q5.
3. Barley. From Pit Q4. 4. Probably Barley. From Pit Q8. The species
of Barley cannot be distinguished without larger quantities or more of the ear.
CHARCOALS
Report by Mrs. F. L. Balfour-Browne
1. Birch, Holly, Beech and Oak. From Pit R23.
_ 2. Oak and Holly with a small amount of Birch. From Pit R27B.
ANIMAL BONES
Report by Miss J. E. King
The animals represented in the collection are ox, horse, sheep or goat, pig,
red deer, fox, bird and frog.
1 Tam indebted to Mr. Shortt for this information.
166 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
Owing to the very fragmentary condition of the bones it has not been
possible to take many measurements for comparative purposes.
Ox, and sheep or goat bones, are the most numerous and are from small
breeds, measurements of the ox bones being approximately the same size as
those of the Chillingham ox, and the sheep or goat bones smaller than the
Scotch ram with which they have been compared.
Horse is fairly abundant and the size of the bones indicates that the animals
were about the size of a New Forest pony.
Pig is represented by a small quantity of bones.
A few dog bones are present, mostly from small animals.
The presence of fox is indicated by a single scapula and toe bones.
A smali quantity of frog bones have been identified.
Red deer is represented by a base of a single antler. The antler is unshed,
and the brow tine and the beam above it have been cut off.
A few burnt bones were found, and bones from young animals were abundant.
Note: The bones offered for examination were derived exclusively from
Pits in Area Q and R, and are pre-Belgic in date.
BIRD BONES
Report by Miss M. I. Platt
Pit Q5
These are all bones of the Raven, Corvus c. corax L. and comprise :
Fore Limb: Ulna from the right side
Radius from left side—(in two portions)
Hind Limb: Femur (2) left and right
Tibio-tarsus (2) left and right
Tarso-metatarsus (2) left and right
A part of the sternum.
Two portions of the pelvis.
All these parts could belong to the same individual.
Pit Q9
These are also all bones of the Raven, Corvus c. corax L.
Fore Limb: Humerus (2) both from left side
Ulna (2) both from left side
Carpo-metacarpus, left only
Hind Limb: Femur (left only)
Proximal portion of left tibio-tarsus.
Coracoid from left side.
The foregoing indicates two individuals.
HUMAN REMAINS :
Skeleton I
Burial in an Iron Age A rubbish pit. The skeleton was lying in a semi-
extended position, with knees originally drawn slightly up but now collapsed.
The body was twisted on to its left side and the feet had sunk. Iron Age Aor B
in date. -
Skeleton XVII
Burial in grave cut partly in the natural chalk and partly in the filling of an
Iron Age A rubbish pit. Pit R20. Orientation 75° east of north, with feet to
east. The skeleton was lying on its back with top of spine curving to right.
Right arm flexed with hand palm upwards, fingers touching femur, the left
Human remains 167
arm with humerus close to body, lower arm flexed, and hand palm down across
pelvis. The knees were bent to right, lower left leg crossing right, and both
feet pointing in same direction. Aniron chopper, see Fig. 15, 1 lay close to left
leg. Late III to IV century A.D.
Report by Prof. A. J. E. CAVE, F.L.S.1
Skeleton I
The right innominate bone evidences ankylosing osteoarthritic change in the
sacro-iliac joint: the posterior ligaments of this articulation are completely
ossified and the anterior edge of the iliac auricular area is deformed by osteo-
phytic “lipping’’... The tibias are platycnemic and present tentative evidence
of the habitual employment of the “‘ squatting ’’ posture ... In brief, the
characters of the long bones alone of this skeleton are extremely suggestive, if
not positively indicative, of the inhabitants of these islands in pre-Roman and
Romano-British times.... The skull is thick-walled and heavy: it is doli-
cocephalic and orthognathic, with long and narrowish facial portion and
moderate-sized orbits and nasal aperture ... The vault is ovoid in norma
verticalis : in normae lateralis and occipitalis its outline agrees essentially with
that of the previous specimen, save that the supra-inial portion of the occiput
is less distinctly produced and only feebly “‘ bossed ’’... The palate is com-
plete: it is U-shaped and roomy, and the limiting aveolar margins were
originally deep and well formed. The left maxillary first premolar and all the
molars had been shed long before death and apparently from parodontal
disease : there is an abscess cavity about the lingual root of the right second
molar: there is distinct recession of alveolar bone about the roots of the teeth
still remaining in situ. All such teeth manifest excessive crown-wear with
denudation of their enamel: the incisors are very much worn down, and the
right second incisor is reduced to a mere root-stump flush with the gum...
There is evidence of arthritis in the left temporo-mandibular joint...
Pathology. In addition to the severe and generalised parodontal disease and
the arthritis of the jaw-joint, this individual suffered from an ankylosing of the
right hip-joint.
Age. The osteological evidence indicates late middle life, say 40-55 years.
Sex. The cranial and pelvic evidence established these remains as those of a
female.
Stature. Estimated from certain of the long bones, the stature works out at
about 62.13 in., or roughly 5 ft. 2 in.
Racial type. In essential configuration, in orbital outline, in mandibular
morphology, in long bone characters, and in stature, Skeleton I agrees well
with Skeleton XVII. Of these two women, No. I had probably a longer, more
oval face, with a deeper and a more prominent chin.... Whilst the crania of
the two skeletons are not exact replicas of each other, there is sufficient evidence
to assign them to the same racial stock, that is, the Ancient British stock of
pre-Roman or Roman times.
Skeleton XVII
Essentially the burial is an extended one, true dorsal decubitus being im-
practicable because of deformity in the corpse...
_ The skull... is that of a midle-aged, dolicocephalic subject... The brow
1 It has not been possible to print Prof. Cave’s complete report, but a copy
of it is retained in Salisbury Museum.
168 Excavations on Boscombe Down West
is wide and low, with a small supra-orbital eminence and with distinctive
flattening above the external angular processes. The fairly low-pitched vertical
vault is ovoid in norma verticalis : its lateral walls are more or less vertical and
parallel back to the interparietal diameter, whereafter the vault narrows rapidly
into a projecting or ‘* bossed ”’ occiput. There is distinct obelionic flattening
and the occipital *‘ boss ”’ is confined to the supra-inial portion of the occipital
bone... The face is orthognathous and square-cut. The orbits are approxi-
mately quadrangular in outline... All the now surviving teeth manifest an
excessive crown-attrition from wearing ... Cervical caries is present posteriorly
on the left mandibular second and third molars. Signs of paradontal disease
are wanting ... The sacro-iliac joints are healthy: there is some slight
‘* rheumatic ”’ change along each iliac crest: the right acetabulum is slightly
distorted from a deforming osteoarthritis of the right femoral head, for this last
bone manifests an adventitious pseudo-articular mass of bone occupying the
anterior aspect of its neck... Of the foot bones, the astragalus . . . bears a well-
marked ‘‘ squatting facet ’’ upon its neck... The astragali show that cervical
prolongation of the trochlear surface associated with habitual active dorsiflexion
at the ankle joint... The distal end (of the right humerus) is much deformed
by traumatic osteoarthritis of the elbow. In the right forearm the ulna manifests
an old-standing, ununited fracture of the shaft, with the formation of a false
joint, which must have permitted an unnatural mobility of the lower forearm
during life. In association with the derangement noted in the right elbow joint,
the articular surfaces of the proximal ends of the right radius and ulna are
grossly deformed by an osteoarthritis, which is doubtless associated with the
fracture of the ulnar shaft. It is remarkable that the right ulna should have
been broken, but not its companion radius (usually the more vulnerable bone
of the two). The suggestion is therefore that the ulnar fracture resulted from
direct violence—probably encountered in the warding off of a blow or missile.
Pathology. The woman represented by this skeleton suffered from punctuate
cervical caries of the teeth, from a mild, generalised lower-back “* rheumatism’’,
from a deforming osteoarthritis of the right hip-and elbow joints, and from an
old-standing, ununited fracture of the right ulna. There is no clue to the loss
of certain maxillary teeth long before death.
Age. The individual’s age cannot be determined precisely, but middle life had
been reached and forty to fifty years would be a reasonable estimation.
Stature. This is estimated as about 5 ft. 23 in.
Racial Type. The occipital ‘* bossing ”’ of the cranium, its generai morphology,
the build of the mandible and the condition of the teeth all proclaim this skele-
ton to be of Ancient (or Romano-) British type. That is to say, the anthropological
characters of the specimen agree with those previously observed in Romano-
British skeletal material of known and dated provenance, a line of reasoning
which is, after all, perhaps the most reliable criterion of racial affinity and
period. :
The Society is much indebted to the Ancient Monuments Depart-
ment of the Ministry of Works for a grant which covered the very
considerable cost of the illustrations to Miss Richardson’s article.
— Editor.
169
CHARTISM IN WILTSHIRE
Presidential Address delivered by R. B. PuGu, F.S.A., July 28, 1951
Much has already been written about the effect of Chartism upon
the kingdom ; less about its impact upon particular areas. Wiltshire
was one of the areas of impact, yet the story of Wiltshire Chartism
has never been systematically told. Thus the present subject, if
a aorta for its modernity, has at least the merit of novelty.
It will be recalled that Chartism was the name given to an im-
perfectly organized and co-ordinated political movement of the
working-classes which swept through England in the late ‘thirties
and the ‘forties of the 19th century. It originated in the disappoint-
ment which those classes felt at the consequences of the Reform Act
and in their detestation of the Poor Law of 1834. The Rerormn Act
had failed to place political power in their hands; the Poor Law
threatened many of them with inclosure in a workhouse.
These discontents took concrete form in the Bea fie in 1836 of
the London Working Men’s Association and the revival in 1837 of
the Birmingham Political Union. The Association extended its
influence by encouraging the formation of fraternal bodies of which
there were more than 100 throughout the country by the end of 1837
and 150 by 1838. It was originally exclusive and philosophical and
was pledged to the achievement of political and social equality by
peaceful means. Early in 1838 however it adopted noisier methods
and promoted missionary tours. The mass meetings of ill-fed and
uneducated work-people who attended these meetings were not
disinclined to translate into terms of armed violence the inflammatory
speeches which they heard. Hence by the middle of 1839 the move-
ment caused justifiable alarm in a society inadequately supplied with
reliable laws.
The hopes of the Chartists were centred upon the People’s Charter,
published in May 1838. Its six points, exclusively concerned with
Parliamentary reform, are too familiar for recitation. It became the
ambition of its promoters to bring the Charter to the notice of
Parliament by a National Petition which was to be acclaimed at a
National Convention of the Industrious Classes. The Convention first
met in February 1839. Amongst other decisions it recognized the
right of the people to arm themselves and sanctioned the organization
of a general strike or ‘Sacred Month’ if the Petition should fail.
The Petition was presented to Parliament in July and was rejected.
The ferment then gradually subsided. The Convention modified its
“Sacred Month’ to a ‘ holiday’ of a few days’ duration and then
170 Chartism in Wiltshire
dissolved. This however was not the end of Chartism. The forma-
tion of the National Charter Association in 1840 and the subsequent
foundation of numerous affiliated societies gave it a new lease of life.
It was rejuvenated again by the Complete Suffrage Movement of
1842. It caught up in the stream all the Radical discontents of the
next eight years until it suddenly collapsed on Kennington Common
in 1848,
In Wiltshire Chartism begins with the foundation of a group of
Working Men’s Associations. Such Associations existed in Trow-
bridge and Westbury by 1838 and in Bradford, Holt, Devizes and
Salisbury by 1839. The Trowbridge Association numbered over
550 members by October 1838. It was financed by the sale of ld.
tickets and, it is said, by donations extorted from tradesmen by
intimidation. Secret meetings were held once a week or oftener in
a large hired room in the disused barracks. There was a correspond-
ing Association for women. The Westbury Association numbered
about 200 in April 1839, It also issued ld. tickets. Two Bradford
Associations—for men and women—existed in January 1839,—the
former with ‘large rooms’ of its own. In May the two bodies
numbered 517 and 324 respectively. The Holt Association num-
bered 101 in April 1839. Of the Devizes Association we only know
that it had offices at the Curriers’ Arms, Bridewell Street. A Salis-
bury Association was formed shortly after the Spring Assizes in 1839,
but the response from the City was at first extremely poor.
In its early days at least, the Wiltshire movement did not provide
its own leadership. It was Charles Bolwell, a Bath Chartist, who first
planted the flag, while W. P. Roberts, a Bath attorney of considerable
ability, was active over a very long period. With them was associated
Henry Vincent, a handsome and eloquent compositor, who had
joined the London Association in 1836 at the age of 23. In the end
he also settled in Bath and became the editor of the- Western
Vindicator—the organ of revolution in the West. Roberts and
Vincent were national leaders. The only Wiltshire Chartist of note
in these early days was the humbly-born William Carrier of Union
Street, Trowbridge, described as a gig man and subsequently a
hatter. He seems to have had the gifts of a demagogue but there is
no evidence that he was a tactician.
So far as is known, the first Chartist public meeting in Wiltshire
took place in July 1838, at Holt, under the great elm tree then on the
Green. It was held at 7.0 p.m., a favourite hour, and attracted six or
seven hundred people. Carrier was the chief speaker and was very
PUBLIC
MEETING,
MESSRS.
H. VINCENT
AND
R. HARTWELL,
OF THE
LONDON WORKING-MENS' ASSOCIATION,
WBs BOBBRAS,
AND ee ENDS FROM BATH,
ILL ADDRESS THE PEOPLE OF
TROWBRIDGE,
ON MONDAY EVENING NEXT,
NOV. 19th, at SEVEN O'CLOCK,
BY TORCH LIGHT.
The Members of the Association will meet in their room,
and walk in procession, accompanied by Music and Banners,
to the place of meeting in TiIMBRELL STREET.
Nov. 17, 1838.
—————————
Public Record Office, H.O. 40/40
Seditious assemblies 171
violent in his remarks. This meeting was followed by one on Trowle
Common in September at which some 2,000 were present, armed
with sticks and clubs and carrying banners.
On 19 November a Chartist meeting was held in Trowbridge and
was on so grand a scale that it is worth describing in some detail.
Posters gave advance notice that visits were to be expected from
Vincent and Roberts and from Richard Hartwell a national leader
from London. On the evening of the day appointed, a crowd variously
estimated at between two and six thousand, but probably numbering
about three, assembled at the barracks. By the light of torches the
Chartists marched in procession from this point across the Town
Bridge to the Market Place. Thence they passed along Silver Street
and the present Church Street and halted in Timbrell Street. Many
wore green ribbons or scarves. There was a discharge of firearms
and much shouting. One party carried a box supported on two poles
and lit with a ‘transparency’ with the word * Liberty’, Others
carried banners bearing Chartist battle-cries and such adages as ‘ Do
not oppress the Poor’.
On reaching Timbrell Street, the crowd was addressed by Carrier,
Roberts and Vincent. Carrier denounced the * higher classes’ and
urged his hearers to gather at the barracks in a few days and choose
a committee who should collect funds to meet the expenses of the
National Convention. He shouted defiance at the troops and abused
the magistrates. Roberts said that his hearers had power to ‘ cut off
fifty crowned heads ’ and Vincent declared that bonfires could be lit
on hill-tops.
A similar torch-light meeting was held in Bradford two days
later and in Hilperton on 3 December. In between the two Carrier
had tried to convey his message to the villagers of Tinhead. In a
metaphor designed no doubt to appeal to a bucolic audience he
announced that he had come to speak about * that Animal called a
Government’. He denounced the Queen, the Duke of Wellington
and the Archbishop of Canterbury and said that paupers were being
starved or poisoned in the workhouses. What was perhaps more to
the point he promised his auditors * plenty of roast beef, plum
pudding and strong beer by working three hours a day’.
The large crowds which such meetings attracted, the seditious
utterances of the speakers and the display and discharge of firearms
and other weapons had for some time been alarming the magistrates
and had forced them to appeal to the Government for advice. Until
1839 there was no rural police force. Parish constables indeed
VOL. LIV—CXCV M
172 Chartism in Wiltshire
existed, but there were but two in each of the towns of Trowbridge
and Bradford. Since 1820 magistrates had possessed statutory auth-
ority to enrol special constables, but, as will be seen, they could not
always exercise it. The civil power had therefore to rely upon the
military, both regular troops and yeomanry.
A barracks had been built in Trowbridge in the late ‘nineties of
the preceding century to house a troop of horse. The troopers were
expected to share in the defence of the Bristol area but also to act as
a kind of police flying squad to overawe the labouring classes. The
barracks was abandoned after Waterloo but cavalry were again being
stationed in Trowbridge in 1826, no doubt to quell the weavers’ riots
that then occurred. As there was no longer a barracks the troops
were quartered in the Trowbridge taverns. The innkeepers had
srown tired of their guests by 1837 and it was accordingly decided
that the birden should be shared in rotation with the innkeepers of
Bradford and Frome. The innkeepers of Frome however complained
in their turn, so that in May 1838 the Home Secrtary had been led
to suggest to the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset that the troops might
be entirely dispensed with. Lord IIchester would not agree to
this course and 37 horsemen accordingly stayed in the area. The
arrangements however were unsatisfactory. As Walter Long, a local
magistrate, complained in December 1838, the carabineers in Trow-
bridge, then reduced to 28, were scattered over the town in ‘ deep
and narrow yards’ and might easily be prevented from mustering.
Moreover, thanks to the rotatory system, the troops were shortly
afterwards moved on, so that in the critical early months of 1839,
Trowbridge, the main centre of disturbance, was without military
protection.
Meetings like those at Trowbridge and Bradford occurred through-
out the towns of England in the autumn of 1838. They began to
alarm the Government, who on 12 December forbade by proclama-
tion torch-light gatherings of the working-classes. The Trowbridge
magistrates of course received the proclamation and tried to promul-
gate it. The people of Trowbridge however were so overawed by the
Chartists that hardly a man dared to display the notice. Their fears
moreover disinclined them from serving as special constables or
offering information to the magistrates about sedition, privy conspir-
acy or rebellion.
After Christmas meetings began again. Three were held in
Bradford on 9, 10 and 11 January. Though carriage-lamps had
replaced torches, and bludgeons, firearms, speeches continued
Spread of the movement 173
inflammatory. Next day two meetings, one of them public, were
held in Trowbridge. In February an anti-Corn-Law meeting in
Bradford was successfully converted into one in support of universal
suffrage. At about the same time the magistrates discovered that a
Trowbridge blacksmith had received an order to manufacture pike-
heads. The same month representatives from Bradford, Winsley and
Trowbridge attended a conference at Bath of delegates from all the
Working Men’s Associations and Radical Unions in the West of
England and South Wales. Chartism in Wiltshire was evidently
becoming more dangerous and better organized. Moreover it began
to spread in new directions. On 25 February a meeting of from 1,000
to 1,500 persons was held on Crockerton Green in Longbridge Deverill
parish. John Ravenhill, a Warminster justice, in reporting this event
to the Home Office, remarked that it was the first time that agricul-
tural labourers in the neighbourhood had joined forces with the
manufacturing population. He estimated that by March there were
some 8,000 Chartists in Warminster and neighbouring parishes.
The Warminster area however did not prove markedly disaffected,
thanks perhaps to the wisdom of Ravenhill, who decreed that the
movement should be ignored rather than combated. In early March
a meeting took place in Melksham. S. Chapman, a Holt working
man, presided and perhaps was the instigator, though the chief
speakers came from Bath. A few days later Holt itself was the scene
of another meeting at which ‘a soul-stirring Radical hymn’ was
“sung by some young females from Bradford’.
On 9 March Walter Long sent a considered report on the condition
of industrial Wiltshire to the Government. He said that ‘the
Association ’ had enrolled some thousands of members in the Trow-
bridge neighbourhood, including, he believed, even his own gardeners
and farm hands. There was no doubt that the Chartists were armed.
They possessed a formidable weapon to repel cavalry charges and
bullets were being sold in the villages at 3d. a pound of 16. The
Home Secretary did not take alarm at these reports, but contented
himself with telling Long that he had recommended the repurchase
of Trowbridge barracks and with promising to send another troop of
cavalry to Bradford.
While West Wiltshire was being harangued by Carrier, the National
Convention was meeting in London. Trowbridge and Bradford
were represented by Richard Mealing who also represented Bath
(whence he came), Frome and Holt. Why Carrier, who had been
elected Bradford and Trowbridge delegate at the Trowle Common
M 2
174 Chartism in Wiltshire
meeting in the previous September, did not attend is not known.
Perhaps for reasons of economy it was necessary to concentrate
representation into fewer hands. Apart from their oral propaganda
the local Chartists were busy gathering Wiltshire signatures to the
National Petition and raising monetary contributions. It was re-
ported on 17 March that the Bradford Working Men’s Association
had subscribed £10 towards the “ National Rent ’ and had collected
2,680 signatures. The ° females ’, who had collected 1,794 signatures,
were said to be * going on gloriously’. In Holt 184 signed the Petition
and in Westbury some 750,
The London organizers however were dissatisfied with the degree
of support that the Petition had received. They wanted still more
signatures and dispatched missionaries to get them. Vincent was
sent on such a quest early in March, and in the course of it arrived at
Devizes on the 22nd. He convened a meeting in the Market Place,
but shortly after the speeches had begun a crowd of * drunken
farmers, lawyers’ clerks’ and ‘ parsons’ led by the Under-Sheriff
made a rush upon the Chartists. Vincent offered no effective
resistance, adjourned the meeting, and retreated to the Curriers’
Arms, where, supported by two other Chartists, he spoke in private.
The opposition “in a state of beastly drunkenness ’ emerged from
their headquarters at the Castle Inn and tried to force an entry into
the Curriers’ Arms, but the borough magistrates and constables
arrived before they could do so and dispersed the crowds.
This was the precursor of a still larger meeting in Devizes adver-
tized for Easter Monday (1 April), at which, after speeches by Vincent
and Roberts, the Charter and National Petition were to be adopted.
This announcement caused general alarm. The Trowbridge and
Bradford magistrates warned the mayor and magistrates of Devizes
that Carrier might be expected to bring large numbers of supporters
into the borough. They urged the Government to take precautions.
They printed 1,000 warning handbills. The Devizes, Chippenham,
Warminster and Melksham troops of yeomanry were called out and
special constables sworn in at Trowbridge, Bradford and Devizes.
The Chartists for their part also made elaborate preparations.
Five hundred persons gathered in Trowbridge Market Place on the
morning of Easter Monday and were addressed by Carrier, who
threatened to use his life-preserver, or his double-barrelled pistol if
need be, upon any Tory who might oppose him on his way. The
crowd then held up their bludgeons to Carrier’s admiration, and,
waving banners and to the accompaniment of music, moved off
Trouble at Devizes 175
towards Devizes. Roberts, Carrier and another man (perhaps
Vincent) travelled by carriage.
The size, character and origin of the crowd which entered Devizes
have been very variously estimated. Joseph Burt, one of the Devizes
High Constables, who went out to meet the procession, stated that
at Baldham, near Seend, it consisted of about 300, mostly boys.
Other parties from Bradford, Chippenham and Bromham appear to
have joined this troop. The Trowbridge Chartists themselves were
hoping for contingents from Bath, North Bradley and Southwick
and from the railway workers at Box, which would raise the numbers
to 4,000. Vincent estimated that half a mile from the town there
were as many as this. Doubtless this is a wild exaggeration. On the
other hand the High Sheriff’s estimate of 500 is perhaps too modest.
The Chartists, already drenched with rain, stopped at the Fox and
Hounds just outside the town. At 2.0 p.m. marching five or six abreast
they entered and stopped again at the White Lion. Hence they
dragged into the Market Place a waggon which Vincent, Roberts and
Carrier mounted. Their supporters gathered round and nineteen
banners were unfurled.
Roberts had hardly started to speak when a crowd, consisting
partly of farmers disguised in labourers’ smocks, rushed upon the
waggon. Horns were blown and noises made to drown the speakers’
voice, and the Chartists were set upon with stones and bludgeons.
According to Chartist accounts, a regular battle then began, in the
course of which Vincent was knocked senseless with a stone. The
Chartist banners changed hands several times but most of them were
eventually captured by the opposition. The Chartist rank and file
eradually dispersed. Their leaders, barely rescued alive by special
constables, escaped to the Curriers’ Arms where they tried to address
their followers. While they were speaking a free fight began again
between the Chartist rank and file and their enemies, and efforts
were made to force an entry into the inn and burn it down. The
Sheriff and magistrates then arrived and threatened to call out the
yeomanry (who were in New Park) and the Lancers (who were in
the town itself) if the crowd would not disperse. This threat had the
desired effect and the Chartist leaders were escorted to their gig. On
the way Vincent was struck repeatedly, while Roberts was in such
danger that he could not pass along the streets but had to be secretly
_ conveyed through the Bear and across the fields into the Bath Road.
There seems little doubt that the Devizes Tories (as the anti-
Chartists were collectively called) were more willing to break the
176 Chartism in Wiltshire
peace than their opponents. We are told that they “scoured the
streets like blood-hounds engaging all the low blackguards on their
side’. A contractor is said to have imported some 50 railway workers,
who, among other brutal acts, assaulted two respectable Liberals who
were not engaging in demonstrations on either side. Nevertheless
their violence was effective. Though Vincent boasted that the
sufferings of the Chartists evoked much sympathy in the neighbour-
hood and that the ‘ noble-minded women of Bradford and Trow-
bridge’ beat ‘the butter-carts from Devizes out of the markets’
shortly afterwards, it is significant that no Chartist meeting was ever
convened in the borough again.
The month of April was characterized by a succession of riotous
meetings. One occurred in Westbury on 2 April, but the drubbing
which the Chartists had received in Devizes on the previous days
diminished its expected glories. On 11 April Carrier went to Steeple
Ashton and spoke to a small audience. The peace was kept, but next
day a large farmer in the village dismissed some of his workpeople
who had attended the meeting. One of these persons returned to
work, no doubt by invitation, and some of his dismissed fellow-
workers assembled riotously and began to pull his cottage down.
Carrier took advantage of the situation and returned on 15 April,
when he urged everyone who heard him to save 14s. and buy a
musket with the money. Towards the end of April two noisy meet-
ings were held at Atworth, and on the 29th an itinerant tea-dealer
from Stroud (Glos.) exhorted a small crowd in Westbury to arm
themselves for the coming struggle.
But it was in Trowbridge that the situation was at its tensest.
The Devizes meeting had left the townspeople insubordinate, the
magistrates were insulted in the streets, and only 100 special
constables could be mustered. Appeals for troops were refused by
the Government on the ground that the cavalry at Bradford and
Devizes and the force destined shortly to reach Frome must suffice,
On 30 April and 1 May two further public meetings took place in
the town, the second of them to speed Carrier on his way to the
National Convention.
The meeting of 30 April was watched from the windows of the
George by Captain Smyth of the Royal Engineers, who had come to
repurchase the barracks in fulfilment of the engagement made some
weeks back by the Home Office. He found the magistrates at both
Trowbridge and Bradford ‘ completely in the hands of the operatives’
and apparently nervous. A Trowbridge magistrate told him that he
Counter-measures V7
would not be able to muster 20 men to act as a guard for the barracks
and that arms were being imported into the town in large quantities.
Another witness confirms Smyth’s impressions of grave disorder.
The Church windows were broken; children bearing Chartist
mottoes paraded the streets ; those at the British School locked their
master out of the building; well-dressed people were hooted ; the
funds of benefit societies were drawn upon for the purchase of pistols ;
William Potts, a druggist, exhibited in his shop window in the Market
Place bullets of various sizes labelled ‘ Pills for the Tories’. Smyth
must have found this depressing enough, for he estimated that it
would take three to four months to get the barracks ready for troops.
He seems however to have cleared the Chartists at least partially out of
the barracks, for on 5 May 17 Metropolitan police constables under
Inspector Partridge and two sergeants arrived and took up their quarters
temporarily in one of the officers’ houses.
With the arrival of the police things took a sudden turn for the
better. On the evening of 6 May Potts the druggist accompanied by
John Andrews, a Trowbridge sweetmaker, William Tucker, a West-
bury cobbler, and Samuel Harding, a Trowbridge cobbler, went to
conduct a meeting at Chalford. The Westbury magistrates gave
orders that they were to be arrested. A cordon was accordingly
thrown across the Westbury—Chalford Road and Tucker, Harding
and Andrews were taken on their return journey. Potts escaped.
Another large meeting was planned to take place in Trowbridge
next day. The Trowbridge magistrates, fortified by Home Office
instructions, called upon the 10th Hussars stationed at Frome and
Bradford and the Melksham and Devizes troops of Yeomanry. They
issued a warrant for Potts’ arrest. He was taken shortly afterwards
and committed to the ‘ blind house’. Roberts who was present at
the arrest tried to rally the assembled crowd but was himself arrested.
The police searched Potts’ house and found 8 cannon-balls, about
66 musket balls, 9 leaden flint carriers, a pike, a double-edged large
knife and 3 bludgeons.
The arrested leaders were committed to Fisherton Anger gaol for
trial at the next Assizes. The arrests however neither brought the
disorder to an end nor assuaged the fears of the magistrates. On
Sunday 12 May ‘a person representing himself to come from Wales ’
collected many hundred auditors and under pretence of preaching
“violently abused ’ the powers that be. The old leaders were in fact
being replaced by others from outside the district. In such villages
as Keevil, Edington, North, Bradley and Hilperton the ‘ bad charac-
178 Chartism in Wiltshire
ters ’ were uniting ‘ and communicating with each other to the terror
the small farmers and tradesmen’, who, with the constables, were
afraid to oppose them. Though it seemed that the ‘ better disposed ’
labourers were renouncing their Chartist principles, the district was
still in a ferment, and only the continued presence of the police and
military prevented further outbreaks.
All this time the Trowbridge magistrates were threatened with the
early withdrawal of the police. After much argument it was arranged
that they might stay a little beyond their time. But early withdrawal
was inevitable, and on 5 June the ‘ respectable ’ inhabitants of Trow-
bridge met to consider how order should be kept when there were
no longer any police. That such deliberations were necessary is
proved by the fact that on the same day a party of 5 men and 2 women
attacked the barracks at about midnight and fired at a policeman.
The police were replaced on 20 June by a troop of cavalry, who how-
ever did not occupy the barracks until November.
Of the local Chartist leaders only Vincent and Carrier were now at
large. Vincent went to Monmouth and was there arrested and im-
prisoned. Carrier was arrested on 7 June at Lambeth. The Conven-
tion which he had gone to London to attend had been adjourned to
Birmingham, but he had not followed.
By the end of May the disorders were subsiding. It is true that a
defence fund for Potts, Vincent and their associates was opened at a
meeting in Bradford in early June and that an unknown Chartist
spoke in a field between Trowbridge and Bradford in early July, but
these were not alarming manifestations. In the Warminster neigh-
bourhood disorder was checked by the formation, in response to a
Government circular of 4 May, of a peace association, and the enrol-
ment of special constables, who numbered 282 by the middle of
August. Though posters, for the distribution of which two shoe-
makers in Longbridge and Monkton Deverill were believed to be
responsible, sometimes appeared in this area and induced those who
read them to draw heavily upon the banks, there were no moré public
meetings. Potts, released on bail, tried to organize such a meeting on
13 August, but without success.
The National Convention had designated 12 August as the opening
date of the general strike called the * Sacred Month’. A meeting was
arranged for that day on Trowle Common and handbills were widely
distributed in Bradford and Trowbridge. The magistrates however
took strong counter measures. They arrested the distributor of the
bills, called out the Hussars and Yeomanry and cautioned the public
ly
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CAUTION.
Bradford, Wilts.
WE, the undersigned Magistrates
acting for this District, having this
day seen public Handbills issued and
generally distributed, stating that a
Chartist Meeting is fixed to be held
near Trowle Common, at Haltf=past
3 0’Clock in the Morning of Monday,
the 12th day of August instant, for
OBJECTS HIGHLY ILLEGAL;
Hereby Caution and Warn
all Persons, not toATTEND
or in any way to countenance such
Meeting, OtherwiSe they will be
subject to the Severest Penalties
of the Law.
GIVEN UNDER OUR HANDS, ON SUNDAY.
THE 11th DAY OF AUGUST, 1839.
T. H. SAUNDERS,
EDWARD COOPER.
Printed by J. BUBB, Bradford.
Public Record Office. H.O. 40/48
e
eg
j
Arrests and convictions 179
not to attend. Some crowds converged upon the common, but did
not congregate, and when the Devizes Yeomanry arrived they found
nothing more sinister than some boys “amusing themselves with
trapball’. Not only in Wiltshire, but throughout the kingdom, the
early militant phase of Chartism had ended.
On the night of 3-4 November armed bands of colliers and blast-
furnace-men led by John Frost, a Monmouth tailor, rose against the
Monmouth magistrates. Their aims included the release of Vincent
from gaol and a general rising in support of Chartism. The disturb-
ances were suppressed and Frost arrested. This incident revitalized
Chartism. Defence funds were raised and demonstrations organized
in Frost’s support. The Trowbridge Chartists were affected by this
movement, and throughout the winter of 1839-40 the Working Men’s
Association in that town was actively engaged on Frost’s behalf. By
early December 43 class-collectors in Trowbridge were busily
accumulating funds. On 8 February a petition for the release of
Frost and his fellows, signed by about 4,000 men and 2,000 women,
was drawn up and a public meeting to back it arranged. The magis-
trates prudently drafted into the town 60 rural policemen under the
command ofthe Chief Constable of Wiltshire, and the meeting was
prevented. The Chippenham Chartists however were more success-
ful, carried a resolution in favour of Frost’s release and began to raise
a Vincent Defence Fund.
In March 1840 the six ring-leaders of 1839, who had traversed
their indictments at the preceding summer Assize, were brought to
trial. They were charged with conspiracy to cause unlawful assem-
blies with intent to disturb the peace. Carrier, Potts and Roberts
were found guilty and sentenced to two years imprisonment, the first
with, the others without hard labour. The charges against Harding,
Tucker and Andrews were not prosecuted as they were held to be in
“a low situation ’ and not ring-leaders. Roberts was released in early
July on grounds of ill-health and was greeted enthusiastically in
Trowbridge on his way home to Bath. Carrier’s conduct in prison
was ‘very orderly and discreet’. After 12 months of his sentence
had expired hard labour was remitted, and by the end of April 1841
he was at liberty. Potts was released in the following August, six or
seven months before the completion of his term. Vincent was
_ convicted and imprisoned at Monmouth after the Wiltshire magis-
trates had vainly attempted to have him tried in their own county
ad terrorem populi. He was released in February 1841.
The early months of 1840 were unhappy ones for the Chartists,
180 Chartism in Wiltshire
The movement was temporarily crushed by the sentence eventually
passed on Frost. Many plans for rejuvenation were however advanced
and these were reviewed at a conference at Manchester in July, at
which R. K. Philp, of Bath, represented Wiltshire. At this meeting
was born the National Charter Association with the aim of securing
full representation of the people in the Commons. Small local
groups or ‘classes’ were to be formed through which subscriptions
would be raised. The classes were to be combined into wards and the
wards into Councils—one Council for each county and large town.
The faith was to be propagated by paid lecturers.
The organization of the Association in Wiltshire can be traced, not
without difficulty, through 1841 and 1842. There were active bands
of Chartists in Trowbridge, Bradford, Westbury, Salisbury and
Melksham, and in 1841 at Warminster, Kingston and Monkton
Deverill and Mere as well. Groups at Devizes, Holt, Bromham and
North Bradley are heard of more occasionally. Weekly meetings seem
to have been common in Westbury and Salisbury and there were
very frequent ones in Trowbridge. Tea or supper parties were held,
preceded or followed by lectures and enlivened by songs or recitations. _
Normally once a month the Wiltshire Chartists, with those of Frome
and Shaftesbury, sent delegates to a County Council which met in
rotation at different centres. Here reports were given of the state of
the faith in each town or village, and from these reports some rather
unreliable information about the ups and downs of the movement
can be pieced together. Thus at the Westbury meeting of August
1841 Mr. George of Warminster was ‘ highly delighted to inform
the delegates ... that the ... Charter had become the chief topic of
conversation among the theological classes of that priest-ridden
town’, and the Mere delegate said that a Chartist lecturer had recently
removed many prejudices from the minds of the ‘ shopocrats’.
It proved a problem to accommodate such meetings. In Bradford
and Trowbridge the Chartists had their own premises called
“Chapels ’. A * Democratic Chapel’ had been licensed- in Trow-
bridge as early as August 1839, soon after the Working Men’s Associ-
ation had lost their room in the barracks. Its location is unknown,
but by the summer of 1840 a group of shareholders had bought a
block of buildings called the Charter House which in 1841 they were.
running as a kind of co-operative enterprise. Part of the building
was used as a “ Democratic Chapel’ and the rest as dwellings and
as shops for grocers and drapers. In August 1842 there was another
group of Chartists meeting in the ‘ Hope Chapel ’ which in September _
was united with the community at the Charter House. The Salisbury
Meetings and lectures 181
Chartists met at the Charter Coffee House in the Market Place,
apparently next door to the City Arms. By August 1841 a ‘large
room’ had been taken for lectures. The Westbury Chartists met
at first at the house of a newsagent. By August 1842 they also had
acquired a lecture hall. There was a reading room at Melksham by
October 1841. At both Westbury and Melksham however difficulties
Over premises arose, a fact which suggests that the rooms secured
were held on short tenures or were of insufficient size. Sometimes
Noncomformist bodies lent their chapels. Thus in December 1841
two meetings took place in the Independent Methodist Chapel at
Kingston Deverill.
If the evidence may be credited, the Chartist lecturers forwarded
the cause, and there were constant demands for their services. The
Chartists of Bath, especially Bolwell, Philp, Roberts and a person
called Clarke, were often on the platform. In the summer of 1841 we
encounter a professional lecturer from Chelsea called Ruffey Ridley
who was still lecturing in 1842, while in the autumn of 1841 there
were many tributes to a Mr. Cluer, an advocate of total abstinence.
The summer of 1842 was a time of acute depression in the coal
fields of the North and potteries in the Midlands. Workmen struck
against low wages and measures were taken to protect property. On
22 August the Chartists of ‘Trowbridge staged a sympathetic mass
meeting in the Charter Square, as it was called. Job Rawlins, a
notorious Chartist of the town, was in the chair, and Ruffy Ridley
spoke to a crowd of some 2,000. He criticized the large size of the
Civil List, hinted that the Government were using agents provocateurs
to induce the people to commit acts of violence and advocated a
general strike. A fraternal delegate from the Potteries attended
and spoke, and a resolution of sympathy for the suffering of the
Northerners was carried. There was no actual breach of the peace
but mud and stones were flung at the police. The Trowbridge
magistrates were doubtless glad that they had withstood an attempt
which the Government made in March to remove the cavalry from
the town.
The winter of 1842 was marked by extreme privation, but it was
followed by a good harvest next summer and a gradual revival of
trade. Henceforth there is much less sign of Chartist activity in
Wiltshire, though this may not be due wholly to a revival of prosperity
but partly to the fortuitous disappearance of some of the local agents.
Chartism retreated into the Trowbridge redoubt which was visited
on 29 July by the great Feargus O’Connor himself. Though the
182 Chartism in Wiltshire
leader was escorted by a large crowd, the meeting does not seem to
have been much of a success. There was an evident decline of
enthusiasm thereafter, and a year later it was necessary to conduct a
recruiting drive.
For the next two years there is a blank in the annals of Wiltshire
Chartism. The overthrow of the ‘ July’ monarchy, however, gave
a new impetus to the movement throughout the country, and in early
March 1848 there was universal unrest. So far as Wiltshire is con-
cerned this centred not upon the western districts but upon the new
industrial town of Swindon which had grown up since Chartism
began. On 4 March a meeting was convened in Swindon Market
Place to congratulate the French people on their * glorious triumph ’
in achieving a republic. The Chief Constable of Wiltshire thought
that the meeting had been timed to attract the mechanics coming off
duty at the railway station, but few seem to have attended and no
disorder occurred. Other meetings followed in the same neighbour-
hood: at Lyneham, Wootton Bassett, Stratton St. Margaret, High-
worth, Cricklade, Wanborough and Blunsdon. The Blunsdon
meeting was held on 9 April and was the last Chartist meeting in
Wiltshire.
The strength of Chartism in Swindon is unknown. There were
said to be many adherents among the railway mechanics, and a
member of the Arkell family of Stratton was in frequent demand as
chairman and speaker. A Spackman was also present at some of the
meetings, which suggests a link with Bradford. In the main however
the speakers seem to have come from afar.
Is it possible to found any generalizations upon a story so episodic?
In the first place in its initial stages Chartism constituted a real
threat to the Queen’s peace in Wiltshire. It is true that no lives were
lost and little if any property destroyed, but the attitude of the
Chartists was menacing and the magistrates could not ignore it.
Secondly the authorities, though firm, were tactful in their repression.
The chief burden fell upon the magistrates in Trowbridge, Bradford
and Westbury and notably upon John Clark of Trowbridge. His
prudence may well have kept the movement within bounds and has
certainly won him the respect of posterity.
Thirdly Chartism was narrowly confined in its permeation. It
mainly centred upon the towns of Trowbridge, Bradford, Westbury,
Warminster and Salisbury and such of the neighbouring villages as
were within easy range. There is little evidence of Chartism in
Devizes, Chippenham or Swindon and none in Calne, Malmesbury,
Marlborough or the east. It is significant that four of the five centres
FRENCH REVOLUTION.
A PUBLIC MEETING
next,
WARKET _ PLACE, SWINDON,
ADOPT A
CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS
FRENCH PEOPLE
On the Glorious T
REPUBLIC.
Chair to be taken at 4 o’clock precisely, = = wesorris. Printer, Swindon.
Limits of the movement in Wilts 183
named were within striking distance of Bath. Still more significantly
they were all cloth towns whose fortunes were in decline. Bradford
represented a peculiarly pathetic spectacle. In 1815 there were some
30 manufacturers in the town producing in all 678 ends of broad-
cloth. In c. 1838 there were but 3 producing 144 ends. There had
been a steep fall in wages, rents, prices of house property and the
profits of retail trade in the 25 years since Waterloo. By October 1841,
despite large-scale outdoor relief, the people were starving. A recent
bank failure in Bath had added to the prevailing misery. In Westbury
and Warminster conditions were the same, the latter town retaining
but one mill in 1842. A few large manufacturers remained in Trow-
bridge, but their presence did not necessarily imply happiness for
their workpeople. The prosperity of Trowbridge, such as it was,
seems to have been due to concentration of manufacture into larger
units.
The absolute decline in the cloth trade and the mechanisation of
weaving led to a great deal of unemployment among the handloom
weavers and a general dislocation of labour. Many weavers lived in
the villages adjacent to the cloth towns and in their destitution fell
easy victims to Radical propaganda. Hence the relatively thriving
state of Chartism in such places as Hilperton, Chalford and
Crockerton.
Apart from these suburban villages however Chartism made little
headway outside the towns. The Swindon Chartists seem indeed to
have been aiming at the agricultural labourer in 1848, but O’Connor’s
Land Scheme of 1843 aroused no apparent interest in Wiltshire and
is known to have been referred to at only one Wiltshire meeting.
Chartism was not an economic but a political faith and could there-
fore have appealed equally to the rural and the urban worker. But
the leaders were townsmen and perhaps were ignorant of the idiom
of Arcadia.
SOURCES
The sources for this address are as follows. (i) The Home Office, Disturbances,
Correspondence (H.O. 40) and Entry Books (H.O. 41) in the Public Record
Office. H.O. 40/40, /48 and /56 cover the years 1838, 1839 and 1840 respectively.
H.O. 40/48 includes the Crown brief in the Queen v. Carrier and others, which
is a valuable survey of the early history of the movement in Wiltshire. H.O.
41/13-17 cover 1839, 1839, 1840, 1841-2 and 1842 respectively. (ii) Two
bundles in the Home Office, Registered Papers (‘ Old Series’) (H.O. 45) which
are also among the public records. H.O. 45/262 concerns the Trowbridge
meeting of August 1842 and H.O. 45/2410 (3) the Swindon meetings of 1848.
(iii) Add MSS. 34245 A and B and Add. 27821 in the British Museum. These
184 Chartism in Wiltshire
form part of the MSS. of Francis Place. The first two include answers
furnished by local Chartist officers to questionnaires. (iv) Twenty-nine volumes
of newspaper cuttings collected by Francis Place and forming Set 56 of the
Place Collection in the British Museum. (v) The Charter, forming Set 66 of the
same collection. (vi) The Times for 13 and 17 August 1839, 13 March 1840,
3 April and 4 August 1842. (vii) Vol. ITI of Wiltshire Cuttings in the Devizes
Museum, which at p. 29 contains an account of the Devizes meeting of 1 April
1839.
185
SALISBURY COMPANIES AND THEIR ORDINANCES,
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO
THE WOODWORKING CRAFTS
By G. J. ELTRINGHAM, B.A., F.R.G.S.
In the archives of the Corporation of Salisbury are an interesting
set of records relating to the government of craft companies during
the 17th and 18th centuries. My attention was kindly brought to
these documents by Dr. Hollaender of the Guildhall Library, London,
and I have since been permitted to examine five documents relating
to Joiners. These notes give a short account of the documents
examined which in some cases included the constitutions of other
groups of trades and crafts.
The five documents selected may be described briefly as follows :—
Document A (reference E/I—244/2). This is a paper book, with no
covers, of 69 leaves, measuring 134 inches < 8? inches contain-
ing ordinances relating to 9 groups of trades, and an interposed
torn leaf giving an incomplete set of ordinances for cooks. The
groups are:
(1) Merchants, Mercers, Grocers, Apothecaries, Goldsmiths, Linen-
drapers, Upholsterers and Embroiderers—1612.
(ii) Smiths, Armourers, Cutlers, Pewterers, Drapers, Bell-founders,
Ironmongers, Plumbers, Saddlers, Wiredrawers, Card-makers, and
Pin-makers—1613.
(111) Glovers, Parchment Makers, Collar Makers—1613.
(iv) Shoemakers, Curriers and Last-makers—1612.
(v) Butchers—1613.
(vi) Clothmakers—1613.
(vii) Bakers—1613.
(viii). Joiners, Coopers, Wheelers, Painters, Instrument makers, Rope-
makers, Turners, Seaviers,! Bellows makers—1613.
(ix) Barber Surgeons—1614.
Document B (reference E/I—244/1). This is a large volume 12 inches
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LS-FEB 1952
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— JUL 1952
No. CXCVI JUNE, 1952 Vol. LIV
The Wiltshire
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
SOCIETY FORMED IN THAT COUNTY IN THE YEAR 1853
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S25 Ss os Se eee eee
The Wiltshire Ras wl |
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
No. CXCVI JUNE, 1952 | Vol. LIV
CONTENTS PAGE
THE DOMESDAY BOROUGHS OF WILTSHIRE: By
tne late-Michael Wyndham Hughes>.......0....00::. 20/218
MORE ABOUT CUMBERWELL: By G. J. Kidston,
CORNER ee ey ei ha de ee ec ean SB 2/9—288
AN ANALYSIS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY REPRE-
SENTATION OF WILTSHIRE 1688-1714: By
INobert) G Stuckeys, BiAi ose oi tek 289—304
WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL
HISTORY SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY SECTION.
FIELD MEETINGS AND LECTURES, 1951: Report
by the Hon. Meetings Secretary, Margaret E. Nurse 305—307
WILTSHIRE BIRD NOTES FOR 1951: Recorders,
Ruth G. Barnes, M.B.O.U. and Guy Peirson...... 308—326
THE REDSTART IN WILTSHIRE: Recorder, Cyril
[RUGS aaa Ng AD GON es al EA aR aM gn Rh 327—331
A NINETEENTH-CENTURY BIRD WATCHER:
siecansenibed: by «G.- | Jacobs... 4-20.28... Se. 332 ==3386
WILTSHIRE PLANT NOTES [13] : Recorder, J.
Bovina Cal GrOSe ns ee iis Se OAS 339—343
ENTOMOLOGICAL REPORT FOR 1951: By B. W.
“HG iGLET Ue SARL OM cP gr 344—347
THE ROBINSON LIGHT TRAP FOR MOTHS:
a IIEIELESE TN Coy kok a NP ng AU 347—348
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS OF THE
NATURAL HISTORY . SECTION: 1951 ...0...../5. 349
THE PROVISIONING OF EDWARD I’S JOURNEY
THROUGH WILTSHIRE IN 1302: By R. A.
onan avi Au PHD. (FR ISHS. 8 order os sure head ewe 350—360
il PAGE
NoTES.—A Parallel from Amiens for the Rudge
Cup. Battle of Mertune. Possible climatic origin
of Lower Greensand sarsens. Wiltshire Spas and
Mineral Wells, etc. Stonehenge. Preshute Font 361—366
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND ARTICLES 367—370
WHEG-ESHIRE OBITUARIES) 2 a ee eee 371
GORRECTION Sis: i ee Nas a a eee 372
WA. & N.ELS.REGORDS BRANCH...) 373—374
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE 375—376
ADDITIONS TO MUSEUM AND LIBRARY............ 377
ACCOUNTS OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR 1951 378—380
ILLUSTRATIONS
Map of Marlborough 232 oe ee eke
Plates: Vang Ls ee eee es ei 284—285
Cumberwell House in the early nineties of the
last century
Cumberwell gate piers now at Avebury
The Cumberwell district in 1773
Redstartixecouding Chart... 0e ee 329
Map of Redstart Nesting Areass.....4..- 330
Map of Edward I’s route through Wiltshire............ 351
ime WILTSHIRE. MAGAZINE
MULTORUM MANIBUS GRANDE LEVATUR ONUS
No. CXCVI JUNE, 1952 Vol. LIV
THE DOMESDAY BOROUGHS OF WILTSHIRE
with special reference to Marlborough
By the late MICHAEL WYNDHAM HUGHES
It may be assumed that not long after the capture of Searesbyrig
(Old Sarum) in 552 A.D. the invaders who became the West Saxons
or Gewissae began to settle in North Wiltshire. I do not pretend to
identify with certainty the object which they named Marlborough,1
but it is natural to suppose that it was the Castle Mound, if indeed
that is of the same type and origin as Silbury—a prehistoric
earthwork and not merely a Norman motte. It is difficult to
believe that if it was in existence when the Saxons came they omitted
to give it a name; or that there was any more striking object of the
beorg type which might have attracted their attention. In any case,
it was approximately within the limits of the present parishes of
Marlborough and Preshute that they formed their settlement, the
precise details of which cannot be recovered.
The first steps towards a reconstruction of the history of the town
must be an examination of Domesday Book in the hope thereby of
ascertaining something as to its status in 1086. At first sight Domes-
day Book does not seem to offer much likelihood of success ; but some-
thing may be made of it ; and we shall then have a foundation upon
which to build.
It is perhaps hardly necessary to explain to readers of the Wiltshire
Magazine that that record, in its present shape, usually takes a fixed
and regular form. As a rule, the first item described is the chief
borough of the shire, which is not stated to belong to any lord, or even
to the king. As Maitland says,” throughout the larger part of England,
the Domesday Commissioners found a town in each county, and in
general one town only, which required special treatment. He regards
the distinctive feature of these towns as being what he calls the
“tenurial heterogeneity ’’ of the burgesses, by which he means the
multiplicity of the lords of whom they held. Ballard adopts this
theory.* Maitland says also* that when we get to Wilts and Dorset
we are in the classical land of small boroughs, and that in this respect
these counties differ from the rest.
VOL. LIV—CXCVI R
258 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
These lordless towns are described by him as ‘‘ county towns ’’,®
but he tends to subject them to a post-Domesday test.* Ballard
prefers to call them ** county boroughs ’’.’ For our present purpose,
at least, a better adjective than ‘* county ’’ would be “‘ independent ”’ ;
and I prefer to style them “ towns” rather than boroughs until we
are on firmer ground.
After the independent towns comes the Terra Regis—the land of
the king, including all his manors and holdings in which no subject
has been enfeoffed. Most of these are the hereditary property of the
king as king—the Ancient Demesne—but many are added which
which have fallen into his hands by escheat or forfeiture.
The holdings of the king’s tenants-in-chief follow ; these were the
men who held direct from him, and who furnished his armies
and attended his councils. Finally come the lands of the king’s thanes,
and then those of his *‘ ministers ”’ or officials, which may at first have
been granted for life or during tenure of office. The holders certainly
did not rank as tenants-in-chief. The returns were originally collected
geographically, but were rearranged so as to group within each county
all the holdings of each lord under his name.
In the Domesday survey of Wilts six places occur in the section
usually devoted to the independent towns, namely, Malmesbury,
Wilton, Salisbury, Marlborough, Cricklade and “‘ Bade ’”’; but the
manner in which they are dealt with raises difficulties which make it
necessary to examine the whole of the section in the hope of obtaining
some light upon the details.
Malmesbury stands at the head of the list, and is definitely styled
a borough (burgum, burgus). It is the only place in Wilts of which a .
description is given, still meagre compared with many in other
counties. The Book says:
In the Borough of Malmesbury the king has 26 tenanted burgages and 25
burgages® in which are houses which render geld no more than waste does.
Each one of these burgages renders 10 den. of rent,® that is, taken together,
43 sol. 6 den.1° Of the fee of the Bishop of Bayeux there is there half a burgage
waste, which renders no service. The Abbot of Malmesbury has 4} burgages ;
and outside the borough 9 cotsetlers,11 who pay geld with the burgages. The
Abbot of Glastonbury has 2 burgages ; Edward the sheriff has 3; Ralf de
Mortemer 14; Durand of Gloucester 14; William de Ow 1; Humfrey de
Insula 1; Osbern Giffard 1; Alfred of Marlborough } (waste) ; Geoffrey the
marshal likewise ; Tovi 14; Drew Fitz Ponz 4; the wife of Edric 1 ; Roger de
Berkeley 1, of the king’s farm, and Ernulf de Hesding likewise has one, of the
king’s farm, which he incautiously took. These two [burgages| render no
service. The king has one waste burgage of land which Azor held.
Malmesbury 259
A little lower down it is stated (in a postscript) that the king
has from the third penny of Malmesbury 6 li.
and later still in the same postscript :
Walter Hosed from two-thirds of the borough of Malmesbury renders 8 li.
to the king. The borough itself rendered as much in the time of King Edward,
and in this farm were the pleas of the Hundreds of Cicemertone and Sutelesberg!2
which belonged to the king. From the mint the borough renders 100 sol. In the
same borough Earl Harold had one area!® of land in which are 4 burgages, and
6 others waste, and one mill rendering 10 sol. This rendered in all 100 sol.
T.R.E. When the king went on expedition by land or sea, he had from this
borough either 20 sol. to feed his shipmen!*; or took with him one man for an
honour of 5 hides.
At first sight it may appear that this has not very much to do with
Marlborough ; but the information as to the latter town is so meagre
that an examination of the fuller details given under Malmesbury may
help to fill the gaps; and will afford an opportunity for discussing
certain Domesday problems without an answer to which we cannot
determine the status of Marlborough.
The first point to be noted is that, although the king has rights
and claims, as king, over the entire town, he also has in it property of
_ his own, from which he derives rent!® ; and it is in this capacity that
he appears in this description. As will be seen lower down, the
burgesses (including those who occupy the king’s houses) pay geld,
and with them, certain cotsetlers, who live physically outside the
town ; but these belonged to the abbot, and were presumably reckoned
as of his household.
My second point is that almost all the remaining tenements de-
scribed belong to great lords who were holders of other lands in the
county. The few exceptions might be explained if we had more
information. Probably these tenements had been granted to them by
the king, or by King Edward to their predecessors, and it is possible
that their possession carried with it, as at Oxford, some obligation such
as repair of the town walls, If that was the case, it is nowhere so stated
in Domesday Book. It is not to be supposed that these lords lived in
these houses, any more than the king in any of his. They were in-
habited no doubt by burgesses, who paid rent to their lord, and geld
to the king ; and it would be the occupiers who were primarily liable
for any duties attaching to the possession of the premises.
The next point is the third penny. The authoritative summary of
this subject is that of Round.!® The third penny of the shire, a grant
R2
260 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
of which accompanied the creation of an earl for his maintenance in
his office, was one-third of the profits of the pleas of the shire, a varying
sum which was often commuted for a fixed annual payment. The earl
being thus deprived of any contribution from the boroughs, was
sranted by the king the third penny of the total revenues of the
borough, not merely of the profits of justice arising therein.* These
revenues, of course, also varied in amount from year to year, and in
the majority at least of cases, the payments due to the king were com-
muted for a fixed amount, payable annually and called the farm. In
the same way, the sheriff, in the case of the county, accepted the duty
of collecting the king’s revenues, accounting at the Exchequer for a
fixed sum, also called the farm, and making a profit or incurring a loss
as the case might be. In the present day, this is precisely what con-
stitutes the difference between a farmer and a bailiff. In the case of
the borough, the burgesses were responsible to the king for the farm,
and they, like the sheriff, might gain or lose by the arrangement.
Sometimes the sheriff collected the borough farm ; but in such a case,
he paid over what he received, neither making nor losing anything.
Now since the sum receivable as the third penny of Malmesbury is
around figure and fixed, it is safe to conclude that the men of Malmes-
bury held their town at farm. The farm is indeed specifically men-
tioned in the account of the borough, and it may be that by accepting
a burgage which was of the king’s farm, Roger de Berkeley and Ernulf
de Hesding made themselves liable with the burgesses to contribute
to the sum to be paid to the king. |
And here a fourth point arises. The existence of the farm pre-
supposes an arrangement between the king and the men of the town,
of a nature which bound themselves and their successors, as the king
bound himself and his successors. In spite of what the learned Madox
has said,!” it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such an arrange-
ment implies some sort of incorporation of the burgesses ; though it
is not necessary to suppose that later legal definitions of a corporation
would apply in all their aspects to a borough constituted before the
Conquest. One of the difficulties in examining the early history of
* In his Geoffrey de Mandeville (see note 16 below) Round tells us only that
the treatment of the third penny of the borough was “ absolutely erratic.” In
Wiltshire it went to the King, though in the case of Cricklade it was shared with
the Abbot of Westminster. In other counties it sometimes went to the sheriff.
Mr. Hughes deals with this under “ fifthly ” (page 261). Round must have
qualified his statement elsewhere.—Editor.
Tertius denarius redditus burgi 261
institutions is that the legal doctrines by which they must be inter-
preted are of much later growth than the institutions themselves.
With regard to the farm, the kings developed a habit, which Madox
thought pernicious,!® of making grants to subjects of the two-thirds
which remained after the earl had had his third penny. Here we find
one Walter Hosed receiving the two-thirds—which ought to be 12 li.
—and paying out of this 8 li. to the king. Before the Conquest the
borough itself paid this amount direct, apparently receiving towards
it from two hundreds the profits of justice belonging to the king.
Canon Jones identifies them as Cheggelawe and Sterkley, now in the
Hundred of Malmesbury. This passage is not clear to me.1”
It will be noted fifthly that the earl’s third penny is paid to the king.
That is to say, there was at this time no earl. But it is clear that there
had been an earl,!®’ and that the third penny had been set aside for
him. In accordance with regular Exchequer practice, lands or rents
escheating to the king for want of an owner did not fall back into the
king’s general revenue, but were labelled as dedicated to the purpose
for which they had been granted, and remained separate for all time ;
though the beneficial interest was in the king, during the vacancy and
until he made a fresh grant.
Sixthly, the borough had its mint, the profits of which were suffi-
cient to carry a render to the king of 100 sol. This was not reckoned
among the regular revenues of the borough, since the king might
withdraw the mint if he pleased. But the possession of a mint was a
mark of a borough, since by the laws of Athelstane no place except a
borough might have a mint and the mint must be within the gate.1®
The seventh point is the military service required from the town.
This is a matter of some interest. Round?° has pointed out that the
Anglo-Saxon system had originally only two administrative units, the
hundred and the township, or pagus and vicus ; and that when that
feature, new to Anglo-Saxon life, the borough, gradually arose, it
received, not a new organisation, but the old organisation of the
hundred, adapted as closely as possible. He says that when the
borough was too small to be treated as a hundred, it was awkwardly
treated as a half-hundred. In many cases the boroughs regarded as
hundreds were assessed (as at Shrewsbury) at 100 hides, and the
half-hundreds at 50, as at Chester. But many boroughs, as Exeter,
had procured for themselves the nominal assessment of 5 hides, and
Malmesbury and Bridport were among them, Now the military quota
262 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
due from 5 hides was one man ; and so we find the military service
due from Malmesbury to be one man, or an equivalent in money.
The eighth point is that there are holdings in Malmesbury which
are not listed in the account of the borough, and are therefore not
part of it.
Among the lands of the Bishop of Coutances we have
The same bishop holds Mamesberie. Gilbert held it T.R.E., and it gelded
for one hide. There is land for half a team, etc.
And among the lands of the king’s thanes
Chetel holds one hide in Malmesberie. There is land for one team, etc.
From these entries arises my ninth point, namely that the whole of
the land comprised in a villate, or in what we may call in modern
language a parish, was not necessarily included in the burh which stood.
in that villate. There was in the area called Malmesbury a large
acreage which was not in the borough, I shall return to this point
under Salisbury.
Alfred of Marlborough, in the account of his lands, is said to have
one half house in Malmesbury, rendering 6 den.: formerly worth
40 sol.: now 10. This, I suggest, is the half burgage already cata-
logued in the account of Malmesbury. The same may be true of
other houses owned by other territorial lords, e.g. the sheriff,
Edward of Salisbury.
A tenth point is the question of the burgesses of Malmesbury who
are described in Domesday Book under other places. These, with the
names of their lords preceding them, are
The Church of Glastonbury. Langhelie (Kington Langley). In Malmes-
bury 1 burgess rendering 15 den. belongs to this manor,
The Church of Malmesbury. Sumreford (perhaps Little Somerford or
Somerford Mauduit) ; at Malmesbury 1 burgess renders 12 den. Gardone
(Garsdon) ; 1 burgess renders 3 sol.
Edward of Salisbury. Sumreford (Broad or Magna Somerford) ; in Malmes-
bury 1 house renders 15 den. Werocheshalle (North Wraxall) ; 2 burgesses in
Malmesbury render 2 sol.
Humfrey de Insula. Sumreford (probably another part of Broad or Magna
Somerford) ; in Malmesbury 1 burgess renders 12 den. Come (Castle Combe) ;
2 burgesses in Malmesbury render 18 den.
Milo Crispin. Wodetone (Wootton Bassett) ; in Malmesbury 1 house renders
13 den.
Ralf de Mortemer. Hunlavinton (Hullavington) ; in Malmesbury 1 house
renders 12 den. Aldritone (Aldertone) ; in Malmesbury 1 burgess renders ta
den.
The Saxon burhware 263:
Roger de Berchelai, Foxelege (Foxiey) ; 1 house in Malmesbury (no render).
Drew fitz Ponz. Segrie (Seagry) ; in Malmesbury 1 house renders 9 den.
Ballard, in his useful book on Domesday Boroughs, evolved an
elaborate theory to account for burgesses who are described as
belonging to one place when they are resident in another. He calls
them Contributory Burgesses, and makes a very complicated matter
of it.
We shall be in a better position to understand the burgess if we
begin by calling him by his Saxon name. He was the burhwara—
simply, the dweller in a burh. Now most burhs were founded by the
king on his own land ; and there were no free dwellers on the king’s
demesne land, apart from members of his household, who held no
land there. The burhwara was a villein,?4 a point which has been
completely missed by Ballard,?* and was not taken by Maitland, who
of course knew it.
Anyone who has any acquaintance with monastic cartularies has
seen a dozen instances of grants by one person to another of a neif
or nativus with his land and sequela or progenies. The land and the
man and his family remain where they always were ; but the new lord
derives the bénefits of his services. But lords did not go round col-
-lecting their dues ; their steward or bailiff sat at the receipt of custom
in the lord’s curia, and there the tenant had to pay what was due from
him. Thus a rent accruing due in one place would become payable
in, or “ belong to” another. Whole villages were thus transferred
from one county to another.
If a rural villein could be sold or given away (with his land—he
could not be separated from his land) so also might an urban.
But these grants must, I imagine, have been made in early times,
mainly, perhaps, before the Conquest ; because the burhwara very
soon began to develop into the burgess known to the middle ages.?**
His residence in a fortified market town and trading centre brought
with it responsibilities and duties which were balanced by privileges ;
and he very rapidly attained to a considerable and increasing measure
of freedom. Houses could of course be granted at any date.
And here an eleventh point emerges. It is clear from the mention
of the Malmesbury burgesses who owed at least their money service
elsewhere that there were many burgages and burgesses in the town
hot enumerated in the description.** There is a simple explanation.
The men of Malmesbury held their town at farm, and the farm covered
all the revenues derived from rents, tolls and other dues. With the
264 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
details of these the king had no concern, so long as the farm was paid.
The details enumerated in the description are of sources of revenue
payable to the king other than those covered by the farm.
The next item relates to Wilton ; and is as follows:
The King has from the Borough of Wilton 50 li. When Harvey took it over
for custody, it (or he) rendered 22 li.
There are no other details descriptive of Wilton, and it is therefore
to be assumed that the 50 li. was the farm. But we find some of its
burgesses referred to as belonging to Salisbury, Netheravon, Stratford
Tony, Fifield Bavant, Castle Combe, Great Durnford, Sherrington,
Odstock and Marden. In all, these total 18 burgesses and 5
houses ; and no one supposes that these represent the whole of the
burgesses or all the burgages in Wilton in the days of its greatness.
It is therefore clear that this record as to Wilton emphasises my
tenth point (p. 262), proving conclusively that burgesses are only
detailed when they are directly or indirectly a source of revenue to
the king as individuals, and that when their rents and services are
covered by the farm the king and the Domesday Commissioners are
not concerned.
The next item has to do with payments due from the shire as a
whole.
There follows a paragraph in which occurs the first mention of
Marlborough.
From a half mill in Salisbury the king has 20 sol. by weight. From the third
penny of Salisbury the king has 6 li. From the third penny of Marlborough
41i. From the third penny of Cricklade 5 li. From the third penny of Bade 11 li.
From the third penny of Malmesbury 6 li. From increment 60 li. by weight ;
Edward the sheriff renders this.
(The increment is an addition to the farm of the county, and does
not concern us.)
The half mill is the king’s private property as king. The third
pennies of Salisbury, Marlborough, Cricklade, Bade and Malmesbury,
being round numbers and fixed, show that each of these towns was
held at farm by its burgesses ; though perhaps we should establish that
these towns were boroughs before so styling their inhabitants.
Bade we omit: it has been suggested that it may stand for Bedwyn ;
but Bedwyn is listed under the king’s land and is there described in
terms which indicate that it was not held at a money farm. It may be
that it had been a burh, but had lost its status ; while its burgesses
The Wiltshire towns 265
retained theirs. Further points as to Bedwyn will be dealt with when
we come to Calne. Bade is the name given by Domesday Book to
Bath ; and both Eyton and Jones take the view that Bath is intended,
and that is has been included under Wilts. in error.24 The third penny
of Bath is given under Somerset as 11 li., and their opinion is probably
correct.
Salisbury presents some difficulties. We have it here among the
independent towns, paying a fixed farm and the third penny. Yet it
is listed among the holdings of the Bishop, St. Osmund, as gelding for
50 hides ; and other details indicate that it covered a very large area.
Canon Jones suggests that in addition to Old Sarum it included other
neighbouring parishes, such as Stratford and Woodford.”° I here
return to my ninth point (p. 262): Old Sarum, I suggest, was not held
by the Bishop but is dealt with only among the independent towns.
Hoveden?® says that Herman’s cathedral was built “‘in the king’s
castle ’’, which clearly identifies the castle with Old Sarum ; while
William of Malmesbury?’ says that the castle of Salisbury was the
king’s, and that the custody of it was begged of him (impetrata) by
Bishop Roger. There are therefore two Salisburys in Domesday
Book, one the king’s burh, and the other the bishop’s manor. I shall
_ hope to show that a similar situation existed at Marlborough. Malmes-
bury has already been dealt with.
There remains the question of Calne, and of five other places with
similar characteristics. In the account of the Bishop of Salisbury’s
lands, under Bishop’s Cannings, Calne is styled a burgus or burgum.
Yet it comes at the head of the king’s demesne lands, and not among
the independent towns. It is stated that there are there 45 burgesses ;
and there are 3 other burgesses belonging to other manors and one
house. Domesday Book says that this town (villa) renders a farm of
one night with all customs ; that is to say, it was bound to entertain
the king and his retinue for one night in the year ; a liability which was
probably the equivalent of a substantial sum of money. If the town
had been a burh and had lost its status, the hall in which St. Dunstan
triumphed over his opponents may have been part of the old royal
dwelling.
Bedwin was on the same footing. Here, also, we find, 25 burgesses
belong to this manor, and the villa renders a farm of one night with
all customs. Here the word farm is again used, as in the remaining
cases,
266 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
Similarly, Warminster is treated simply as king’s land. But it has
30 burgesses, and renders the farm of one night as Calne and Bedwyn
do.
Amesbury has no burgesses, but renders the same farm, as does also
Chippenham.
These five places stand first in the list of the king’s lands ; but a little
lower down is Tilshead, with 66 burgesses and the same farm.
Whatever their precise position, these six towns are not treated by
the Domesday Commissioners as independent. Their burgesses were
not masters of the town. They were tenants of the king, and there-
fore they have to be enumerated. They held by a species of socage
tenure rather than by villein service, and therefore they cannot be
degraded from their burgess status, whatever may happen to the
borough. The farm is not a fixed money sum ; there may have been
years in which it was not demanded.?””
However, to return to the independent towns, Ballard, in his useful
work on Domesday Boroughs,*® denies to Windsor, Marlborough and
Salisbury the status of Borough, firstly, because they are not described
as boroughs in Domesday Book ; secondly, because they are not said
to contain burgesses ; and thirdly, because the burgesses appurtenant
to Salisbury are stated to be resident in Wilton. He admits that
Professor Tait, in his Historical Atlas of Modern Europe, marks them
as boroughs in 1086.
Ballard, quite properly, was endeavouring to classify the boroughs
and their varying features in order to obtain a clearer view of their
nature and relative importance. But it must not be forgotten that
Ballard’s comparisons and classifications were never dreamed of by
the Domesday Commissioners or the jurors who came before them.
They were concerned only with facts and sources of revenue, not with
theories.
I have, I think, already said enough to dispose of Ballard’s objections
in the case of the two Wiltshire towns ; but it may be well to recapitu-
late.
Old Sarum and Marlborough (the precise meaning of which will
be examined later) are not, it is true, described eo nomine as boroughs ;
but they were held at farm,?° and were not reckoned as part of a hun-
dred or of the shire, or of the lands of the king or any other lord.?°
They appear among the independent towns and not elsewhere ;*! and ©
therefore the fact that they are not said to contain burgesses simply
Old Sarum and Marlborough — Lor
means that the details of their inhabitants were covered by the farm.*”
That no such details are given has no significance, because in the
towns where burgesses holding of feudal lords are enumerated, it is
certain that there were many others to whom no reference is made. In
Wilton, no internal burgesses are mention ; yet it is styled a borough.
We have already considered the case of burgesses resident in one
town and paying their dues to a lord in another place. We have
seen that these towns paid the third penny, which was only paid by
boroughs :°° and we shail see later that both towns had mints.34
They have therefore all the distinguishing marks of boroughs, and
it is clear that the Domesday Commissioners so regarded and treated
them. I cannot see that we are entitled to question their decision.
PART II
We come then to our detailed examination of Marlborough, so far
as a detailed examination is possible. We have seen that the name
Sarisberie in Domesday Book covers two separate areas, Old Sarum
and New Sarum, distinguished in that record by ownership, but not
by name. Old Sarum was the King’s, and there was his burh ; New
Sarum was the Bishop’s and did not attain borough status until after
the removal of the cathedral to its new site.
At Marlborough there are really two areas included under the same
name, and the position is complicated by the fact that both are
in the King’s ownership. When the Saxon king who founded the
burh of Marlborough had carved out the land which he needed for the
purpose, the remainder, which all but surrounded the burh, became
known as Preshute. Mr. Brentnall, in his recent paper on the Origins
of the Parish of Preshute,*> has shown that much of Preshute parish
was originally part of Mariborough, citing in support a charter of
Bishop Richard Poore,?® which, in my opinion, is conclusive. Perhaps
it is even more convincing if it is quoted verbatim, when it translates :
“The churches of Merleberge, namely (videlicet) the church of St.
Mary and the church of St. Peter and the church of Preshute.”’
The greater part of Preshute now coincides with what was known
as the Barton; that is, the demesne land of the king outside the
borough. That is, of course, tacitly covered in Domesday Book by the
name Marlborough, as is also a hide of land attached te Preshute
church. The entry as to the latter is as follows :
William de Belfou has one hide with one church in Merleberge. It is worth
30 sol.
268 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
This is one of the last ten entries in the list of the king’s lands ; and
these are all held by churchmen, not in fee, but for the maintenance
of their churches. In 1274 the holding is referred to as follows :
The rector of the church of P’sechet holds a certain meadow of the (King’s)
demesne by grant of the ancient kings, which belongs to his church from a time
whereof memory runneth not to the contrary.37
William de Belfou is found also under Berkshire, where we are told
that the King had Blewbury in demesne, and that William held the
church of that manor with 5 virgates of land ;3° and Blewbury passed,
with the 3 churches of Marlborough, before 1091 (the date of St.
Osmund’s charter) to Salisbury, and formed with them thenceforth
the provision for a prebend in the cathedral.®°
Preshute therefore, except perhaps for that part of it which for a
time became the parish of St. Martin’s, was the new name given to
that part of Marlborough which lay outside the borough boundary.
This definition raises a controversial point, with which I must deal
later.
Before we attempt to reconstruct the features of the Saxon borough
of Marlborough, it is advisable to try to gather together whatis known
of the characteristics of the Saxon burh, generally, so that we may know
what to look for.
In a paper read before the Royal Archaeological Institute in 1902*°
Sir (then Mr.) William St. John Hope, after surveying the Danish
fortifications called geweorcs, collected and compared the accounts in
the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of the fortified works built between the
years 900 and 924 by Ethelfleda and her brother Edward the Elder.
These burhs were all constructed to repel the Danish invaders, and
were sited on one, or sometimes on both, sides of a river, to block the
passage. They were fortified towns, as is indicated in the narrative ;
for example, when, after Ethlefleda’s death in 918, Edward went to
Nottingham and reduced the burh, he ordered it to be repaired and
peopled ; or again, at Thelwall in 923 he directed that the burh should
be built, inhabited and manned; or again, at Bakewell in 924, he ©
ordered a burh to be built and manned.
The nature of the fortifications varied. Among the places listed as
burhs, are, as Hope points out,*! Lundenburh (886) and Colneceastre
(921) ; and these were of course walled Roman towns, as were one ofr
two others. Towcester had a stone wall. Some burhs, he thinks, were
defended only by entrenchments or palisades. So far as I am aware,
very little in the way of physical traces of the earthen fortifications of
Burhs as fortifications 269
the Saxon burhs survives, except perhaps at Cricklade, Wallingford,
Wareham and some others.
In his paper, Hope goes on to distinguish from the burh the early
Norman castle in England.*? The first is the castle of Herefordshire
which Round attributes to Osbern Pentecost, built in 1048. There
was of course ‘ Richard’s castle ”’, so called, on a site which is not
yet agreed. After this none is known before Hastings (1066) and
Winchester and the Tower (1067) ; but in that year Bishop Odo and
Earl William ‘“‘ wrought castles ’’.42 These centred on a moated
mound, a feature which does not appear in the Saxon burh. The
Norman castle bore no resemblance to a town ; it was the stronghold
of an individual, not of 2 community. Orderic and William of
Jumiéges regarded it as a new thing.*4 Naturally, the Conqueror
built his castles, as a rule, where there was already a burh ; the same
strategic needs governed both cases. The castle was often built
athwart the line of the wall of the burh, thus controlling not only the
country outside, but the burghers within. The early Norman castles
were mainly of timber. They had none of the features of the Saxon
burh ; they paid no third penny ; they had no burgesses ; and no self-
government ; they were garrisoned by soldiers and not by civilians.
Let us now return to Marlborough.
In common with other burhs, Marlborough was a fortress, which
had to be built, inhabited and manned ; and since there was no regular
standing army, the burhware had to furnish the garrison when neces-
sary ; and in most cases, no doubt, had to be attracted to the town from
outside, as at Carnarvon in later days.
The burhware must be fed, and therefore must have their common
fields, The market would be within the gates ; and so must the mint,
if there was one, because of the law of Athelstane. The town must
have its church or churches, and, in addition, a mansion fitted to be
the residence of the king, if he should visit the place, or his representa-
tive at other times.
I propose to try to sketch what seems to me to be a possible outline
of the lay-out of the Saxon burh of Marlborough, but only to stimulate
interest and to evoke criticism and encourage research. From this
point on, my remarks, except where I cite facts, must be taken merely
as suggestions ; I do not rank them even as theories.
A Fortified Town. In common with many other Saxon burhs,
Marlborough is not known to retain any trace of its fortifications,
270 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
which were therefore probably of earth or timber, destroyed when or
after the establishment of the castle rendered their continued existence
unnecessary or undesirable. The possible line of the fortifications
raises a controversial problem, which I must leave my reader to decide
for themselves after I have stated the two views as fairly as I can. I
cannot help inclining to one rather than the other. Both may of
course be wrong.
My suggestion is that little or no change took place in the boundary
of the borough between its foundations and the Municipal Boundaries
Report 1832. Such changes were not unknown. In 1782 the limits
of Cricklade were generously enlarged. This however was connected
with the suffrage, which in Marlborough was in the Corporation from
earliest times. The report referred to is not readily accessible, and a
rough sketch-plan showing the boundary as given in the Report
therefore accompanies this paper. Perhaps I may draw attention to
certain features of the plan which seem to me to support the case
against alteration.
(1) The boundary as shown on the plan appears to be a natural
one ; that is, it follows the line which an engineer might naturally be
expected to adopt. One side of the boundary runs with and within
the line of the river Kennet, and part of another with and within the
line of the river Og*—two natural defences which the designer would
hardly neglect ; and which may, indeed, have been the reason for the
choice of the site.
(2) In accordance with the precedents which Hope has set out,
the Norman castle, or part of its enceinte, should lie athwart the S.W.
boundary ; which would determine the antiquity at least of that
boundary, and would give the castle control of the Bath road as well
as the river crossing. But here we meet with a problem. On the plan,
* Not, however, as the Og runs today, though it was so shown in the Report,
on a map which was very severely criticized by Mr. Merriman, the Town:Clerk
of that day, for its inaccuracies, as Mr. E. G. H. Ketmpson has shown me.
There is evidence that the Og had other channels and may well have joined
the Kennet rather higher up that river than it does now. That the boundary
followed the line shown as early as least as the sixteenth century is made very
probable by a lease of 5 Eliz. I (1562) which refers toa mead of 2 acres called
Holdich as lying on the east side of the Green Ward (the easternmost ward
of the borough) and bounded by the Townditch on the east party and the
Queen’s highway leading to Poulton Bridge on the south party (Marlborough
Borough Archives). The Queen’s highway ran (and runs) east, from the
Green to a bridge across the last bend of the Og.—-Editor.
Saxon Marlborough OL
the modern road cuts a segment out of the borough, making it neces-
sary to have two gates close to the boundary. I cannot believe that
that was ever the case ; nor is it possible that the road ran through the
castle precincts. Col. Hughes of Marlborough has offered a solution
which may well be the true one ; namely, that before the castle was
built the old road ran round the Mound on the north, then down
on the east, afterwards making for a river crossing near Cow Bridge.
The course of the road would be changed to its present condition to
clear the castle precincts when the extent of the latter was deter-
mined.*
(3) The extreme length of the borough, measured on the plan, is
about 7 furlongs, and the extreme width about 5. The plan of Calne
in the same report gives its length as about | mile, and its width as
about 4 mile. For Malmesbury, the figures are about 5 and 4 furlongs
respectively ; for Wilton, about } mile each way. The figures suggest
something in the nature of a stock size for the Wiltshire burgs,
allowing for differences of terrain.
(4) I do not propose to try to estimate the numbers required to
man the walls ; nor the land needed to support them. I should be
arguing in a circle and should do more harm than good. I will leave
_ it to some local student of history and archaeology to read the remarks
_of Tait on the Burghal Hidage in his Mediaeval Burgh, and those of
Miss Robertson on the same subject in her Anglo-Saxon Charters ;
_ and to see whether these can be applied to Marlborough.
(5) I propose to try to show that the royal residence in Saxon days
probably stood to the north of St. Mary’s church; from which it
would be natural to infer that that point was rather to the centre than
_ to the edge of the borough.
__ And now we come to the other view, which cannot be dismissed
without consideration. I do not, myself, intend to pronounce upon it.
| This view, which is held by persons who command respect, is that
the name Newland, which is that of an area on the Ramsbury side of
St. Mary’s church, and originally in Preshute parish, is proof that at
| | some time after the foundation of the borough an addition was made
* The assumption that the castle precincts straddled the borough boundary
from the time of William I has been contested by the writer of this note
| (Marlborough Castle, W. A. M., xlviii, p. 139). He holds that no second bailey
| on borough territory existed till the reign of John. The point admits, however,
of no absolute proof.—Editor
|
|
|
212 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
to it, consisting of all the larid from the westerly end of Newland (St.
Martin’s) to the river Og and its junction with the river Kennet.
ter a.
?
S
Mayan
Sam
ASN
SCALE: &@ INCHES TO THE MItL_e
MARLBO ROUGH inthe IS* CENT,
CM tere
=
There seem to me to be one or two points in connection with this
view which call for explanation.
‘* Newland” in Marlborough Al fo:
(1) There are anumber of places named Newland in the gazetteers,
and still more in the Place Name Society’s volumes ; and in no case
have I seen any suggestion that the area so designated has been taken
out of one vill or parish and added to another. The Place Name Society
explains the word in one case only, namely Newland in Surrey ;*° and
it there derives the name from the fact that the area was part of former
downland taken into cultivation. That is to say, the name implies only
that a piece of land has been put to a new use, either for dwellings or
for cultivation. I hope that anyone who discovers a case in which
Newland can be shown to mean an addition to one parish or vill at
the expense of another will come forward with the evidence.
(2) The name implies, secondarily, that new revenue accrues
from the area. And that is its true importance. What becomes known
as Newland in Marlborough, though in Preshute parish, had long lain
within the jurisdiction of the Vicar of St. Mary’s ;*® but the dues
therefrom were probably negligible at first. When houses were built
there, and the inhabitants became liable for church dues, the rector
of Preshute roused himself, and claimed a moiety of the greater and
lesser tithes of “‘ the new land of Marlborough ”. The matter was
compromised, Preshute getting all the tithes, but paying to the vicar
of St. Mary’s 40 s. a year for his life ; and the bishop ordained that the
people of Newland must go to church at Preshute.*’ Thereupon, in
1254, they obtained leave to build their own church of St. Martin’s.*§
The fact that the land was in Preshute parish has perhaps little to do
with the case. A borough may contain several parishes or parts of
parishes ; ecclesiastical order can co-exist with municipal without
inconvenience to either.
Again, the greater part of Preshute, if we may omit Newland,
coincided in mediaeval times with the Barton, the king’s demesne
farm. The dwellers in the Barton, like the burghers of Marlborough
appeared before the justices in eyre by their jury of 12,** and clearly
had certain burgess rights. The king could, I suppose, have handed
them over to the burh; but they would, I think, have resented it.
And why should any post-Conquest king wish to make an addition
to a pre-Conquest burh, the value of which as a fortified town had been
superseded by the castle ?
The Mint. Marlborough, we know, had a mint shortly after the
Conquest. By the laws of Athelstane the mint must be within the
gates of the burh; and this, if it were needed, would be a further
argument in support of the existence of substantial walls or ramparts
VOL. LIV—CXCVI S
274 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
before the Conquest ; because it is not to be supposed that the Con-
queror ordered the building of a Saxon burh in order that he might
place a mint init. Mr. Shortt®® says that Carlyon Britton has shown
that the mint at Marlborough was probably transferred from Bedwyn,
because when the moneyer Cild or Cilda ceases to coin at Bedwyn,
his name appears on coins struck at Marlborough ; where, so far as
is at present known the last six types of the Conqueror and the first
of William Rufus alone were issued. In connection with the mint, I
have wondered whether Silver Street, which was, until the sixteenth
century, the name of Silverless Street, might provide a hint as to the
site of the mint ; which was in fact probably only the moneyer’s own
house. But I have since come across 27 other Silver Streets, some in
undoubted Saxon boroughs, many elsewhere, and the subject needs
further investigation before the name can be used as an argument.
Gates and Market. The town, having walls, must have gates ; and
it is perhaps from the word porta that * port ’’ came in Saxon to mean
a market town ; indeed, the market may at first have been held at the
gate. From the position of Port Hill, the market may have moved
from the gate to the Green. By the reign of Edward I it had certainly
moved into the High Street.
The Churches. There is no difficulty as to these, except as to the
date of their foundation. St. Peter’s, St. Mary’s and the church of
Preshute were standing in 1091.°?
The Royal Residence. This can have been nowhere but in Kings-
bury. In Marlborough, Kingsbury came to be the name of an area,*?
and, at some date, of one of the town wards.°* The use of the name
to denote a part of the borough suggests that it was of later foundation
than the place called Marlborough. There are other Kingsburys.
The name means “ the king’s burh, manor or stronghold, or defensible
house ’’.°> In some cases, as at Marlborough, it is applied to a topo-
graphical feature within a town which has another name. Of these
cases, I find two more in Wiltshire ; Kingsbury Square in Wilton,
and Kingsbury Street in Calne.®® There is one in Aylesbury,°’ and
in Milborne Port, Dorset, is a tithing called Kingsbury Regis. In
the other class of case come Kingsbury in Middlesex, which was
granted to Westminster by Edward the Confessor; Kingsbury in
Herts, bought, apparently, from a Saxon king by Aelfric before he
became Abbot of St. Albans; and Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset
given to the Church of Wells by Edward the Confessor. In Marl-
borough, the name, coupled with the features of the eminence upon
Foundation of Marlborough 215
which St. Mary’s Church stands, suggest that the royal residence
might naturally be sought close to the church ; possibly on the north
side, where alone there is room for it. This was the position chosen
for manor houses for many centuries.
Date of and reason for the foundation of the burh,
There is no record evidence of the date at which the burh came into
being. We step here into the realm of conjecture ; from which,
indeed, we have not been far removed at any time during this part of
my paper.
There was in Wiltshire in 1086 a tenant-in-chief named Alvred,
or Alfred, of Marlborough ; who, however, held no land in Marl-
borough, though Rockley and other adjacent lands were in his hands.
Round®® reminds us that he is stated in Domesday Book®? to have
been nephew of Osbern, and establishes that this was Osbern Pente-
cost, one of the foreign favourites of Edward the Confessor. Alfred
was father-in-law to Thurstan Mortemer, a Domesday tenant. In
1048 Osbern built the castle of Ewias Harold ; he fled in 1052 when
Godwin and his sons returned from exile. The castle was refortified
by Earl William, and was held in 1086 by Alfred of Marlborough, who
cannot be identified as holding any lands under the Confessor. In
1086 he held many manors which had been held from the Confessor
by one Carlo.
Godwin and his sons had a firm hold on the west. Godwin was
Earl of Wessex from 1020 until his banishment, and again from his
return until his death in 1053, when Harold succeeded him. It is
conceivable that the Confessor, fearing his return, decided to replace
Bedwyn by Marlborough, which was better placed to control both
the river and the great road; and that he entrusted its keeping to
Alfred. This suggestion has an element of reason in it, but there is
no evidence to support it.
I do not claim to have established anything except that Marlborough
was a Domesday borough. I have, however, I hope, indicated many
points which should be investigated by local historians and archaeolo-
gists ; and IJ think that a comparative study of all the Wilts and Dorset
boroughs might be fruitful.
The help which I have received from Mr. Brentnall does not fully
appear on the face of this paper ; because it very largely consisted in
rescuing me from mistakes and misapprehensions into which I had
fallen, or in compelling me to clarify my arguments. I am, however,
ane
276 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
deeply indebted to his knowledge of local history and topography, and
to his readiness to impart it. I have also to thank Colonel C. W.
Hughes of Marlborough for suggestions and information, and
especially for calling my attention to the Municipal Boundaries
Report of 1832.
The lamented death of the author while this article was in the printer’s
hands left—despite his generous acknowledgments—some questions still
undetermined, especially in Part II. The editor has tried to rescue an
argument when it seemed in danger of shipwreck, as in the case of the Og
boundary on p. 270, by steering it into safer channels: but he has not
altered the general drift of what Mr. Hughes was careful to describe as
mere suggestions. In his turn, the editor would acknowledge the help
of Mr. R. Welldon Finn in the correction of errors neglected or un-
suspected.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
I have not loaded the notes with references to Domesday Book, or to Canon
Jones’s excellent, if pioneer, work, on the Wiltshire Domesday, which I have
used freely, and the identifications in which I have adopted without investiga-
tion, since they are only superficially relevant to the present discussion.
1 For the early forms, and for much additional information, see History of
Marlborough College, (1923), pp. 9 ff.
2 Domesday Book and Beyond, p. 178.
3 Domesday Boroughs, p. 6.
4'Op. cit.,.p. 175.
5 Op. cit., p. 178.
6 Op..cit., p. 176.
“Ops cits, Pp.»
8 Masura is thus rendered by Round, Domesday Studies, p. 122.
9 Gablum ; see Round, op. cit., pp. 133 et seqq.
10 There is here a slight error in arithmetic.
11 Coscez. See Jones, Domesday for Wiltshire, p. lix. Cf. cottage.
12 Canon Jones identifies with the hundreds of Cicemethorn and (perhaps)
Sterchelee in the Exon Domesday ; op. cit., pp. 158, 159, and see p. 6; and as
at note 18a below.
13 Un’ agr’ = ? unam agram = unam acram = ?
14 Buzecarli ; sometimes bute-carls ; cf. boat.
15 Round, op. cit., p. 132.
16 Geoffrey de Mandeville, pp. 287-296; English Historical Review, vol.
XXXIV, p. 62.
by M. W. Hughes 277
17 Firma Burgi, chII, where he says that ‘‘a Town not corporated might
be a community having perpetual succession ’’ ; and quotes several instances
in support. He does not deal with the question whether these grants did not
themselves incorporate the community ; but in view of his opinion the point
must remain undecided.
18 Op. cit., p. 13. The practice of granting away property designed for the
king’s maintenance led to the Crown Lands Acts, and ultimately to the Civil
List Acts.
18¢ See H. C. Brentnall, The Hundreds of Wiltshire, W. A. M., vol. 50, p. 224.
186 Palorave, English Commonwealth, (Anglo-Saxon Period), (Collected Works,
vol. vii, pt. 11), p. 441, gives a list of Earls of Wiltshire from 800 to 1000 A.D.;
and on p. 436 says that Godwin held the Earldorn of Wessex from 1020 until
1053, when his son Harold succeeded him. See also Freeman, Norman Conquest,
vol. ii, p. 571, and the map facing p. 584, where Wiltshire is shown as included
in the Earldom of Wessex.
19 Liebermann, Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, vol. i, pp. 158-9.
20'Op. cit., p. 118.
21 Halsbury, Laws of England, vol. I, pp. 145, 146; Co. Litt., sections 162-
172. The same is probably true of the boroughs founded by tenants-in-chief
on their lands, e.g. Burford, Oxon.
22015.2.,:0Ps Cil., Ps D1.
224 So early as 1088-1107, Robert fitz Hamon by his charter to Burford
established a Gild Merchant there. Gretton, Burford Records, p. 301.
23 So Jones, op. cit., p. lxxiv.
24 Eyton, Domesday Studies, Somerset, p. 106; Jones, op. cit., p. Ixxi, n. 2.
25 Jones, op. cit., p. 230.
26 Rolls Series, vol. i, p. 145 ; Will, Malmesbury, De Gestis Pontificum, Rolls
Series, p. 183.
2” Hist. Novellae, Rolls Series, vol. ii, p. 547.
274 The matter is however by no means free from difficulty. Eyton, Key to
Domesday Book, Dorset, says at p. 71 that the firma unius noctis was occasionally
commuted in that country at about £104 ; and my remarks on this point must
be regarded as merely tentative. |[See, preferably, Round Feudal England
pp. 109-15].
28 Hist. Novellae, ii. p. 10.
29 See points 3, 4 and 11 above.
30 See Ballard, op. cit., p. 4.
31 See op. cit., pp. 2 and 3, and point 9 above.
82 See point 11 and Ballard, p. 10.
33 See points 3, 4 and 5 above.
34 See point 6.
35 W.A.M., vol. liii, pp. 295-310.
36 Register of St. Osmund, Rolls Series, vol. 1, p. 328.
37 Rot. Hundr., vol. 1, p. 263.
S50b),B., VOl. 1, £. 56b.
39 Register of St. Osmund, vol. i, p. 199.
40 Archaeological Journal, vol. \x., pp. 72-90.
=! Op. cit., p. 81.
278 The Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
42 Op. cit., p. 83.
2 Op.acits, pa Sill.
SOP sCit., Po):
45 P,N.S., Surrey, p. 221.
46 Sarum Charters (R.S.), p. 320 ; in qguarum possessione ecclesia Beate Marie
extiterat.
47 loc. cit.
S2Op. Clt.,-pi 250.
49 P, R. O., Assize Roll 996 ; Rot. Hundr., vol. i, 269, 234, 235.
50 Archaeological Journal, no. civ for 1947, p. 115; and see W A. M.., vol.
liii (Dec. 1950), p. 413.
51 Bradenstoke Cartulary, B. M. Cotton Vit. A. xi, ff. 96, 82d, etc.
52 Register of St. Osmund, vol. i, p. 328.
53 P, R. O., Ministers Accounts, 1055-12 ; pastura in Kingsburv.
54 Lucy’s Borough Guide, Marlborough, 1922.
55 Pp, N. S., Midd., p. 61 ; Herts., p. 89.
56 Pp. N.S., Wilts.
57 Giles, Hist. of Aylesbury, p. 427.
58 Feudal England, p. 324.
59 D. B., vol. i, f. 186. If avunculus is to be construed ‘cine it means that
Alfred was son of Osbern’s sister.
219
MORE ABOUT CUMBERWELL
By G. J. Kipston, C.M.G.
I feel that I owe an apology to readers of the Wiltshire Archaeolo-
gical Magazine for inflicting upon them a further article on such an
insignificant place as Cumberwell, but I have received so many
letters from interested readers and have gathered so much fresh
information that I venture to risk boring them with a second dose.
Moreover, I must confess that the Cumberwell ghost, who, I had
hoped, had been safely laid as a result of my former effort, has had
the impudence to reassert himself. He never makes a direct approach
and always works by roundabout suggestion, and his latest trick is
characteristic of his impish and freakish methods. I had advertised
in the local papers for a garden labourer for Hazelbury; applicants
were not many, but the first two bore the by no means common
names of *‘ Packer ’’ and ‘* Gifford ’”. Now, these are the names of
the present tenant of Cumberwell and of his near neighbour and
friend of Manor Farm, Monkton Farleigh ; neither of the applicants
had any connexion of any sort with either of these gentlemen. I can
only attribute such a “ coincidence ”’ to another prank of my persis-
tent imp, and it would be difficult, I think, to imagine a neater and
more tactful way of conveying a hint that it was time that my pre-
occupation with my own affairs at Hazelbury should be diverted to
those of Cumberwell.
i
CUMBERWELL HOUSE
In my former article? I left Sir Charles Bayntun, on the evidence of
a map of 1773, in occupation of Cumberwell House as trustee for the
children of his daughter Mary Cooper, widow of John Cooper, late
of Cumberwell. Sir Charles Bayntun lived till 1800 and I speculated
as to whether the place remained in his possession till that date. I
now find that it was sold in 1787, presumably by the trustees or the
heir, to the Rev. Robert Taunton, Doctor of Laws.
This information is derived from a much later document in the
possession of Captain Pinckney of Duckmead, who still owns the
larger part of the original Cumberwell estate. He has very kindly
placed the papers in his possession at my disposal, and among these is
1 W.A.M.., liii, 471-85.
280 More about Cumberwell
a most interesting private letter giving a description of the house at
Cumberwell shortly after its purchase by Dr. Taunton in 1787.
The writers of this letter are two sisters, the Misses Jane and Eliza
Purbeck, and it was written from Bath to their friend Mrs. Pulteney,
the wife of a Doctor (medical) Pulteney of Blandford in Dorset. It is
dated only with the day of the month, December 20th, but, as will be
shown later, it can safely be assigned to the year 1787 or, at the latest,
_1788. It is very long, and that part of it which relates to Cumberwell
was apparently written by Miss Eliza. It runs as follows :—
** We returned to Bath last Tuesday, after spending a week at Cumberwell
Park, Dr. Taunton’s new purchase ; from its situation it must be in the Summer
a very agreeable residence ; it is situated only seven miles from this place, two
from Holt, and two from Bradford, a large Market Town. The prospects
round it are beautiful, and there appears to be a very pleasant neighbourhood,
but the house is old, and too large to be comfortable; there was something
very gloomy in the idea of a number of uninhabited rooms, which, large as
their family is, you will imagine must be the case, when I tell you that there are
more than thirty apartments in the house. The Doctor is at present undeter-
mined what he shall do with this great pile of building ; he sometimes talks of
dividing it, at others of building a new house in the Park. There is an old
Chapel, which retains no other mark of its ever being devoted to the offices of
Religion but a large wooden Crucifix, and behind the house stands an oak,
under which it is said Penn preached his first sermon; this, was it mine, I
would preserve with the greatest care, but I would immediately take down the
Chapel, for I have an extreme dislike to the idea of applying any place, that
has once been consecrated to the service of the Deity, to the common offices
of life.”
This admirable description gives us a great-store of information.
A house that was decried in 1787 as too old can scarcely have dated
from much later than the Elizabethan or Jacobean period and may of
course have been even older. This old house was still standing when
the map of Andrews and Dury was published in 1773, so that I was
right in my conjecture that the much more modest elevation of the
house shown on that map might only be a map-maker’s convention.
This is confirmed by the fact that the elevation of Monkton Farleigh
House pictured on the same map is of a like conventional pattern.
The existence of a Chapel at Cumberwell is, I think, a new dis-
covery. It was probably only a domestic Chapel for the use of the
household. Miss Eliza Purbeck does not say whether it was inside
the house, but the wording of her letter and her statement that, if it
were hers, she would pull it down, seem to imply that it was either
separate from or adjoining the main building. The fact that it con-
tained a Crucifix, if she uses the word in its true meaning of a Cross
The old house 281
bearing the figure of our Lord, suggests that the Chapel dated from
before the Reformation.
The tradition that William Penn preached his first sermon under
an oak behind the house is interesting owing to the existence of the
Quaker Meeting House near by. Penn is known to have been in
Melksham in 1695 and may well have paid a visit to Cumberwell,
which was recognised as an important Quaker centre. George Fox,
the founder of the Society of Friends, was also a frequent visitor to
North Wiltshire.
The fate of this great house of ‘‘ over thirty apartments ”’, which
was still standing and inhabited in 1787 is uncertain, Local tradition
has it that it was burnt down through the carelessness of a drunken
butler, who perished in the flames. On the other hand, Dr, Taunton
may at last have made up his mind and decided how to deal with this
*“ great pile of building ”. He certainly did not build a new house in
the Park, as Eliza Purbeck tells us he thought of doing. Whoever
built the new house built it on the old site and used the material of
the old house in its construction. I firmly believe that there is usually
some solid background to most local traditions, and I incline to accept
the more romantic version of the destruction of the old house by fire
and a drunken butler.
The Purbeck family do not come into the Cumberwell picture again,
but I have been allowed to read several of their letters, and I feel that
it would be ungracious, after extracting this one plum from their
correspondence, to cast them aside and say no more about them. The
family consisted of a father and mother and several daughters, and
they apparently lived at Southampton, which they invariably refer to
in their letters as Southton, without any sign of abbreviation. They
paid frequent visits to Bath and were intimate friends of the Taunton
» family, who perhaps also came from the Southampton district, as I
shall show later. The young ladies were typical of their time in many
ways. The whole family seem to have ‘ enjoyed ”’ poor health, and
they gladly shared their enjoyment with their correspondents, who
were spared no detail of their various ailments, whether bodily or
Spiritual. They were particularly fond of analysing their own senti-
ments, and the matrimonial intentions of their friends and neighbours
were an unfailing topic for their pens. But they were also no mean
“blue-stockings ” in that great ‘‘ blue-stocking ’’ age, and in the
Cumberwell letter Miss Eliza waxes almost lyrical over a poem entitled
282 More about Cumberwell
ba
“Peru” which they had just been reading for the second time.?
““ Among the passages which particularly please me,” she writes, “ is
“the address of the dying mother to her infant’,”” while other passages
are “‘ interesting beyond expression ”’ or “‘ particularly affected me ”’.
She was “‘ excessively delighted ” with an “‘ Ode to Sensibility ” by
the same writer; “‘ It is so expressive of my own sentiments that I
intend learning it and singing it to some plaintive tune, though only
to myself, when I am again in possession of my harpsichord.”
This letter makes one feel as if one were on the very threshold of
Jane Austen’s Bath, though she was only 12 years old when it was
written and did not publish her “‘ Sense and Sensibility ” till 24
years later.
But I have paid my tribute to the Misses Purbeck and must return
to Cumberwell.
Dr. Taunton, in a codicil to his will dated October 22nd, 1787,
states that he has “lately purchased a messuage and mansion at
Cumberwell ”. It will be remembered that in her letter dated only
December 20th, Miss Eliza Purbeck refers to Cumberwell as
“Dr. Taunton’s new purchase ”’, so that we are able to fix 1787, or
at latest 1788, as the date of her visit.
Dr. Taunton died on July 19th, 1797, and was succeeded by his
eldest son and heir, William Leonard Thomas Pile Taunton. This
young man of many names cannot have been more than 19 when he
succeeded his father, for on January 25th, 1777, Miss Eliza Purbeck
wrote to a friend:—*‘ Dr. Taunton will not be married, I believe, till
the latter end of the year”, and in 1779 she first mentions “ Mrs,
Taunton”. I do not know whether Mr. W. L. T. P. Taunton ever
lived at Cumberwell, but in 1832, when he sold the property, he is
described as “‘of Stoke Bishop in the parish of Westbury-upon-
Trym in the county of Gloucester, Esq.’”’ The estate was then bur-
dened with a mortgage, an arrangement under the vendor’s marriage
settlement and other liabilities and, in order to free it from these
encumbrances, an immensely long legal document entitled, a “ Re-
lease in fee and Assignment’ was drawn up. This deed, dated
August 13th, 1832, is now in the possession of Captain Pinckney,
and from it I have got most of my information about the Taunton
1 These poems were written by Miss Helen Maria Williams, who later went
to France, took part in the French Revolution and was imprisoned as a
Girondist (D.N.B.). The book containing them was published only in 1786, so
that our blue-stocking Misses were fairly up to date in their reading.
|
|
|
|
Owners of the property 283
family, including the date of Dr. Taunton’s purchase of the property
and of his death. It also gives us some information dating back to
the time when Cumberwell was still owned by the Cooper family.
On November 13th, 1726, John Cooper made an exchange of
some acres of land with *’ Daniel Webb (afterwards called Lord
Webb Seymour and Duke of Somerset) of Monkton Farleigh”,
This was perhaps the John Allen Cooper who had bought Cumber-
well from Heneage Walker, as related in my former article, and the
father of the John Cooper who married Sir Charles Bayntun’s
daughter in 1759, The land ceded by Monkton Farleigh was of
slightly greater value than that ceded by Cumberwell, and it was
agreed that the Cumberwell estate should pay the Monkton Farleigh
estate a yearly sum of thirty shillings to even up the bargain. This
“ chief rent ”’ of 30/- is mentioned in various later documents with-
out any explanation of its origin, and I had rashly assumed that it
dated from very early times and referred to some agreement with the
Prior and Monks of Farleigh. This legend is now exploded. The
payment was finally extinguished on the sale of Cumberwell in 1832.
The purchasers were ** John Clark of Trowbridge ” and ** Thomas
Clark of Trowbridge, clothier,”* and the price paid was £15,400.
Was the old house described by Miss Purbeck in 1787 still standing
when the younger Taunton sold the property in 1832? The “ Re-
lease in fee and Assignment ”’ gives a very full account of the land,
with the name and acreage of every field, but there is no detailed
description of the house, which is referred to only as “ the capital
messuage or mansion house called Cumberwell House ” (though it is
characteristic of the time that “‘ the shrubbery ” is especially men-
tioned). The great walled space near the present farm house, which I
1 This document contains the names of the trustees of various family settle-
ments, and some of these are of general interest. Thomas Anthony Trollope of
the Middle Temple, one of such trustees, was the father of the novelist.
Another trustee was Sir William Oglander, of Nunwell, a famous house on the
Isle of Wight. There are also ‘‘ the Rev. Robert Copp Taunton of Ashley in
the county of Southampton, clerk,’’ and “‘ Richard Clarke of Newport, Isle of
Wight”. It will be noticed that most of these names belong to the Isle of
Wight or the neighbourhood of Southampton, a circumstance which inclines
me to believe that the Taunton family, like their friends the Purbecks, may
have come from that part of the world.
* Their stock books have recently been published by the Records Branch,
W.A.S. (see The Trowbridge Woollen Industry, Ed. R. P. Beckinsale, 1951).—
Editor.
284 More about Cumberwell
mentioned in my former article, was the kitchen garden and was no
less than 1 acre, 12 perches in extent, a very noble walled garden.
I am inclined to think that when the sale was made to the Clarks
in 1832 the old house had already ceased to exist in its original form.
Whether its destruction was due to fire and a drunken butler, as the
local legend has it, or whether Dr. Taunton had carried out the
intention ascribed to him by Miss Purbeck and pulled down the
greater part of the old building and converted what remained into a
more modern dwelling, will probably never be known.
The Clarks of Trowbridge seem never to have lived at Cumberwell,
and on December 21st, 1903, ‘* Mrs. Dorcas Clark of Trowbridge,
widow,’’ conveyed the property to ‘Erlysman Pinckney of South
Wraxall, Esq.”, the father of Captain Charles Erlysman Pinckney
of Duckmead. No mention is made of the house in this conveyance,
which speaks only of * the Cumberwell farms, etc.’”’
Captain Pinckney tells me that when his father bought the place in
1903 the house was a ruin. He pulled down what remained of it and
used the material for building farm-workers’ cottages. Why the
Clark family had allowed the house to get into this condition is a
mystery, but here again local tradition comes in with an explanation,
for it is said that the place was so badly haunted that nobody could
live there, and certainly Miss Purbeck, in her account of the older
house, gives the impression of gloom and spookiness. My own little
ghost, I feel sure, would not hurt a fly, but, if he was driven out of the
old house when it was burnt down, is it not possible that, like the
evil spirit of the Gospel, he wandered through the world seeking rest
and finding none, and then returned to his old haunt and finding it
swept and garnished took unto himself seven other spirits more
wicked than himself, perhaps including that of the drunken butler,
and that it was these more wicked spirits that made the mischief ¢
I have had interesting communications from people who remember
the ruins of the second house before they were finally demolished.
Mr. A. J. Salmon of Devizes tells me that when he was a boy at
Bradford-on-Avon, at least sixty years ago, he used often to play
among the ruins with other boys and that they called the place “ the
Palace’. He remembers a carved wooden chimney-piece in one
room, from which these little vandals used to pick off pieces of the
carving with their fingers. An old man, now living at Woolley and
aged 82, named Kettlety, who entered the employment of the
Pinckney family in 1878, says that as far as he remembers, there was
Plate I
Cumberwell House, from a photograph teken in the early nireties of last
century
The Cumberwell gate piers as now re-erected at Avebury (Manor gate on
the Swindon Road). See W.A.M. liii, 472.
xt ot teens
Plate II
The second house 285
then still a roof on the house, which consisted of 16 or 17 rooms and
had a basement kitchen. He hauled all the stone from the ruins to
build Mr. Pinckney’s new cottages.
I have now had the good fortune to obtain a photograph of the
house taken in the early nineties of last century when it was still in
the possession of the Clark family. It proves conclusively, I think,
that the building as it then stood was an adapted and patched up
corner of the original great house (Plate I).
The fenestration has evidently been messed about in the course
of reconstruction, but the two long narrow windows in the right
of the picture and the similar window on a lower level to the
left of them, look as if they might have been survivals from the
Charles II or William and Mary period, while the great chimney
stack at the back has a decidedly Tudor appearance. The photo-
graph gives a deceptive idea of a comparatively sound structure, but
I am told that when it was taken the house was completely derelict
and that it was unsafe to enter.
By the courtesy of Mr. Rathbone, the County Archivist at Trow-
bridge, I am also enabled to publish a photograph of the portion of
the map of 1773 (Plate I1)!, which shows the house and its sur-
roundings. It shows the boundary fence of the deer park. The
tradition that deer existed here until comparatively modern times is
still current locally, and it seems likely that the Clark family did keep
deer in the Park, for they certainly had fallow deer in the grounds of
their large house near Trowbridge. Although they never lived at
Cumberwell, they used the place for picnics and archery parties, and
about the year 1879 Blondin, the famous tight-rope walker, gave a
performance in the Park.
On March 28th 1921, Captain Pinckney sold Cumberwell farm,
including the site of Cumberwell house, to his tenant Mr. William
Norman Mitchell.
II
THE QUAKER BURIAL GROUND
The question of the site of the Quaker Meeting House at Cumber-
well has solved itself by the discovery that it is marked on the map of
1773. A comparison of this old map with the latest Ordnance Survey
1 We are indebted to Mr. Kidstone for the cost of the illustrations.—Editor.
286 More about Cumberwell
indicates a point at considerable distance from Cumberwell House
but near the house now known as Frankleigh Lodge on the Bradford-
Bath road. It is indeed probable that this house actually enshrines
the old Meeting House and that under its garden and under that of
the neighbouring Pottick’s House still lie the bodies of the many
Quakers who were buried there between 1702 and 1803.
Human remains have been unearthed here from time to time,
notably about the middle of the nineteenth century, when Pottick’s
House was a school and Frankleigh Lodge its annexe. On digging a
trench large quantities of human bones were discovered. The story
goes that the workmen laid the bones and skulls on the top of a wall
and that they remained there for quite a long time, but were eventu-
ally removed and buried elsewhere at the instance of the master of
the school, who complained that they frightened the boys.
There was another Quaker Meeting House in Bradford itself, off
Margaret Street near Westbury House. The building still stands and
bears the date 1817. It is now in the occupation of a builder.
I have tried to get information from the Society of Friends, but
they seem to have been in some confusion about the two Meeting
Houses. All they can tell me is that the building was closed about
1810 and let for a school, while the burial ground was let to an ad-
joining owner for an orchard. This might apply to either site. What
is clear is that the early “ Friends ”’, while jealously reserving their
own burial grounds, seem never to have erected any stone or other
memorials to their dead and were curiously indifferent as to what
happened to them when their Meeting Houses were abandoned.
Was it perhaps a matter of principle with the early Quakers not to
erect memorials to their dead ?
A space behind the old Meeting House off Margaret Street in
Bradford is also said to have been used as a burial ground and is now
covered with cottages.
Old Man Kettlety, whom I have mentioned before, tells a confused
tale about an old lady whom he calls ** Diney Willes ”, who owned a
farm near Frankleigh and insisted upon being buried in the garden of
the cottage at Pottick’s House. I have ascertained that there was a lady
farmer at Frankleigh named Diana Wheeler, who appears to have
been something of a character and is still remembered in the neigh-
bourhood, but I can obtain no confirmation of the story of her burial
in the cottage garden.
by G. d. Kidston 287
III
St. AUDOEN’S OR ST. TEWEN’S CHAPEL AT SOUTH WRAXALL
I think there can be little doubt that this Chapel is identical with
the so-called Berlegh Chapel, to which the Prior of Monkton Farleigh
nominated Reginald de Berlegh in 1323. In an article on the Chapel
in the Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine of 1874 (vol. xiv pp. 100 et
seq.) Canon Jones quotes from the Shaftesbury Cartulary (Harl.
MSS. 61, fol. 92) two deeds of 1267 whereby the Abbess of Shaftes-
bury, Lady of the Manor of Bradford, and Martin the Chaplain
granted to the Prior and Convent of Farleigh the chapel and hospice of
St. Audoenus at South Wraxall, with a half hide of land, meadows,
pastures and appurtenances at fourteen shillings a year and two pence
aid at the Sheriff’s tour at Hockday. The place had a dwelling-house,
hall and chapel. Philip de Comberwell is a witness to both documents.
At the dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries in 1537 Farleigh
Priory and all its possessions, including St. Audoen’s and some 212
acres of land in South Wraxall went to the Earl of Hertford, after-
wards the Protector Somerset. The Protector exchanged the bulk of
the Farleigh property with the See of Salisbury, but retained the
Chapel and land at South Wraxall, as is shown in a survey of the
Manor of Bradford made in 1550, in which the Earl of Hertford is
noted as a freeholder there, paying annually 22 shillings and two
pence.
The Protector was beheaded in 1552. Sir John Thynne had been
his Secretary and general factotum, and the Thynne family owed
much to the patronage of this powerful nobleman. It is therefore not
improbable that the Protector either gave or sold this small. fragment
of his church spoils to his faithful and useful servant, or that Sir John
Thynne acquired it on the execution of his patron in 1552.1
IV
THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AT LITTLE CHALFIELD
I am told that in an ancient map, which I have not been able to
identify, the Church is shown as standing in a field now known as
“The Paddock ” (No. 313 on the O.S. Map), near Little Chalfield
1 Since this was written Mr. H. F. Chettle has briefly published the main
facts given above (W.A.M. liv, 110) in response to my appeal for information.
288 More about Cumberwell
farm house. This site seems likely enough, but there are no remains
visible, either in the field or built into the old farm buildings.
My thanks are due to many kind friends who have supplied me
with information for this article—especially to Captain and Miss
Pinckney of Duckmead, Mr. Rathbone, the County Archivist, Mr.
Shaw Mellor of Box House, Mr. and Miss Monteath of Frankleigh
Lodge, Mr. A. J. Salmon of Devizes, Mr. Charles Floyd of Holt
Manor, Mr. H. F. Chettle of Fonthill Gifford, and, last but not
least, my persistent little friend, the Cumberwell ghost.
289
AN ANALYSIS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY
REPRESENTATION OF WILTSHIRE
1688-1714.
By ROBERT G. STUCKEY, B.A.
This article contains the main conclusions of a study which set out
to discover who were the Members of Parliament for Wiltshire during
the period 1688 to 1714, what sort of men they were, where they came
from and what they did in Parliament. It is based on an analysis of
information about the parentage, family and personal relationships,
economic interests, political affiliations and parliamentary activities of
the members.
Wiltshire is a particularly interesting field for a study of this type.
With its thirty-four members, it had the second largest representation
of the English counties in the House of Commons prior to 1832. The
county, which covered 876,000 acres, was thus responsible for electing
one-nineteenth of the total representation of England and Wales. To
add to the anomaly of this situation the sixteen Wiltshire parliament-
ary boroughs, although their total population amounted to over thirty
thousand, had a total electorate of less than one thousand. The
number and variety of constituencies provided more than enough
parliamentary seats for the requirements of local landed gentry and
allowed for the election of men from other counties ; thus making the
county a rich and important field for the electioneering interests of
party politicians such as Wharton and Harley. Finally, the county was
the centre of the prosperous woollen industry of the south-western
counties, which had its own particular influence upon the parliamen-
tary representation.
During the reigns of William and Anne political parties had few of
the attributes of their modern counterparts. The Whig and Tory
parties were only just in the process of formation, party boundaries
were vague and organisation indefinite. Loyalty to an individual
tended to play a far more decisive part in the political activities of a
member than allegiance to a set of political principles. There are,
however, three main sources of information which make it possible
to assign a fair proportion of the Wiltshire members to one or other
of the political parties. First, the division lists,| which give a very
1R, R. Walcott. ‘* Division Lists of the House of Commons, 1689-1714,”
in the Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, vol. xiv, pp. 25-36 (1934).
VOL. LIV—CXCVI T
290 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
good indication of how individual members voted on some of the
more controversial issues. Secondly, the disputed election petitions
presented to the House of Commons, and finally, the contemporary
correspondence of such men as Walter White,? Robert Harley,?®
Charles Bruce,* and Thomas Pitt.®
Eleven general elections occurred during the period between the
accession of William and Mary and the death of Queen Anne. Does
a study of the Wiltshire representation at each of these reveal political
changes which follow the main trend of national politics ?
The determining factor in the Convention Parliament elections was
the answer to the three questions relating to the proposed repeal of
the Test and Penal Statutes which the candidate had given to the
Lord Lieutenant of the county in 1688.° If the candidate had agreed
to the repeal, in the vast majority of cases he was not returned. Henry
Chivers’ was the only Wiltshire member returned who had agreed to
the whole of James II’s proposals. Thomas Penruddocke® had agreed
to part of them, but the other members had either refused to declare
what they would do until they were in Parliament or else avoided
answering the questions. Wiltshire in returning nineteen Whigs and
twelve Tories followed the trend of the whole country, which returned
a Whig majority to Parliament.
In 1690, when royal influence was used in favour of the Tories, the
Wiltshire returns again mirrored the general verdict of the country.
The Convention Parliament returns were completely reversed with
the election of nineteen Tories and thirteen Whigs. Eleven of the
2 Walter White, died 1705. M.P. Chippenham 1695, 1698, 1701 (2 Parlts.).
1705. Of Cranley and Manor of Grittleton, Wilts. See Correspondence of
White in Wilts. Arch. Mag., vol. xlvi (1932), pp. 64-85.
3 See H. M. C., Portland MSS., vols. iv and v.
4 Charles Lord Bruce, 1682-1747. 2nd son of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury.
M.P. Great Bedwin 1705, 1708. Marlborough 1710. See H. M. C., Ailesbury
MSS., pp. 188-213.
5 Thomas Pitt, 1653-1726. M.P. Salisbury 1689, 1690. Old Sarum 1695,
1710, 1713. President of Fort St. George 1697-1709. See H. M. C., Fortescue
MSS., pp. 1-50.
6 For answers given by Wiltshire members see Wilts. Arch. Mag., vol. xviii, |
pp. 359-374.
” Henry Chivers, died 1720. M.P. Calne 1689, 1690, 1698, 1701 (Nov.), 1702.
Of Quemerford in the Parish of Calne.
8 Thomas Penruddocke. M.P. Wilton 1679, 1689. Of Compton Chamber-
layne and Bower Chalk, Wilts.
1688-1705 291
Wiltshire Tory members had voted against making William and Mary
King and Queen, and ten of these were re-elected, while of the ten
Whigs who had voted for the Sacheverell clause only five secured a
Wiltshire seat.
The * Jingo’ Election of October and November, 1695, contested
by the Whigs on the issue of support for the war against France,
resulted in the return of a narrow Whig majority to Parliament.
Wiltshire, returning nineteen Tories and thirteen Whigs, did not
respond to this slight swing to the left in national politics. In 1698,
when the country returned to Parliament a majority hostile to William
and the Whigs, the two parties gained an equal share of the Wiltshire
representation.
The hard-fought elections of December 1700 resulted in the return
of a clear Tory majority to Parliament. The Wiltshire constituencies
were hotly contested and the Tories were overwhelmingly successful,
securing the return of twenty-one of their candidates as against
thirteen Whigs. The Tory triumph was shortlived, for in November
1701 Parliament was dissolved owing to their half-hearted support
of the King’s foreign policy and to English public opinion, which had
become extremely bellicose. The country returned to Westminster a
Parliament of moderate Whigs and Tories strongly in favour of war.
In Wiltshire the elections swung with national political feeling, al-
though sixteen Tories and fifteen Whigs were returned. Six, in-
cluding Charles Davenant,® of the twelve Wiltshire members whose
names are to be found in the widely circulated ‘ Black List’ of
‘ Poussineers ’, who were said to have been influenced by M. Poussin,
the French agent, failed to secure election. The Whigs for the first
and last time during this period secured the two Wiltshire county
seats as a result of the energetic electioneering of Wharton and his
Wiltshire ‘ agent ’, Walter White.!°
The accession of Queen Anne and her open preference for the
Church of England Party secured the return of a Tory majority to
Parliament in 1702. The political pendulum swung heavily in favour
of the Tories who obtained twenty-two of the Wiltshire seats while
the Whigs were reduced to twelve.
The voting on the question of tacking the Occasional Conformity
Bill on to the Land Tax dominated the election of 1705. Godolphin
9 Charles Davenant, 1656-1714. M.P. Great Bedwin 1698, 1701 (January).
Political economist and Tory pamphleteer.
10 See Wilts. Arch. Mag., vol. xlvi, pp. 78-80.
292 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
and the Whigs engaged in an all-out attack on the supporters of the
tack, and many of its supporters were not re-elected. Of the eight
Wiltshire members listed among the * Tackers’” only four were
returned, Sir Richard Howe! and Robert Hyde!” for the county,
Robert Bertie!® for Westbury and Charles Fox! for Salisbury. The
Whigs regained more than the ground they had lost in 1702, for
seventeen of their candidates were elected, while the number of
Tories dropped from twenty-two to twelve.
The Marlborough-Godolphin-Whig coalition of 1708 and the
attempted Jacobite rising of March 1708 resulted in the return of a
large Whig majority to Parliament in the General Election of that
year. In Wiltshire the Whigs considerably improved their position
by gaining nineteen seats, while the Tory share of the representation
fell to fifteen. Although the elections went in favour of the Whigs,
the assiduous bribery of the Tory Bruce family’s agent, Charles
Beecher, met with success at Ludgershall, Great Bedwin and Marl-
borough, where Charles Lord Bruce and his two uncles secured
seats.!°
The ill-judged impeachment of Dr. Henry Sacheverell was an im-
portant influence in the General Election of 1710, which resulted in
the return of a considerable Tory majority. Of the 271 members for
England and Wales who had voted for the impeachment only 126 were
re-elected. The Sacheverell issue was very much to the fore in the
Wiltshire elections, and of the seventeen members who had voted for
the impeachment only six were returned for Wiltshire constituencies.
Of the fourteen who had voted against it only two did not find a
Wiltshire seat. While the Whigs only secured the election of nine
of their candidates, the Tories with twenty-four successes obtained
the highest proportion of representation that either of the two parties
gained during this period. The General Election of 1713 again re-
turned a Tory majority to the House of Commons but by no means
11 Sir Richard Howe, 1651-1730. M.P. Wilts. Co. 1701 (January), 1702,
1705, 1708, 1710, 1713, of Great Wishford, Wilts., and Little Compton, Glos.
12 Robert Hyde, 16051-1722. M.P. Hindon 1689, 1690, 1695. Wilts. Co.
1702, 1705, 1708, 1710, 1713. 2nd son of Alexander Hyde, Bishop of Salisbury.
Of Hatch, Wilts.
13 Robert Bertie, 1677-1710. M.P. Westbury 1695, 1698, 1701 (2 Parlts.),
1702, 1705. 4th son of James, Ist Earl of Abingdon. A barrister.
14 Charles Fox. M.P. Cricklade 1689, 1690, 1695. Salisbury 1698, 1701
(2 Parlts.), 1702, 1705, 1708, 1710, 1713. Of Water Eaton, Wilts.
15 See H. M. C. Ailesbury MSS., pp. 198-9, 200-1.
1705-1710 293
as formidable as in 1710. In Wiltshire the Whigs succeeded in re-
ducing the number of Tories to eighteen, while they secured twelve
seats.
We can conclude, then, that the Wiltshire elections were influenced
by the trend of national politics, more particularly during the reign
of Queen Anne, but the Tory element in the Wiltshire representation
was stronger and more consistent than the Whig. The swing of the
political pendulum was always greater at a time of Tory triumph,
as in 1690, January 1700-01, 1702 and 1710, than when the Whig
star was in the ascendant, with the exception of the Convention
Parliament. The latter exception was due to the strength of Protestant
feeling which swept the country when the influence of such Tories
as Ailesbury and Rochester suffered a brief eclipse, or rather, perhaps,
was allowed for a short time to be idle. None of the Wiltshire seats
were completely open to the influence of national politics. Westbury,
Heytesbury and Old Sarum were completely unaffected ; the other
constituencies only responded to national political changes on
occasions when the patrons control was weak or when it was to the
financial advantage of the electorate.
IT
Although, owing to the property qualifications required in the
‘unreformed ’ House of Commons, all members were in a sense
landed gentry, it is possible to divide the Wiltshire members into
several well-defined social and professional groups.
There were thirteen sons of English peers, one Scottish and two
Irish peers among the Wiltshire Members of Parliament for this
period. This aristocratic element cuts across the division of members
into social and professional groups, for ten of them were actively
engaged in naval, military and legal careers. The remaining six,
however, belonged to the country gentry group. The four eldest
sons of English peers!® belonged to families noted for their great
political activity. For them entry into Parliament was something in
the nature of a duty, and all were elected in their early twenties. In
16 They were Charles Lord Bruce. John Lord Mordaunt, 1681-1710, son
of Charles, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, M.P. Chippenham 1701 (2 Parlts.), 1702,
1705 (November). Algernon Seymour Earl of Hertford, 1684-1750, son of
Charles, 6th Duke of Somerset, M.P. Marlborough 1705. Edward Viscount
Cornbury, 1661-1723, son of Henry, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, M.P. Wilts.
Co., 1689, 1690.
294 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
fact, Edward Mountague petitioned unsuccessfully against John
Lord Mordaunt, in 1702, on the grounds that he had not attained his
majority at the time of the election. The Earl of Ailesbury thought
his son ‘ by inclination ... preferred sitting in the House of Commons,
so very good a school ’,!” to a seat in the Lords. This early entry into
Parliament sometimes extended from the elder to the younger sons
of peers as in the case of Robert Bertie, who was returned for his father’s
borough of Westbury when only eighteen years old. Westbury and
Marlborough were the two principal constituencies which provided
seats for members of the aristocracy. In the former the Earl of
Abingdon ‘recommends both members and always succeeds ’,!8
while the Bruce family and the Duke of Somerset wielded considerable
if not overwhelming, influence at Marlborough.
The country gentry constituted 59 per cent. of the Wiltshire repre-
sentation. The principal characteristic of this group was that none
of them pursued as a full-time occupation any of the recognized pro-
fessions, although some of them, such as Thomas Millington!® and
William Wyndham?°, had minor commercial interests, or like George
Duckett?! and Maurice Ashley”? followed literary and scholastic
careers. Ninety-nine of the Wiltshire representatives, including the
six non-professional sons of peers, can be described as belonging to
the country gentry class. This group, which included fifteen baronets,
tended to regard a seat in Parliament as a sign of social prestige based
for many, like the Longs, Ashes, Hungerfords and Ducketts, on long-
standing tradition. Few of them aspired to office, and only fifteen
secured any of the more lucrative sinecures. Their seats depended
principally upon local prestige in a particular borough or in the
county, and only twenty were ever returned for constituencies other
than those within the boundaries of Wiltshire. Parliamentary elections
during this period were decided to a great extent by three factors :
established interest, influence and money ; and few of the country
gentry were able to secure these essentials for a long period. The
17 Memoirs of the Earl of Ailesbury, vol. ii, p. 562. (Roxburgh Club, 1890).
18 H. M. C., Portland MSS., vol. iv, p. 176.
19 Thomas Millington, died 1714. M.P. Great Bedwin 1711, 1713. Of
Gosfield Hall, Essex. In 1708 Director of Mines Adventure Coy.
20 William Wyndham, 1659-1734. MI.P. Calne 1691. He had £13,000 in-
vested in South Sea, East India and Bank of England stock.
21 George Duckett, 1685-1732. M.P. Calne, 1705, 1708. Of Hartham, Wilts.
22 Wiaurice Ashley, 1675-1726. son of 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury. Wilts. Co.
1701 (Nov.). A distinguished scholar. Of Purton, Wilts.
Gentry and merchants 295
frequency with which the same surnames appear in the list of Wilt-
shire members shows that the tradition of representing certain con-
stituencies ran in many families, although few were in the position
of the Ashes, Ducketts and St. Johns, who traditionally represented
the boroughs of Heytesbury, Calne and Wootton Bassett respectively.
Of the eight men who represented Heytesbury between 1688 and
1714 five were connected by family and marriage ties, and, except on
four occasions, the Ashe family monopolised the representation of the
borough. Only thirty-seven of the country gentry came from other
counties, and thirteen of these had either marriage or property con-
nections with Wiltshire. Politically, although the division lists reveal
that the country gentry frequently took an independent stand upon
important questions, over 60 per cent. of them can be called Tories.
The second largest group among the Wiltshire Members of Parlia-
ment consisted of merchants, men whose principal activities were in
either trade, manufacturing or finance. The desire to obtain govern-
ment contracts and the desire to rise higher in the social order
naturally attracted a number of merchants into the House of Commons,
Successful business men, having acquired a fortune in trade, bought
country estates and established themselves as landed gentry and fre-
quently wished for a seat in the House of Commons as a sign of their
new social status. They then attempted to fortify their new social
position by marrying their sons and daughters into the less wealthy
well-established county families. The careers of Thomas Pitt, East
India merchant and owner of the “* Pitt ’”’ diamond, and Sir Charles
Duncombe,?? the banker, are excellent illustrations of this.
In Wiltshire, merchants were particularly suitable representatives
of boroughs whose wealth was derived from the clothing trade, since
they could be relied upon to further the interests of their constituents,
which often coincided with their own. Twenty Wiltshire members
can be grouped in this category. Among these were merchants who
traded with Spain, Turkey and other countries, two Blackwell Hall
factors”*, a mercer, a haberdasher, a clothier, a brewer and four gold-
smiths. John Methuen,”° ‘the greatest clothier of his time ’,?° was
23 Sir Charles Duncombe, 1648-1711. M.P. Downton 1695, 1702, 1705,
1708, 1710. A banker. Of Helmsley, Yorks., and owner of Barford and Hampt-
worth estates in Wilts.
24 Blackwell Hall was the London market for Wiltshire woollen goods.
25 John Methuen, 1650-1706. M.P. Devizes 1690, 1695, 1698, 1701 (Nov.),
1702, 1705. Envoy to Portugal. Of Bishop’s Cannings, Wilts.
26 Dictionary of National Biography under John Methuen.
296 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
the first direct parliamentary representative of the West of England
clothing trade. Of the merchants he alone had been established in
the county for any considerable time. Sir Charles Duncombe,
Richard Kent,?” Thomas and his son Robert Pitt?* had only purchased
property in Wiltshire recently. All the others, with the exception of
the Childs?®, who had family connections in the county, were outsiders.
The merchants, as one would expect, were most frequently returned
for the clothing town of Devizes, but also for Great Bedwin, Marl-
borough, Wilton, Ludgershall, Salisbury and Malmesbury. They
seem to have been evenly divided between Whigs and Tories.
The professions form another important group. There were
twelve soldiers and three sailors among the Wiltshire Members of
Parliament. The presence of military and naval men in the Commons
during the winter sessions was neither unusual nor exceptional, for
campaigns were usually only fought during the summer. The
practice of associating loyal parliamentary service with seniority and
military ability was the normal procedure for deciding upon pro-
motions in an age when patronage and influence were of paramount
importance.
Naval officers, as a rule, were more frequently returned for seaports
and Admiralty boroughs than anywhere else. Peregrine Bertie?°
owed his seat at Westbury to his father’s influence, while Harry
Mordaunt’s*! election at Malmesbury was principally due to Wharton’s
recommendation. Sir Ralph Delaval®* had retired from naval service
in 1694, the year before he was returned for Great Bedwin. Naval
and military careers were the natural professions for the aristocracy
to follow and seven sons of peers were members of this group. Of
the eight Whigs amongst the military and naval members five owed
27 Richard Kent, died 1690. M.P. Chippenham 1690. Of Devizes.
28 Robert Pitt, 1678-1727. M.P. Old Sarum 1705, 1708, 1713. Salisbury,
1710.
29 Sir Francis Child, 1642-1713. M.P. Devizes 1698, 1701 (2 Parlts.), 1705,
1710. A banker. Son of Robert Child, a clothier of Heddington, Wilts. John
Child, 1678-1702-3. M.P. Devizes 1702. Son of Sir Francis. Robert. Child,
died 1721. M.P. Devizes 1713. In partnership with his father, Sir Francis.
30 Peregrine Bertie, died 1709. M.P. Westbury 1689, 1690. 5th son of
James, Ist Earl of Abingdon. A captain in the Navy.
31 Harry Mordaunt, died 1709-10. M.P. Malmesbury 1705, 1708. 2nd son
of Charles, 3rd Earl of Peterborough. A captain in the Navy.
32 Sir Ralph Delaval, 1649-1707. M.P. for Great Bedwin 1695. A retired
Admiral.
The professions 297
their seats at Malmesbury to the influence of Wharton. Eight of the
group had no apparent connection with the county at all. The
boroughs of Malmesbury, Ludgershall and Chippenham were the
principal constituencies providing seats for members of the army and
navy.
The sixteen qualified barristers were particularly at home in the
legal atmosphere of the eighteenth-century House of Commons.
Since only after passing through a curriculum extending over twelve
years could a man be called to the Bar, entry to the professions was
naturally restricted to the less wealthy members of the community
who intended to make the law their means of livelihood, and to the
younger sons of aristocratic families, such as Robert Bertie. All
except three members of this groups came from Wiltshire families.
The barristers, unlike the other professional groups, were not associ-
ated with particular constituencies, for not more than two of them
were returned for any one borough. Politically, they were on the whole
predominantly Whig.
A prominent and important group containing eighteen Wiltshire
parliamentary representatives cannot be adequately described by any
single name. Their only common characteristic is that they were all
active in government and politics. This group includes politicians,
civil servants and placemen to whom politics were either a means of
- livelihood, a vocation or a means of satisfying personal ambition.
Ten members of this group were party politicians of varying abilities,
including Major John Wildman,** William Sacheverell,3+ Henry St.
John, later Lord Bolingbroke,?° Sir John Smith®® and Sir Charles
Hedges.” Joseph Addison®* and Charles Davenant owed their seats to
their literary political services ; John and Paul Methuen,?° Sir Lambert
33 Major John Wildman, 1623-93. M.P. Great Bedwin, 1681, 1690. Leveller
and conspirator.
34 William Sacheverell, 1638-91. M.P. Heytesbury 1689. A leading Whig
politician.
8° Henry St. John, 1678-1751. M.P. Wootton Bassett 1701 (2 Parls.), 1702,
1705. Leading Tory politician.
36 Sir John Smith, 1655-1723. M.P. Ludgershall 1689. Chancellor of the
Exchequer 1699-1701.
87 Sir Charles Hedges. 1651-1714. M.P. Malmesbury 1701 (Nov.). Calne
1702. Secretary of State, 1701-6.
38 Joseph Addison, 1672-1719. M.P. Malmesbury 1710 (March), 1710,
1713. Under-Secretary of State. Poet and essayist.
89 Paul Methuen, 1672-1757. M.P. Devizes 1708. Ambassador to Portugal.
298 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
Blackwell?® and James Johnson held diplomatic appointments.
Finally, Thomas Neale, 4% John Gauntlett*® and Robert Yard** were
seventeenth- and eighteenth-century predecessors of our modern
civil servants. Of the ten Tories in this group only four were not from
Wiltshire familes, while of the eight Whigs only two were Wiltshire
men. They were most frequently returned for the boroughs of Great
Bedwin, Ludgershall, Malmesbury, Salisbury, Wilton and Marl-
borough.
Seventy-five non-local members represented Wiltshire constitu-
encies between 1688 and 1714. Thirty of them, including sixteen
from London and Westminster, came from south-eastern England.
Five came from the northern, seven from the eastern counties and
seven from the Midlands. These non-local members, constituting
45 per cent. of the total Wiltshire representation during this period,
were associated principally with boroughs where elections depended
to a considerable extent upon bribery. Thirteen were returned for
Malmesbury, twelve for Hindon, nine for Great Bedwin, six for
Ludgershall and five each at Cricklade, Marlborough and Wilton.
This high proportion of non-local men, which is much higher than
in Cornwall during this period, is probably due to the small size and
mercenary character of some of the electorates, which made possible
their capture by anyone with adequate financial resources. Both the
Wiltshire and the Cornish boroughs became notorious later in the
eighteenth century as seats which could be * bought’, either by the
Government or by rich merchants with no local connections. This
process seems to have started earlier in Wiltshire than in Cornwail.
On the other hand, the knights of the shire were all Wiltshire
landed gentry prominent in county affairs, and so were the majority
of the members for certain of the boroughs. All the members for
Old Sarum possessed property in the county, while only one outsider
40 Sir Lambert Blackwell, died 1727. M.P. Wilton 1708. Envoy to Tuscany ~
and Genoa.
41 James Johnson, 1655-1737. M.P. Calne 1710. Envoy to Brandenburg.
Joint-Secretary of State for Scotland 1692-6.
42 Thomas Neale, died 1699. M.P. Ludgershall 1690, 1695. Master of the
Mint, 1678-99. Groom Porter 1684—99,
43 John Gauntlett, died 1719. M.P. Wilton, 1695, 1698, 1701 (2 Parlts.),
1702, 1705. Clerk of the Signet Office, 1684-1716.
44 Robert Yard, died 1723. M.P. Marlborough, 1701 (November). Under-
Secretary of State, 1694-1700. Clerk Extraordinary to the Privy Council, 1704.
Non-local members 299
was returned at Calne and Salisbury, and two at Downton and Heytes-
bury. Only one non-local man was returned for Westbury, and he
was backed by the influence of the Earl of Abingdon. John Wildman*®
was the only member for Wootton Bassett who was not either a
Wiltshire landowner or connected with the St. John family.
Throughout the period there was a gradual decrease in the number
of men returned who had property in or strong connections with the
county. This decrease becomes more marked after the General
Election of November 1701. The highest peak of local representation
was in the Parliament of 1689-90 when it comprised 76 per cent. of
the total Wiltshire representation, and the lowest in the Parliament
of 1713 by which time it had dropped to 51.5 per cent. The non-
local men were returned principally for the more corrupt boroughs
of Malmesbury, Hindon, Great Bedwin and Ludgershall.
Finally, the number of professional men returned at each general
election increased during the period, although this increase was
neither smooth nor consistent. The professional element constituted
37 per cent. of the total representation in the Convention Parliament
and reached its highest point, 53 per cent., in the Parliaments of
November, 1701 and 1705. Only upon one occasion does the com-
position of this professional element appear to have any particular
significance. In 1713, eight of the sixteen professional men returned
were merchants, This situation is almost certainly associated with the
Tory sponsoring of the French Commerce Bill, which was opposed
by the majority of the commercial classes and which would have been
particularly disadvantageous to the Wiltshire wooilen trade with
Portugal.
Til
A discussion of the activities of the members in Parliament 1s
strictly limited by the amount of material available for this period.
Few sources reveal how frequently members attended debates ; only
thirteen division lists are available to show how they voted, and the
reports of debates are completely inadequate. There is sufficient
material, however, in the Journals of the Commons which contain the
formal proceedings of the House, to enable us to gain at least a general
impression of the parliamentary work of the various members.
45 John Wildman, died 1710. Son of Major John Wildman. M.P. Wootton
Bassett, 1689, 1690. Of Beckett, Berks.
300 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
Service on the various parliamentary committees was the principal
activity of the members at this time. Wiltshire members were called
upon over three thousand times during this period to serve on com-
mittees to consider bills, petitions and particular topics. These com-
mittees had jurisdiction to make enquiries to obtain information, and
their findings usually exercised a powerful influence upon the final
decision of the House.
How often were Wiltshire members appointed to carry out these
tasks ? The following analysis is based upon the average number of
times members representing Wiltshire constituencies were chosen to
carry out these duties during a single Parliament. The parliamentary
activities of thirty-two of the Wiltshire members cannot be stated
With any certainty, since the Journals, as a general rule, only give the
surnames of the committee members, and it is therefore impossible to
distinguish between members with the same name, such as Thomas
and Robert Pitt, Henry*® and Robert Bertie, William*’ and Edward
Ashe.*® These are, therefore, excluded from the following discussion.
The Wiltshire Members of Parliament can be divided roughly into
four groups. First, a group of twenty members—sixteen county
gentry, mainly from Wiltshire, and four merchants—did not serve
on any committees at all. They were only returned for one or at the
most two parliaments during the period and would not, therefore,
have had time to make themselves or their abilities well-known.
Secondly, forty-nine members were appointed to serve on between
one and five committees during a single parliament. The composition
of these two groups throws some light upon the activities of the
social and professional sections of the Wiltshire representation. It
included over half (forty-nine) of the country gentry, nine merchants,
three soldiers, five barristers and three members of the political group.
Thirdly, slightly higher in the scale of parliamentary activity was a
sroup of forty members who served on between six and nineteen
committees in each parliament. Finally the bulk of the Wiltshire
representation on committees was provided by a fourth group of
twenty-seven members consisting of twelve country gentry, eight
46 Henry Bertie, died 1734. M.P. Westbury, 1701 (Nov.), 1702, 1705, 1708,
1710, 1713. 2nd son of Montague, 2nd Earl of Lindsey.
47 William Ashe, 1646-1713. M.P. Heytesbury, 1689, 1690, 1695, 1698,
1701 (Jan.). Wilts. Co., 1701 (Nov.). Owned Manor of Heytesbury, Wilts.
48 Edward Ashe, 1673-1748. M.P. Heytesbury, 1695, 1698 ,1701 (2 Parlts.),
1702, 1705, 1708, 1710, 1713. Of Heytesbury, Wilts.
Service on committees 301
of the political group, four barristers, two soldiers and one merchant.
They were appointed by the House to carry out specific tasks from
between twenty and eighty times in each parliament. It is in this
group that we find the prominent men of the period who at some time
represented Wiltshire constituencies, such as William Sacheverell,
Major John Wildman, Henry St. John and Sir Charles Hedges.
There seems to be a connection between the social and professional
status of a member and his parliamentary activities. The men who
were actively concerned in government and politics were most fre-
quently appointed by the House to serve on committees, at confer-
ences with the Lords and to draw up bills and addresses. This is as
one would expect, since the offices they held gave them a position of
special importance in the House. Next to the political group, members
with legal qualifications were chosen most frequently. This is no
doubt due to the legal atmosphere of the Commons, which was so
marked in the eighteenth century. ‘ All the gentlemen of the long
robe ’ were often added to committees where their professional know-
ledge and experience would be of value.
A small group of country gentry come next in preference, followed
closely by merchants and lastly military and naval men. To the
majority of the country gentry parliamentary affairs were a minor
activity in life, and their attendance at the House probably tended to
be erratic; but a few such as Francis Stonehouse,*? Walter White,
William Daniell,°° William Harvey,°! Charles Mompesson”? and Sir
Richard Howe were active parliamentarians. The merchants as a
group, and more particularly John Methuen, Josiah Diston,°*? Sir
Francis Child, and Sir Henry Ashurst,°* were prominent in financial
matters and all things relating to commerce and industry. The number
of times the merchants were called upon by the House is illustrative
49 Francis Stonehouse, 1653-1738. M.P. Great Bedwin, 1694, 1095, 1698,
1701 (2 Parlts.), 1702. Of Standinge, Wilts.
50 William Daniell, 1655-98. M.P. Marlborough, 1695. Of Preshute, Wilts.
51 William Harvey, 1663-1731. M.P. Old Sarum, 1689, 1690, 1695, 1698,
1701 (2 Parlts.), 1702, 1708. Of Great Greys, Essex. Possessed lands in Strat-
ford, Wilts.
52 Charles Mompesson, 1672-1714. M.P. Old Sarum, 1698, 1701 (2 Parlts.),
1702, 1705. Wilton 1708, 1710. Of Bathampton, Wilts.
58 Josiah Diston, died 1737. M.P. Devizes 1706, December 1708. A Black-
well Hall factor.
54 Sir Henry Ashurst, 1645-1711. M.P. Wilton, 1698, 1701 (Jan.). A
merchant. Of Waterstock, Oxfordshire.
302 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
of their value in the discussion of national affairs. Soldiers and sailors
were at a disadvantage in that their duties must have prevented their
attendance at the House upon many occasions. The two soldiers,
Edward, Viscount Cornbury, and Goodwyn Wharton,°®°> however,
were extremely active in all parliamentary duties with the exception
of the preparation of bills.
The usual procedure in the House of Commons at this period
appears to be that the members best qualified to serve on committees
were those who had some personal or professional knowledge or ex-
perience which would be of value. A similar conception prevailed
with regard to ‘ local bills’, where all the members of the county in or
adjacent to the area affected by the bill were added to the committee
chosen to consider it. The special knowledge possessed by local
members was advantageous to the discussion of the bill. Alli the
Wiltshire members were added to the committees appointed to
consider 123 bills and petitions relating to Wiltshire affairs during the
_ period 1688 to 1714. Thirty-eight of these were specifically concerned
with matters relating to the wool trade, such as the Westbury petition
praying that the manufacture of woollen goods should be encouraged,
and the petition of the Wiltshire clothiers against the heavy duties on
wool, because of the unfair advantage it gave to foreigners, Others
were concerned with legal matters relating to the estates and wills of
Wiltshire families, or administrative matters such as the repair of
roads, the establishment of work-houses and making the Rivers
Kennet and Avon navigable.
IV
To sum up: The Wiltshire parliamentary representation during
the period between the accession of William and Mary and the death
of Queen Anne was composed of 59 per cent. country gentry, 13 per
cent. merchants, 10 per cent. men in active government and politics,
9 per cent. barristers and 9 per cent. military and naval officers. Of
these, 45 per cent. were non-local men. During these twenty-six
years there is a notable change in the composition of the representation.
During the early years of William’s reign the professional and non-
local members secured a relatively small proportion of the representa-
tion, but towards the end of the seventeenth century the number of
55 Goodwyn Wharton, 1652-1704. M.P. Malmesbury, 1690. Lord of the
Manor of Malmesbury, 1671-95.
1688-1714 303
seats they secured gradually increased. This change is most significant
in the members elected to serve in the two parliaments of January
1700-01 and November 1701. In January the outsiders constituted
28.5 per cent. of the total representation, in November 38 per cent.,
the professional men 43 per cent. in January and 53 per cent. in
November.
This large non-local and professional element justifies to a certain
extent the large number of members which Wiltshire returned to
Parliament. With the exception of the two county seats and the
boroughs of Heytesbury and Westbury, the control of boroughs by
patrons was not sufficiently tight, and elections depended sufficiently
upon bribery to allow the professional and non-local men to secure
seats sometimes against the direct wishes of the patron, and to allow
elections to a limited extent to be influenced by the trend of national
politics.
About half of the members elected to serve in Parliament for Wilt-
shire constituencies were active in the parliamentary life of the nation,
and they secured two-thirds of the seats available at the eleven general
elections which took place between 1688 and 1714. The very variety
of the professional qualifications of the Wiltshire members was an
asset to the discussion of national affairs. They brought and gave to
the House of Commons the benefit of the knowledge and experience
which they had gained in their professional activities.
Although only 55 per cent. of the members were local men, occupy-
ing an average of under two-thirds of the Wiltshire seats available in
each parliament, local interests do not appear to have been neglected.
This was probably due in part to the non-local men who had property
in, Of marriage connections with the county, and in part, to the
merchants whose interests in the clothing trade coincided with those
of their constituents.
The occupants of the seats surplus to the requirements of the local
gentry provide the principal justification of the large Wiltshire repre-
sentation in Parliament, for they included distinguished politicians of
the calibre of William Sacheverell, and Major Wildman, soldiers like
Thomas Farrington®® and Lord Mordaunt, merchants like Sir Charles
Duncombe and Sir Francis Child, and eminent barristers like John
56 Thomas Farrington, 1664-1712. M.P. Malmesbury, 1705, 1708, 1710.
Of Chislehurst, Kent.
304 Parliamentary Representation of Wiltshire
Hawles®’ and Sir James Mountague,** from the more under-repre-
sented areas of England and Wales. The Wiltshire boroughs helped
to counteract the gravest defect of the English electoral system prior
to 1832, the under-representation of London and the more thickly
populated areas.
57 John Hawles, 1645-1716. M.P. Old Sarum, 1689 (March). Wilton, 1695,
1702. Solicitor-General, 1695-1702. Of Monckton and Upwimbourne, Dorset.
58 Sir James Mountague, 1666-1723. M.P. Chippenham, 1702. Solicitor-
General, 1707-8. Attorney-General, 1708-10.
305
WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL
HISTORY SOCIETY
NATURAL HISTORY SECTION
FIELD MEETINGS AND LECTURES, 1951
Report by the Hon. Meetings Secretary, MARGARET E. NURSE
In 1951 the Section held two indoor meetings, At the first, held
in the Museum, Devizes, a very interested audience was addressed by
Dr. S. Gooding on the subject of ‘* The Dance Language of the
Bees ’’. At the second, held in Frogwell School, Chippenham, Mr,
J. E. Lousley spoke to a large audience on, ** Wild Flowers of the
Chalk-”’,
The section held eighteen ordinary field meetings in 1951, and one
Whitsun weekend meeting at Urchfont Manor. Of these, five were
classed as ornithological, eight as botanical and five as general. The
weather was sometimes very inclement and physical discomfort
detracted somewhat from enjoyment, but it was sometimes ideal,
and all meetings were well attended.
February 24th, Coate Water. Leader Mrs. E. C. Barnes. Fair
numbers of duck were present, including Pochard, Teal and Wigeon.
There were also Great Crested Grebes and Snipe.
April 14th, Weavern Valley. Leader Miss E. M. Gliddon. Many
early spring flowers were found, including four species of Viola, Rue-
leaved Saxifrage and Purple Willow. Chiff-Chaffs, Willow-Warblers
and Swallows were the only migrants seen.
April 18th, Avon Gorge. Leader Mr. G. W. Collett. Many rare
and interesting plants were shown to members in this botanists’
paradise.
April 21st, Salisbury Plain. Corn-bunting Enquiry No. 1.
Organiser Mr. C. Rice. All our organised Corn-Bunting enquiries
were held too early in the year. So that, although many singing males
were recorded, nothing was seen of nesting activities.
April 28th, Pitton. Leader Mr. R. Whitlock. At Clarendon Lake
the party saw Reed-Buntings, a Redshank, Tufted Duck and Pochard.
In a wood by the lake warblers and a Nightingale were heard. Among
plants found were Sedum Telephium and Montia fontana.
April 29th, Wootton Rivers. Leader Mr. J. H. Halliday. Out-
standing among the plants found were Myosurus minimus in bud and
very fine Lathraea squamaria growing on roots of Corylus.
VOL. LIV—CXCVI U
306 Natural History Section
May 5th, Avebury district. Corn-Bunting Enquiry No. 2.
Organiser Mr. J. H. Halliday. Much of the downland in this area
was covered by parties of members of the Marlborough College
Natural History Society and by parties of our own members.
May 12-14th, Urchfont Manor and district. The lecturer at the
Manor was Vir. H. A. Course, who has made a special study of the
Corn-Bunting in Hertfordshire. Most of the time was devoted to
field work: the counting of Corn-Buntings over an area of about
eighteen square miles, and the observation of birds in and around the
village. Eight members of the Section took part in the course.
May 26th, Easton Grey. Leader C. Rice. This enquiry into the
status of the Common Redstart in N.W. Wilts failed to produce any
birds of this species : a negative result which may have been due to
bad weather.
May 26th, Colerne Park. Leader Miss M. Frowde. Among the
many lovely flowers found were Convallaria majalis, Polygonatum
multiflorum, Polygonatum odoratum and Aquilegia vulgaris.
June 3rd, Spye Park. Leader Mr. G. W. Collett. Viola palustris,
Polygonum Bistorta and the leaves and fruits of Colchicum autumnale
were found during this ramble.
June 10th, Batscroft Wood. Leader Mrs. B. Welch. Many inter-
esting plants were found, including Senecio integrifolius, wood and
downland Milkworts, seedlings of Juniper and at least nine different
species of Orchids.
June 13th, Braydon Pond. Leader Mr. J. D. Grose. In the space
of about half-a-mile of roadside waste over a dozen species of sedges
were found and studied. Other water-loving plants that were seen
were Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Oenanthe fistulosa and Equisetum limosum.
June 24th, Portland Bill. This meeting was arranged jointly with
the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, whose
members, Miss M. D. Crosby, Miss D. Meegison, Dr. C. D. Day
and Dr. K. B. Rooke, kindly acted as guides. The party split up into
groups as their interest dictated, to study plants, birds or insects.
Plants of the sea mud and shingle were new to some of us and the
rarities here and upon the Bill itself were appreciated by all. The
bird-watchers were able to observe Terns, Puffins, Razor-bills and
Fulmar Petrels, |
July 7th, Lackham School of Agriculture. Leader Mr. J. O.
Thomas. With the aid of simplified keys, Mr. Thomas showed the
company how to run down from flowers and also from vegetative
Field Meetings 307
parts alone various grasses and leguminous plants found in the
grounds of the house.
July 14th, Morgan’s Hill. Leader Mr. W. B. Weddell. The
weather was not very favourable for moths, but many different
species came to the lights, including the Chalk Carpet, the Short-
Cloaked Moth and the Drinker Moth.
July 21st, Upton Lovell and Pertwood. Leader Sir R. G. Staple-
don. Members, having attended the meeting at Lackham, were in a
favourable position to understand this very learned and inspiring
demonstration. The experimental beds at Upton Lovell contained
many different native and foreign strains of grasses, leguminous plants
and grains. The pasture field at Pertwood sown with different seed
mixtures and grazed by sheep showed well how differently these
mixtures react to grazing and cutting.
September Ist, Bishopstone Downs. Leader Mr. H. W. Timperley.
The walk, undertaken in a downpour of rain, regretfully had to be
abandoned, and members saw almost nothing.
October 7th, Savernake Forest. Leader Mr. J. H. Halliday. Once
again members gathered fungi of many different species in good
condition.
The Section’s Annual General Meeting for 1951 was held on
June 30th, at the Museum, Devizes. About twenty members were
present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and con-
firmed. The Secretary’s report was read by Mrs. E. C. Barnes and
the statement of accounts by Mr. G. W. Collett. These were adopted
by the meeting. The chairman, Mr. L. G. Peirson, paid tribute to
the work of the committee. The officers and members of the com-
mittee were re-elected and Mrs. C. S. Hett’s co-optation on to the
committee was confirmed. Mr. Rice then read a report on the Red-
start Enquiry organised by the Section. Mr. Halliday reported on
the progress of the Wiltshire Flora, A letter from Mrs. Newton
Dunn on the subject of the Chief Constable’s scheme for the pro-
tection of rare birds in the county was read by Mr. Rice.
After tea members took a walk through the Stert Valley. Thanks
are given to all members and others who have acted as leaders and
who have helped with the arrangement of meetings.
308
WILTSHIRE BIRD NOTES FOR 1951
Recorders : RUTH G. BARNES, M.B.0.U. and Guy PEIRSON
The most welcome mass of 1951 records sent in by some fifty
observers could not possibly all be printed, and so the recorders
have had to select. They set themselves some general principles
on which to base their selection, but all selection must be to some
extent arbitrary. They hope that the resulting omission of some of
his records will not deter any observer from sending in all his notes in
future years. All notes are filed whether printed or not.
The arrival and departure dates of migrants, for example, are no
longer set out as a separate table. The recorders felt that a truer
picture of the coming and going of the various species could be given
by printing a selection of these dates in the main notes. But unless
many members send in their migrant dates, there will not be the
material from which to make this significant selection,
All over the British Isles an attempt is being made under the
leadership of the Editors of British Birds to raise the standard of
evidence demanded before sight records of unusual birds are ad-
mitted. The recorders have tried to follow this lead and have
** square-bracketed ’”’ or omitted certain records. This does not
necessarily mean that they considered these identifications as wrong
but merely that in their opinion the evidence was insufficient. The
penalty for this policy is that an occasional good record may be lost :
the far greater prize is that the Wiltshire Bird Notes may earn a name
for trustworthiness, and in the winning of this prize the recorders
invite the co-operation of all observers.
In 1951 a few Cirl Buntings bred in the county and a Quail’s nest
was found. The Curlew still manages to present a successful chal-
lenge to those who try to find out how commonly, if at all, it nests in
Wiltshire.
We have no sea coast and no large open waters, natural or artificial.
We cannot produce the sensational rarities or the great sights of
wildfowl or waders that provide the highlights in the Bird. Notes
from neighbouring counties. The following however are noteworthy :
two Ravens, a Snow-Bunting, variant wagtails which we decline to
name until the experts have sorted out the flava group for us, a Great
Grey Shrike, a remarkable number of Pied Flycatchers on passage,
Ring-Ouzels also on passage, a Hoopoe, enough Merlins to suggest
that it may be a more regular autumn and spring visitor than has
been thought in the past, Bitterns, Whooper Swans, a Sheld-Duck,
Contributors—Hooded Crow 309
Garganey, a Storm-Petrel, a Red-throated Diver, two Black-tailed
Godwits, a probable Great Snipe, a Ringed Plover, quite a number
of Northern Golden Plovers, Dotterel, an Oyster-Catcher, Black
Terns and a headstrong young Puffin ues flew away from sea and
was safely returned.
CONTRIBUTORS ?
C. C. Balch, Calne Lor GiB:
Mrs. Barnes, Seagry .. RGB.
Rev. F. L. Blathwayt,
Dyrham, Glos. F.L.B.
G. L. Boyle, Semington.. G.L.B.
A. E. Burras, Redlynch .. A.E.B.
Miss M. Butterworth,
Warminster M.B.
John Buxton,
Colne Rogers, Glos. J.B.
W. A. Chaplin, Salisbury W.A.C.
G. W. Collett, Chippenham G.W.C.
Major W. M. Congreve,
Farley W.M.C.
E. J. Cruse, Chippenham E.J.C.
Dauntsey’s School Bird
Trust D.S.
IMs) Forbes, Codford: ... ,-E.V.F.
Miss M. C. Foster,
Aldbourne MI.C.F.
R. Haskell, East Grimstead R.H.
Major R. K. Henderson,
Marlborough R.K.H.
Major C. J. Jacobs,
Great Cheverell C.J.J.
Grant Longman, R.A.F.
Hullavington G.L.
evi. lucas, Salisbury .. J.M-L.
Miss Mary Luckham,
Salisbury M.L.
A. Wiaxwell Macfarlane,
R.A., Tilshead A.M.M.
F. H. Maundrell, Inglesham F.H.M.
Marlborough College Nat.
Hist. Society MC,
R. S. Newall, Wylye Lo RN
Mrs. Newton Dunn,
Salisbury D.N.D.
Mrs. Nurse, Worton M.E.N.
J. C. C. Oliver, Lacock .. J.C.C.O.
C,. E. Owen, Lockeridge... C.E.O.
E. G. Parsons, Wishford.. E.G.P.
Mirs. Oscar Pealil, Oare .. D.P.
L. G. Peirson,
Mariborough L.G.P.
C. M. R. Pitman,
Clarendon C.M.R.P.
R. H. Poulding, Bristoi .. R.H.P.
Cyril Rice, Chippenham .. C.R.
D. J. Rice, Chippenham.. D.J.R.
Peter Roberts, Chippenham P.R.
W.L. Roseveare,
Hutton, Som. W.L.R.
Mrs. Seccombe Hett, Box C.S.H.
J. Smith, Swindon an Ise
Geoffrey Spencer, Corsham A.G.S.
Colonel J. K. Stanford,
Great Durnford J.K.S.
H. W. Timperley,
Bishopstone H.W.T.
Miss Irene Usher, Seend L.U:
W. I. Washbrook,
Aldbourne W.LW.
Brigadier Hugh Willan,
Teffont H.W.
C. A. White, Southall, Mx. C.A.W.
Ralph Whitlock, Pitton .. R.W.
Miss June Wilson, Norton J.W.
Mrs. Yeatman Biggs,
Stockton M.B.Y..B
1. Raven. A single bird at Clatford, Jan. 5, which was seen frequently
afterwards, and one at Totterdown, Nov. 3 (M.C.).
2. Hoop—eD Crow. One, with several Carrion Crows, remained at Keevil
aerodrome for two or three days from March 18 (G.L.B.). Single birds seen
near Farley, Aug. 19, and East Grimstead, Dec. 9 (R.H.).
310 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
3. CARRION Crow. A nest was found nearly complete on an old hayrick
near Salisbury Race Plain, Apr. 5. The birds were shot after incubation had
begun (C.M.R.P.).
4. Roox. At Keevil aerodrome, July 16, a party of 40 young rooks were
resting on some plough land; only 4 adult birds were with them (G.L.B.).
7. Macpie. A party of 17 perched together on a hedge at East Knoyle, Feb.
10 (G.L.B.) and one of 13 flying from a larch spinney at Farley, Mar. 8 (W.M.C.).
A nest was being built near Clarendon, Feb. 25, an early date (C.M.R.P.). One
bird entirely cream coloured except for a black tail seen at West Dean in June
(R.H.).
14. STARLING. During the summer there was a flight-line S.S.W. over
Chippenham. It probably led to a big roost near Beanacre, near Melksham.
After the middle of October the direction changed to S.W. towards Corsham
(C.R.). The same large roost at Clench Common was occupied as usual in
early 1951 and as usual Sparrow Hawks took their regular toll. It was occupied
again by Dec. 15 but probably not much before, as it was only about that date
that the large flocks of Starlings suddenly began to pass S. over Marlborough.
In late December there was also a small roost of about 200 birds on the disused
tailway embankment at Granham 1? miles N. of the large roost. The two
roosts seemed to be quite independent. Flocks going to the large roost some-
times collected in trees less than 100 yds. from the small roost and then went
on. Flocks flying directly to the large roost were seen to pass very close to
and once actually through flocks evolving over the small roost before settling
(L.G.P.). Large flocks pass over Pitton, night and morning, to and from a
roost near Awbridge in Hampshire (R.W.).
A small flock was seen to mob a Kestrel in the air, Aug. 18, and drive it into a
tree. As soon as it was perched the starlings appeared to lose interest (G.L.B.).
18. HAWwFINCH. One near Coate Water, Sept. 20 (W.1.W.). A number near
West Dean, Nov. 23 (R.H.). One in a garden at Calne, Dec. 31, where the
observer reported a bird in 1946-47 (C.C.B.).
20. BRITISHGOLDFINCH. Acharmofc.50onBattlebury Hill, Sept. 23 (E.V.F.).
Abundant near Aldbourne (M.C.F.), where a charm of 50 was seen Dec. 19
(W.1.W.).
21. SiIskIN. A flock of 30-40, male, female and juvenile birds, in Spye Park,
March 28. A pair and a single male were still there April 3 (J.C.C.O.). One
found, apparently dead for some days, in Salisbury gravel pits, April 1 (C.M.
R.P.). Two birds with Chaffinches near West Dean, Sept. 19, and two with
finches on threshed cavings at East Grimstead, Dec. 25 (R.H.). Three seen
at Erlestoke, Dec. 9 (D.S.).
25. LESSER REDPOLL. A flock in birch trees near West Dean, Sept. 19 (R.H.).
Two birds (one a male in first winter plumage) near Glory Ann Barn, Oct 7
(M.C.). Six, watched at close range in a fruit tree, preening in early morning
sun at Box, Dec. 3 (C.S.H.).
30. LINNET. Pairs returned to gardens at Clarendon, Feb. 23 (C.M.R.P.),
at Granham Hill, March 14 (L.G.P.) and at Seagry not until April 26 (R.G.B.),
British Bullinch—Wood-Lark 311
A flock noted some four miles S. of Marlborough in Jan. and Feb. which was
unusual (L.G.P.). Increase in Clarendon district and a large colony near High
Post golf course (C.M.R.P.). Several nests in ivy on walls and trees near Great
Durnford (J.K.S.).
33. BRITISH BULLFINCH. A flock of 20 near Alderbury, Jan. 20 (C.M.R.P.)
and one of 8 adults at Chilton Foliat, Aug. 1 (W.I.W.). An influx observed
at Clarendon, Dec. 28 (C.M.R.P.).
42. BRAMBLING. One with Chaffinches near Aldbourne, Jan 16 (W.1.W.);
one male feeding on the ground with c. 100 Chaffinches at Bowood, Feb. 4
(G.L.B.) ; at least 5 under beeches near Stonehenge, March 4 (J. S. C. Robin-
son per A.M.M.); one, with a small party of Chaffinches, near Ramsbury
Manor, March 25 (C.A.W.). In autumn c. 45 were seen at Hackpen, Nov. 10
(M.C.) and an unspecified number at Manton (Mr. Blakeley per M.C.) and
near Devizes golf course, Nov. 22 (C.J.J.). One bird on Hinton Down, Dec.
20 (M.C.F., W.1.W.). One near Marlborough, Dec. 25 (L.G.P.).
43, CORN-BUNTING. All notes on this species will be included in the findings
of the Corn-Bunting enquiry, 1951-52, and published in next year’s Report.
49. Cir“ BUNTING. New breeding areas found near Homington and Ford
and Britford (C.M.R.P.). At Pitton, first song was heard, March 4, and nest-
ing noted as usual. A male was singing well, Nov. 13 (R.W.). Singing at
Great Cheverell, July 28 and Aug. 3 (C.J.J.). One or two with large flocks of
finches and Yellow Buntings in hedgerows at Milford, Dec. 29 (M.L.).
55. REED-BUNTING. A large party near Ford, Jan. 21. Birds returned to
breeding areas, March 5. Many more pairs than usual about the Salisbury
gravel pits (C.M.R.P.).
59. SNOW-BUNTING. An adult male was seen near Gore Cross, Jan. 20, ina
large flock of finches and buntings, Skylarks and House-Sparrows. When the
flock moved in small groups, the Snow-Bunting moved alone or with the Sky-
larks. On Jan. 27 the same observer with a companion saw the bird in what
appeared to be the same flock about a mile from Gore Cross, Full descriptive
notes filed (D.S.).
62. TREE-SPARROW. Noted at Totterdown, Jan. 28 (M.C.), and in usual
haunts on Hag Hill, Semington (G.L.B.). One near Aldbourne, April 5 and
three on Aug. 30 (W.LW.). A family seen several times on Colerne aero-
drome (C.S.H.). Two, feeding on the ground with poultry at Avon, Oct. 5
(G.L.B.). Noted with finches near Great Cheverell (D.S.) and at Alton Barnes,
Dec. 26 (L.G.P.).
69. Woop-LarkK. Singing birds reported near Stockton Wood and Wylye,
March 2; Groveley, May 13; Tilshead Lodge, May 14, and Larkhill, June 28
(A.M.M.). A pair in Spye Park, April 23 (G.W.C.) ; a party of four, of which
two were possibly young birds, also in Spye Park, June 7 (J.C.C.O.). Singing
near Farley, March 29, and above heavy mist in the same area, Sept. 30
(W.M.C.). Noted on Great Bedwyn Common, May 12 (M.C.); and in the
Pitton, Clarendon and Pepperbox Hill areas (M.L.). One nest at Pepperbox
Hill was built a foot from the main path within a few yards of the café. Many,
seen in flight near Clarendon during the winter months, possibly represented
local movements (C.M.R.P.).
312 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
75. TREE-PIPIT. First seen: April 15, Stonehenge (A.M.M.); April 16,
Landford (W.M.C.); April 19, Alderbury (C.M.R.P.); April 23, Spye Park
(G.W.C.). Noted in Savernake Forest (M.C.F., M.C.). A nest with fresh
eggs, Pepperbox Hill, July 15, possibly a second brood (C.M.R.P.). A pair
seen several times near West Lavington, but breeding not proved (D.S.).
76. WMerapow-Pirit. A considerable flock apparently migrating E.N.E. under
the line of the Downs at Coate, April 1 (L.G.P.). A flock of 30 flying N.W.
over Calne, April 7, also probably on migration (C.C.B.). No evidence of
breeding in Corsham Park, Gastard or Neston, though winter flocks are dis-
tributed over this area (A.G.S.).
84. BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. R.W. watched a party of five Wagtails for over
half an hour by floodwater near Pitton on the afternoon of April 28. The
birds were seen at close range, sometimes only three or four yards away and
were not at all shy. One was a fine male Blue-headed Wasgtail, about which
there could be no mistake. Two were not so brightly coloured and may well
have been females, but their eye-stripes were definitely white, not yellow, and
there was more white beneath their dark greyish ear-coverits. With the
fourth bird exact observation was not possible. The fifth bird was seen perch-
ed close to the undoubted male Blue-headed Wagtail and could easily be see
to be much paler.The crown of this bird was pale bluish-grey, almost the
colour of a pale blue sky, and the white stripes above and below the ear-coverts
combined with this to make the head look conspicuously lighter in colour than
that of the male Blue-headed Wagtail. Its other plumage, however, more
resembled that of the other birds, presumed to be females. The observer
considers that the bird was a male of the pale race cf. British Birds Vol. XLI
p. 246.
88. YELLOW WAGTAIL. First reported April 7, Melksham (G.L.B.). Also
seen near Brinkworth, April 13 (R.G.B.), at Britford, April 18 and at Stratford,
April 26 (C.M.R.P.). Pairs at Preston, April 29 and May 1 (W.I.W.), and at
Clatford, May 13 (M.C.). Single birds at Dauntsey Lock, July 26 (G.W.C.) ;
Tilshead Lodge Camp, Sept. 7 (A.M.M.); Semington, Sept. 12 (G.L.B.) ;
and at Hullavington aerodrome, Sept. 14 to 21 (G.L.), which was the last bird
seen. Parties of six birds on hurdles near Snap on Aug. 31, and of five near
Aldbourne, Sept. 2 (W.1L.W.). Eighteen birds were feedng in a field near
cattle at Beanacre, Aug. 20. One was of a very light colour and probably a
variant (G.L.B.). Breeding records: Several pairs at Stratford Bridge, May
28 (M.L.). Two pairs in June near Lake, both apparently nesting, though no
nest found (J.K.S.). Three pairs feeding young in nests in rough open grass-
land at Keevil aerodrome. One pair feeding young in nest in standing corn
and two more pairs feeding recently fledged young in meadow at Hag Hill,
Semington. Two pairs nesting in mowing grass near Lacock gravel-pits.
Several pairs on and near marshy ground near Melksham ; no definite proof of
breeding, but one juvenile seen there in June. Also a pair seen frequently in
another area near Melksham but again no proof of breeding (G.L.B.).
** Variant ’’ Wagtails. On May 6, six or eight Yellow Wagtails were hovering
with their legs dangling over floodwater in a field near Melksham. Two birds
were considerably lighter in colour than the others, the yellow being very faint,
while the head and mantle showed a definite greyish tinge. One bird had a
Pied Wagtail—British Long-Tailed Tit 313
prominent light eye-stripe. There is no doubt that they were variants. This
particular spot was kept under observation for several weeks, but when the
birds were beginning to pair, cattle were turned into the field and churned up
the whole area making it unsuitable for nesting. On May 14, a male Yellow
Wagtail was seen to mate with one of the variant birds. C.R. notes that these
light coloured birds had a broad eye-strip and that the head plumage was grey,
tending to brown-grey rather than blue-grey. The shading around the ear-
coverts and chin was indefinite. There was a dark V on the breast and a darker
curve below the ear-coverts. A yellowish tinge was just discernible around
the vent and on the feathered tarsi (G.L.B.).
On May 18 a female Yellow Wagtail was seen collecting dandelion * clocks ”’
for nesting material. There is no mention in the Handbook or in Stuart
Smith’s monograph of this practice. Courtship display was witnessed on
May 22. A male strutted round with his head in the air and his breast thrust
forward. After a while he started to shiver his wings, at the same time slowly
sinking to the ground. When in a roosting position, the whole body was made
to shiver until there was just a shimmering ball of yellow. He got to his feet,
still shivering, and slowly circled round a female, deliberately raising and
lowering his tail the whole time. The female chased him away and another
male flew down and attacked him. Later, the female repuised his advances
again and held on to his breast feathers until he managed to disengage himself
and fly off for a short distance. He remained there with his beak open making
a harsh churring sound three times (G.L.B.).
90. PiED WacTarIL. A large roost in Sept. and Oct. in bushes by Staverton
bridge, where they roosted in July, 1950; c. 24 roosted in bushes by Seend
Green pond during hard frost in early December (1.U.).
93. BRITISH TREE-CREEPER. Nested at Norton (J.W.) and Oare (D.P.) in
trees ; at Lacock on a corrugated iron shed and on a cottage behind wooden
shutters (G.L.B.). Birds seen in the Close, Salisbury (M.L.), at Coate
- (M.C.F.), Box Wood (C.S.H.), near Biddestone (C.R.), Marlborough (L.G.P.),
Castle Combe, Seagry (R.G.B.), Chilton Foliat and Aldbourne (W.1.W.).
96. NuTHaTcH. One climbing over the face of a brick-built house in
Chippenham, March (R.G.B.).
98. BRITISH GREAT Tit. Al! Great and Blue Tits in the Farley area nested at
least a week later and laid smailer clutches than is usual (W.M.C.). A male was
seen chasing a female and trying unsuccessfully to mate in mid-air at Nash Hill,
April 15 (G.L.B.).
108. BRITISH WILLOW-TIT. Birds seen several times in spring by D.P., and
once on May 31 by L.G.P. in the wood near Huish where a pair had bred the
previous year. No nest found. A single bird seen near Marlborough, Aug. 4
(W.1.W.).
111. British LONG-TAILeD TiT. Nests annually in a clump of bamboos at
Norton (J.W.). Nested near Bishopstone (H.W.T.), Biddestone (C.S.H.),
East Grimstead (R.H.), and Alderbury, where a pair were building, Feb. 8th
(C.M.R.P.). Large and small parties reported from fifteen widely scattered
localities.
314 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
114. GREAT GREY SHRIKE. A male was seen in April near a garden at Red-
lynch by A.E.B.
119. RED-BACKED SHRIKE. A pair arrived at a site near Marlborough, May
24, and were thought to be nesting, June 29. Large young on the wing were
being fed there, July 16, and young on the wing were reported from the same
site on Aug. 29, probably a second brood. Another brood was seen a mile east
of Marlborough. Near Bishopstone a cock was in residence, June 18, but no
nest found (L.G.P.). On Aug. 4 and Sept. 2 a pair was seen near Chiseldon
(W.LW.). ;
121. SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. First seen: April 22, Chilton Foliat (W.1.W.) ;
April 30, Box (C.S.H.) ; May 5, Axford (M.C.F.) and West Lavington (D.S.).
At Farley one of a pair built a second nest about 36 ft. away from the first nest
in which the other parent was still feeding young (W.M.C.). On Aug. 3 a pair
were seen threatening a Tawny Owl high in a tree above their nest, which con-
tained young and was built only 4 ft. from the ground (C.R.). At Lackham
House on Aug. 20 there were 11 flycatchers in a very small area, and on Aug. 31,
35-40 birds consisting of several families of adults and young were on the
fences and trees near the entrance to the garden. The noise made by the young
calling for food was considerable. The Handbook states that, even where
abundant, the Spotted Flycatcher shows little tendency to gregariousness. The
next day there was not a Flycatcher to be seen. One explanation seems to be
that this was a form of pre-migratory assembly, although this is not a normal
habit for the species. One juvenile Pied Flycatcher was with the flock (G.L.B.,
C.R.). Last seen: Sept. 13, Codford (E.V.F.) ; Sept. 22, Clarendon (C.M.
R.P.) ; Sept. 23, Lacock (C.C.B.).
123. PIED FLYCATCHER. Seen on spring passage: two at Boreham Wood,
April 16 (C.E.O.) ; two males at West Woods, April 18 (M.C.). Single birds
at Lackham, April 21 (G.W.C., G.L.B.), Norton, April 21 (J.W.), at Groveley
Wood, April 22 (J.M.L.), Great Somerford bridge, April 27 (C.S.H.), by the
R. Till near Stapleford Castle, May 6 (A.M.M.), at Salisbury, May 9, feeding
with Chaffinches and House Sparrows (W.A.C.). On autumn passage: a
juvenile at Lackham, Aug. 31, at the same spot where a male was seen in spring
(C.R., G.L.B.).
127. BriTisH GOLDCREST. Nests found in six places, birds seen in five more
places. Numbers well above the average round Clarendon (C.M.R.P.). At
Box on Nov. 12 a pair were calling and displaying at sunset, the chase lasting
several minutes (C.S.H.).
The following record relating to 1943 was recently received.
128. FIRECREST. A single bird seen feeding in a fir tree on Beacon Hill, near
Bulford Camp, on March 19, 1943. It was identified by the very green upper
parts, the very broad orange centre of the crown and the white superciliary
band (W.L.R. per British Birds).
129. CHIFFCHAFF. First reported: Mar. 22, Aldbourne (M.C.F.); Claren-
don (C.M.R.P.) ; Mar. 23, Ramsbury (C.A.W.) ; Mar. 26, Clatford (M.C.) ;
Mar. 29, Thingley (G.L.B.) and Lacock (J.C.C.O.). While feeding in a fir
tree near Holt, April 23, a Chiffchaff was seen to catch a honey bee which it
Willow Warbler—Lesser Whitethroat B15
proceeded to knock ona branch. It went into cover carrying the bee, but when
it came out again it wiped its bill several times, so the inference is that the bee
was eaten (G.L.B.). Last reported: Oct. 3, Erlestoke (D.S.); Oct. 5,
Semington (G.L.B.) ; Oct. 7, Fowler’s Hill (M.L.) ; Oct. 9, Little Cheverell
(M.E.N.) ; Oct. 12, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.),.
132. WILLOW WARBLER. First reported: March 29, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.) ;
April 4, Aldbourne (W.IW.); April 5, Oare (D.P.) and Weavern (G.W.C.).
Many reported between April 14 and 18. Last reported: Oct. 2, Great
Cheverell (D.S.) ; Oct. 3, Kington St. Michael (C.S.H.) ; Oct. 6, Marlborough
(M.C.) ; Oct. 7, Fowler’s Hill (M.L.) ; Oct. 10, Salisbury (C.M.R.P.).
135. Woop-WARBLER. Reported at Rockley, April 26 (C.S.H.); Great
Durnford, May 1 (C.M.R.P.); Pepperbox Hill, May 2 (M.L.); Knowle
Cowleys, May 6 (M.C.); Spye Park, May 12 (G.W.C.) ; Braydon Wood,
June 13 (R.G.B.) ; Aldbourne, July 12 (M.C.F.) and Fonthill, July 29 (G.L.B.).
145. GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER. Reported on Bedwyn Common, May 13
(M.C.) ; and near Aldbourne, Sept. 2 (W.1.W.).
149. REED-WARBLER. First reported: April 23 at Coate Water, where a good
many were singing (M.C.F., W.I.W.) ; April 25, Chilton Foliat (M.C.). One
or two at Erlestoke (M.C.). Present in usual numbers along the valley of the
Salisbury Avon and many nests at the gravel-pits (C.M.R.P.). Last reported :
Aug. 24, Ray Bridge (G.L.B.); Sept. 9, Salisbury gravel-pits (C.M.R.P.) ;
Sept. 20, Coate Water (W.I1.W.).
153. SEDGE-WARBLER. First reported: April 5, Salisbury (C.M.R.P.) ;
April 13, Stapleford (M.L.) ; April 22, Axford and Chilton Foliat (W.1.W.) ;
April 25, widespread along the Avon valley near Amesbury (A.IVI.M.). Many
more nests than in 1950, especially in the Salisbury gravel pits (C.M.R.P.).
Last reported: Sept. 18, Salisbury (C.M.R.P.) ; Sept. 19, Chilton Foliat, and
Sept. 20, Coate Water (W.LW.).
161. GARDEN-WARBLER. First reported: April 17, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.) ;
April 23, Coate (W.1.W.) ; April 26, Worton (M.E.N.) ; April 29, East Tyther-
ton (G.W.C.) and May 1, Farley (W.M.C.). Last reported: Sept. 14, Box
(C.S.H.).
162. BLacxcapr. First: reported: March 26, Grovely Wood (J.M.L.) ;
April 10, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.); April 12, Norton (J.W.); April 18, Wood-
borough (H.W.T.), Nettleton (G.L.) and Sharcott (M.C.); several reported
between April 18 and 25. Last reported: Sept. 9, Aldbourne (W.I.W.) ;
Sept. 10, Box (C.S.H.) and Oct. 9, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.).
163. WHITETHROAT. First reported: April 18, Stonehenge (A.M.M.) ;
April 20, Lacock (G.L.B.) ; April 21, Imber (C.S.H.) and Bratton (G.W.C.).
Other reports between April 22 and 29. A party of 30-40, with some Lesser
Whitethroats, in hedges at Pitton, April 29 (R.W.). Last reported: Sept. 1,
Aldbourne (W.I.W.).
164, LESSER WHITETHROAT. First reported: April 16, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.);
April 23, Farley (W.M.C.) ; April 24, Ogbourne Hill (W.I.W.) and Slaughter-
ford (G.W.C.) ; April 25, Aldbourne (M.C.F.) ; April 26, Worton (M.E.N.).
Widespread occurrence in spring in the Chippenham district noted by C.R.
316 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951 |
and E.J.C. Many more nests than usual near Clarendon (C.M.R.P.). Second
song heard at Granham Hill, June 14 (L.G.P.) and snatches of song at Ald-
bourne, July 7 (M.C.F.). Last reported: Sept. 16, Axford (W.I.W.).
173. FIELDFARE. Remained near Marlborough in January and February in-
stead of vanishing from that district as usual. A large N.E. movement, April 4
(L.G.P.). Large flocks on Enford Down until April 11 at least (A.M.M.).
Last seen in spring: April 25, c. 20 near Amesbury (A.M.M.) ; May 1, a flock
of 80, and May 2, a flock of 23, both near Aldbourne (W.1.W.) ; several near
Broad Hinton, May 5 (L.G.P.). First seen in autumn: Oct. 11, over 100
feeding on buckthorn berries at High Post (C.M.R.P.); Oct. 19, Totterdown
(M.C.) ; Oct. 21, Marlborough (L.G.P.) ; Oct. 28, Silk Wood (R.G.B.) ; Oct.
30, Aldbourne (IM.C.F.). Between 3 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 16 a flock of 750-1000
birds flew fairly high over Bishopstone Downs in a S.W. direction. They
moved as a compact flock, with no stragglers, on a broad front but narrow in
depth (H.W.T.). Aninflux about Pitton was noted on Dec. 26 (R.W.) ; c. 2000
at Membury aerodrome, Dec. 21 (W.LW.).
174. MistLe-THRusH. A nest with the large clutch of 5 eggs, at Clarendon,
April 17. Feeding young in nest, June 13, a late date (C.M.R.P.).
175. BRITISH SONG-THRUSH. On Feb. 27 at Clarendon a nest was lined with
mud; it contained 2 eggs on March 3, an early date. Many more nests in
’ this area than in 1950. A nest at Milford, March 21, contained the unusually
large clutch of 7 eggs, and one at Ford, May 11, had 6 eggs (C.M.R.P.).
178. REDWING. A large flock at Ramsbury, Jan. 15 (M.C.F.); flocks seen
in the spring of 1951 seemed bigger than those of 1950 (G.L.B.) ; a large flock
roosted in elms at Seend in January and February (1.U.). Redwings with some
Blackbirds completely cleared a great mass of holly berries at Farley in two days
(W.M.C.). Last seen in spring: March 27, Seagry (R.G.B.); March 29,
Sandy Lane, 6-8 birds (J.C.C.O.) ; April. 7, Amesbury, c. 20 birds (A.M.M.).
First seen in autumn: Oct. 9, Britford (C.ML.R.P.); Oct. 13, Everleigh
(A.M...) ; Oct. 19, Little Cheverell (M.E.N.); Oct. 21, Marlborough
(L.G.P.). Several hundreds in small flocks, roosting in Bowood, Dec. 26
(G.L.B.).
182. RrNc-OuZzEL. A male was found dead by a keeper on the Trafalgar
estate in April. The skin was preserved and given to the Section by A.E.B.,
to whom the same keeper reported three other birds on autumn passage. One
near Winterslow, Oct. 13 (R.H.).
184, BLACKBIRD. Singing at Chippenham, Jan. 10 (C.R.). A nest with 3
eggs at Britford, Feb. 15 (C.M.R.P.) and one at Farley contained young several
days old, March 25 (W.M.C.). A clutch of 7 eggs found at Castle Combe
(E.J.C.) and several clutches of 6 eggs near Clarendon (C.M.R.P.). A Biack-
bird flying out of a disused rabbit hole in Great Ridge, drew attention to its
nest, on oak leaves, 2 ft. down the hole and containing 3 eggs (M.B.Y.B.). A
Grey Squirrel was seen eating a freshly killed Blackbird at East Grimstead,
Dec. 21 (R.H.). A bird seen nest-building at Aldbourne, Dec. 21 (W.ILW.).
186. WHEATEAR. First seen: March 14, Larkhill (G.L.B.); March 16,
Ogbourne St. George (M.C.F.) ; March 23, Picket Hill (D.P.) ; March 25,
Winterbourne (W.M.C.), Bulkington (G.L.B.), Clarendon (C.M.R.P.), and at
Whinchat—Swallow Si7.
Great Durnford a party of 8, nearly all males (J.K.S.). Last seen: Sept. 15,
Baydon; Sept. 18, Aldbourne, 12 birds, (W.LW.) ; Sept. 22, Salisbury Plain
(D.S.).
197. WHINCHAT. Single birds, April 24, Ogbourne Hill (W.1.W.), April 25,
Hinton Down (M.C.F.) and Bishopstone Downs, May 12 (H.W.T.). Pairs,
April 25, near Melksham (G.L.B.) and April 29, near Pitton (R.W.). Single
females, May 5, Avebury (L.G.P.) and May 12, Easton Grey (C.R.). A pair
with young on the wing at Devil’s Den, July 17 (L.G.P.) also three pairs, all
with young, on West Down, Tilshead, and one pair near West Lavington in
July (JJ. S. C. Robinson per A.M.M.). A single bird at Yatesbury R.A.F.
camp, August 6 (C.R.). Many were seen in harvest fields near Pitton towards
the end of August (R.W.). Eight birds near Aldbourne, Aug. 30 and Sept 18
(W.1.W.), and five, with Wheatears on stooks there, in a cornfield, Sept .7
(M.C.F.). Also seen on Bishopstone Downs, Aug. 25, Aug. 31, Sept. 15
(H.W.T.), and Sept. 1 (C.R.), and near Biddestone, Sept. 20 (G.W.C.).
198. BRITISH STONECHAT. One at Clatford, Jan. 20 (M.C.). ; April 11,
Pitton (R.W.) and Britford (C.M.R.P.); April 15, Oare (D.P.). Many re-
ported April 18-22. Last noted: August 10, Aldbourne (W.ILW.); Aug. 19,
Pepperbox Hill (C.M.R.P.); Aug. 21, Spye Park (G.L.B., P.R.); Aug. 31,
Lackham (G.L.B., C.R.). The last two records were of juvenile birds.
250. LONG-EARED OWL. On March 25, C.M.R.P. saw a hen which had been
shot while sitting on her eggs in an old Magpie’s nest in a hawthorn near High
Post. Nest and 2 eggs found, June 2, and young seen July 7 (M.C.). Young
on the wing in Savernake Forest, July 4 (L.G.P.).
251. SHORT-EARED OWL. Two near Bulford late in February (B. A. Leach
per A.M.M.); three near Tilshead, April 4, one still present, April 5 (N. G.
Bell per A.M.M.). Five seen in a partridge drive near Lake, Oct. 20; three
remained there until December. On Nov. 14, two of them were watched in
sunlight diving at and mobbing a Hen Harrier (J.K.S.).
254. WHITE-BREASTED BARN OWL. Feathers from remains left by a Barn
Owl in a building at Wylye in January were identified at the Natural History
Museum as those of Fieldfare and Skylark (R.S.N.).
259. PEREGRINE FALCON. Single birds in flight seen as follows: at Wilton
Water, Jan. 27 (where it was stooping at ducks) : at Totterdown, Jan. 28, and
at Martinsell, Feb. 18 (M.C.); at Larkhill, chasing a cock Merlin, Feb. 18
(A.M.M.) ; near Marlborough, April 4 and Baydon, June 18 (L.G.P.) ; near
Great Cheverell, July 24 (D.S.); at Long Dean, probably a young female,
Aug. 18 (C.R., D.J.R.) and between the Cheverells, Dec. 1 (D.S.). A tiercel
was Seen in a garden in Chippenham, tired but in good feather (E.J.C.). Tak-
ing partridge near West Dean, June 22 (R.H.) and lapwing at Keevil aerodrome,
June 17 and Sept. 9. (G.L.B.). A pair were flying over Pepperbox Hill,
Oct 6 (C.M.R.P.) and at dusk on a December evening, three were flying round
and perching on the summit of Salisbury spire, uttering their call (W.A.C.).
261. Hospy. Seen hawking mayflies, May 25 (D.N.D.). A female seen
June 7 and July 8, and a male, July 1 and 8, on Salisbury Plain. Nest not
found (A.M.M.). A single bird seen, July 12, by Mr. Blakeley (M.C.), and
one, July 20, being mobbed by very noisy Swallows (G.L.B.). Birds seen
July 26 and Aug. 3 (J.K.S.). A hen was feeding young in a small wood, July 28
(C.M.R.P.). Last seen, Sept. 13 (W.I1.W.).
262. MeErRLIN. At Larkhill a female seen Feb. 15 and a male also seen there
being chased by a Peregrine, Feb. 18. Single birds near Enford, Feb. 23, and
Enford Down, April 4 (A.M.M.), also on several occasions in autumn near
Pitton, unusual in that district (R.W.).
263. KESTREL. One, ringed at Upavon, June 26, 1950, was recorded at
Kingstone, Hereford, Sept. 1950, 65 miles N.W. cf. British Birds Vol. XLIV,
No. 9, Sept. 1951. Six birds hunting together near Hinton Down, Aug. 30
(W.I.W.). Single bird often seen during October on a lawn near Berwick
St. James eating earthworms like a Song Thrush (C.M.R.P.).
320 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
269. COMMON BUZZARD. Two nesting records received. One pair brought
off three young, the other not stated. Twelve observers sent in sight records
this year, the most northerly being Colerne and Malmesbury. A bird seen by
C.R. on Jan. 2 near Chippenham was later shot and reliably reported to be
immature.
272. MONTAGU’S HARRIER. One in an old breeding areain S. Wilts, May 2,
but not seen again (C.M.R.P.). A female seen on Salisbury Plain, May 4,
July 1 and 3. A female in a different district, Aug. 18 (A.M.M.). One in
S. Wilts in June (M.L.).
273. HEN-HARRIER. Single birds seen near Larkhill on Jan, 24, 31 and Feb.
18 by A.M.M. and reported to him on several other dates. One being mobbed
by two Short-eared Owls near Lake, Nov. 14 (J.K.S.). One near Larkhill,
Nov. 19 and Dec. 2 (J. S. G. Robinson per A.M.M.).
289. COMMON HERON. At the Warren heronry in Savernake Forest ten or
eleven birds seen, March 1, when four nests were completed and three others
had been begun. At least five nests were occupied on March 29 (M.C.).
297. BITTERN. One was seen trying to fly near Erlestoke Lake, Feb. 18,
when it suddenly dropped and lay flapping on the ground. Since both legs
and one wing were found to be broken, it was destroyed. From the marks on
its legs it appeared to have been in a trap (D.S.). One fiushed by the river
Avon, near Figheldean, in late January and again in late February by hounds
(Major Gilman M.F.H. per A.M.M.). One first noted Dec. 26, 1950, at the
Salisbury gravel-pits, was seen again on dates between Jan. 7 and March 12
(C.M.R.P.). One got up within 10 yards of E.G.P. in water meadows at Steeple
Langford, Dec. 22,1950. It was seen and identified by several other observers.
The last record was omitted in error from the 1950 report.
300. WHOOPER SWAN. Seven birds on the Avon near Stratford-sub-Castle
on the evening of April 16. They were as large as Mute Swans. Two were
completely white, and five, possibly young birds, had very faint brown tinges
on the upper side of the wings. Visibility was only moderate, but the lemon
yellow beaks with large black tips were very noticeable. The legs were black-
ish. On the water the birds swam with necks erect turning their heads from
side to side. When disturbed, they took off head to wind and flew in a wedge-
shaped formation at great speed, making a soft whistling sound (J.M.L.).
GreEY GEESE (species not determined). On Jan. 12 c. 100 flew over Norton
from N.W., then changed direction swinging N.E. (J.W.). Sixteen flying
high, Marlborough, Feb. 9 (M.C.). A skein of c. 20 flew N. over Clarendon,
Aug. 8 (C.M.R.P.). Twelve on barley stubbles near West Dean, Sept: 16,
not near enough for identification (R.H.). Seven flying W. over Marlborough,
Nov. 9, had dark patches on the belly and may have been white-fronted (M.C.).
315. SHELD-DucK. One was shot, Jan. 2, by a farmer at Inglesham not far
from the river Cole. It was identified by F.H.M.
317. MaALLarD. Highest numbers at Coate Water in winter 150, Feb. 4
(IM.C.) and in autumn c. 100, Oct. 28 (M.C.)-and c. 250, Dec. 19 (W.1.W-.).
At Braydon Pond: 52, Jan. 7 (J.B.), and 29, Dec. 30 (R.G.B.). Large num-
bers at Clarendon Lake in early autumn (R.W.). Highest numbers at other
Real“ Tufted Dich | 321
waters ; Ramsbury Lake, c. 300 in March and December (M.C.) ; Shearwater,
72 in January (M.B.); Chilton Foliat, 80 in March and c. 140 in December
({M.C.) ; Wilton Water, 16 in March and 54 in December (M.C.) ; Bowood
Lake, 31 in February, 54 in August (G.L.B.), and 48 in December (P.R.) ;
Longford, 50 in January (V.H.) ; Longleat, 50 in December (R.H.P.).
319. TraL. A brood at West Dean, June 5 (R.H.). At Coate Water the
highest numbers in winter were c. 200, Jan. 16 (W.LW.), and c. 100, Feb. 4
(M.C.). Last seen at Coate, March 16 (M.C.F.), and first seen in autumn,
Sept. 28; c. 150 present Nov. 2 (M.C.F.). At Braydon Pond, 20 on Jan. 15
and Feb. 4 (J.B.) ; c. 45 in December (R.G.B.). Small numbers in autumn at
Wilton Water, Clatford (M.C.), Clarendon (R.W., C.M.R.P.) and the Avon at
Bulkington (G.L.B.).
322. GARGANEY. On April 19 a pair at the Sutton Benger gravel pits were
‘seen on the water and in flight. Watched through glasses and stalked to within
18 ft., the broad white stripe on head and dark crown of the drake were noted
and the lighter colouring of the duck (E.J.C.). One on Clarendon Lake, Oct. 28
(C.M.R.P.).
323. WIGEON. At Coate Water 6-27 birds were seen on dates between Jan. 3
and Feb. 24 (M.C.F., W.1.W.), none on March 18 (M.C.F.), three on Dec. 20
(M.C.F., W.I.W.) and nine on Dec. 30 (M.C.F.). At Braydon Pond 38-75
birds were seen on dates from Jan. 7 to March 4 (J.B., R.G.B.), 17 birds, which
flew off towards the North, on March 28, and four males and three females on
April 1; the whistle of drakes was heard on Nov. 19; 16 birds were seen on
Dec, 2 and c. 60, Dec. 30 (R.G.B.). Three or four were on ponds near West
Dean on Oct. 27 (R.H.), and three at Longleat on Dec. 21 (R.H.P.).
325. PINTAIL. Two at Coate Water on Jan. 3 (W.I.W.), and one on Jan. 4
(M.C.F.). Two at Braydon Pond on Feb. 4 (J.B.).
326. SHOVELER. A male on Braydon Pond, March 28 (R.G.B.). A female
flushed from reeds at Lacock gravel pits, April 6 (C.R., G.L.B.). Four on
ponds at West Dean, Oct. 27 (R.H.). A male at Braydon Pond, Dec. 30
(R.G.B.).
328. COMMON PocHARD. At Coate Water, between 3 and 20 birds seen on
dates from Jan. 15 to Feb. 24 (M.C.F., W.I.W.), one bird, April 1 (W.I.W.) ;
6-9 on dates from Nov. 28 to Dec. 20 (M.C., M.C.F., W.IW.). At Corsham
Lake, 15 males and 35 females, Jan. 28 (G.W.C.). At Braydon Pond on dates
between Feb. 4 and March 28 numbers varied from 8-19 (J.B., R.G.B.), one
female, Aprill. From Nov. 19 to the end of the year c. 60 birds were usually
present (R.G.B.). At Longleat there were 40, Dec. 21 (R.H.P.). Small
numbers in the early months of the year and again in autumn at Bowood
(G.L.B., P.R.), Clarendon (R.W.), Shearwater (M.B.), Wilton Water (M.C.)
and Salisbury gravel-pits (C.M.R.P.).
330. TUFTED Duck. A female with 7 young was on the southernmost lake
at Longleat, July 13 (R.H.P.). Young were seen at Wilton Water, July 26
(M.C.). A pair were seen at Chilton Foliat, June 20 (L.G.P.). At Clarendon
Lake there were 30-40 birds in February and at Longleat 75 birds, Dec. 21
VOL. LIV—CXCVI V
322 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
(R.H.P.). Small numbers in winter at Coate Water (W.I.W.), Braydon Pond
(J.B., R.G.B.), Chilton Foliat (M.C.F.), Corsham (G.W.C.), Wilton Water
(M.C.) and Bowood (G.L.B., P.R.).
332. GOLDENEYE. At Coate Water a female was seen, April 1 (L.G.P.), and
a male, Nov. 3 (M.C.).
342. GOOSANDER. One at Coate Water, Jan. 3, but not seen next day (W.I1.W.)
346. CORMORANT. Cormorants have again come inland as far as Longford
Park in considerable numbers (W.A.C.) ; 8 were seen flying over the Salisbury
Avon, Dec. 27 and 3 on Dec. 29 (C.M.R.P.).
350. STORM-PETREL. The body of a Storm-Petrel was found in April in a
wood near Redlynch by a gamekeeper and brought to A.E.B. for identification.
370. GREAT CRESTED GREBE. At Coate Water two birds were seen, Jan. 16
(W.I1.W.) ; three pairs in March and on April 1 (L.G.P., M.C.F.) ;_ six adults.
and one immature bird, Sept. 7 (IMi.C.F.); ten birds, Sept. 28 and Oct. 1
(M.C.F., L.G.P.), but only five or six seen in December (W.I.W., L.G.P.). At
Bowood three pairs were nesting on April 1, and on June 11 two adults were
seen with four young each; on June 15 three adults with four, three and two
young respectively ; three young only, Aug. 5 (G.L.B.). At Braydon Pond :
none seen, Jan. 7 or 15 (J.B.) ; one bird, Feb. 15 (R.G.B.) 3 six birds, March 4
(J.B.) ; four pairs, April 1 (C.R.); three birds sitting, May 25. On Aug. 5
one adult was seen with two young, and four adults with one young each (one
of these was very small) ; one young only seen between Nov. 19 and Dec. 7
(R.G.B.). At Westbury Ponds, one pair with young seen, July 25 (G.W.C.).
At Erlestoke, one juvenile remained from Sept. 23 to Oct. 6 (D.S.) ; at Corsham
Lake two adults were seen at the end of the year (C.R.).
379. RED-THROATED DIVER. One at Braydon Pond, Jan. 15 (J.B.).
380. WoOOD-PIGEON. One sitting, Jan. 23, at Great Durnford (J.K.S.), and.
one also sitting at Clarendon, Jan. 24. A male cooing to its mate was heard to
give a subdued warbling note, which would have been inaudible except at very
close range (C.M.R.P.). A nest with large young near Winterbourne Earls,
Oct. 20 (R.W.).
Remarkable increase in numbers about Nov. 19. Large flocks seen regularly
up to the end of the year on high ground above Mariborough and in Savernake
Forest (L.G.P.). More than 1,000, and far more than observer had seen
together for some years, feeding on a clover field near Winterbourne Earls,
Dec. 20 (R.W.). Aspectacular migration seen near Bishops Cannings, Dec. 27.
Between 0900 and 1200 hours there was a steady stream of birds coming off the
downs and travelling in a south-westerly direction. The largest flock, c. 750,
may have been several smaller flocks loosely joined. Probably about 800 birds.
passed every hour. The wind was directly against the birds and they were
obviously keeping to the lowest route. Noticeable features of the migration.
were the steady flight of the birds, differing markedly from that of residents,
their disregard of humans, and the very narrow flightline, perhaps only 100:
yds. wide. A few parties seen in the afternoon may have also been taking part.
(C.C. BO,
Stock Dove—Common Sandpiper 323
381. Strock-Dove. Paired at Great Durnford, Jan. 9 (J.K.S.).
383. TURTLE-DovE. First reported: April 25, Amesbury (A.M.M.) and
Pitton (R.W.); April 26, Lacock (G.L.B.); April 27, Bishopstone (M.C.) ;
Clarendon (C.M.R.P.) and Aldbourne (W.I.W.). Last reported: Sept. 12,
Baydon (W.I.W.); Sept. 14, Pitton (R.W.); Oct. 7, Clarendon (C.M.R.P.).
387. BLACK-TAILED GopwIT. Whilst watching Redshanks near Whitton-
ditch at 1030 hrs, April 19, W.I.W. saw two considerably larger birds fly over.
He watched the birds for 30 minutes at 40 yards’ range with X8 field-glasses.
Returning at 1330 hrs. he made a sketch. The birds flew away 20 minutes
later towards Hungerford. The sketch and notes accurately portray the long
beak, the marking of wings and tail and the legs extended beyond the tail in
flight.
388. COMMON CURLEW. One at Clatford, March 11 (M.C.) and one at
Worton, March 14 (M.E.N.). Two pairs over a breeding area in S. Wilts,
April 22 (C.M.R.P.). Calling near Minety, May 10 (J.S.). Heard over Seend,
June 21-22 and July 1. Also 4—6 birds seen on several occasions earlier in the
year by the Summerham Brook (1.U.). Two on Keevil aerodrome, June 23
(G.L.B.). One, feeding near rooks in a meadow near the Avon at Lackham,
Aug. 4 (C.R.). Single birds seen flying W. over Bishopstone Downs, Sept. 7
(H.W.T.), and flying S.E. over Southwick, Oct. 10 (P.R.). J.H.M. reports
that during the last 2 or 3 years Curlew have taken to visiting the Inglesham
district, chiefly in winter.
393. Woopcock. Birds were frequently seen in winter and early spring ina
copse near Oare, where a pair was later reported (D.P.). Single birds at Coate
Water, Jan. 16 (W.LW.); Fargo Plantation, Feb. 18 (A.M.M.); Chilton
Foliat, Feb. 23 (M.C.F.); near Clyffe Hall, Nov. 14 (D.S.), and in Seagry
Wood, Dec. 9 (R.G.B.). A nest with 2 young on Bedwyn Common in early
May. Birds seen roding in early June (L.G.P.).
[394. GREAT SNIPE. On Sept. 9, Mr. Blakeley put up a snipe from a bed of
nettles in a rabbit warren near Wick Farm far from any water. It flew away
with practically no zigzags and was silent and larger than the Common Snipe.
When Mr. Blakeley worked on the Yorkshire Moors, from time to time he saw
single birds like this and at about the same time of year. His previous experi-
ence makes this most difficult identification very probable (L.G.P.).]
395. COMMON SNIPE. A few seen in winter at Coate Water, Jan. 15 (M.C.F.),
and at the Lacock gravel pit (G.L.B.). Drumming heard over Milford, Feb.
27, where Snipe are now scarce, and over Ramsbury, March 23 (C.A.W.).
398. JACK SNIPE. One seen near West Lavington, Oct. 28 (D.S.).
404/405. DUNLIN. One in breeding plumage at Lacock gravel-pits, May 21
iG. E.B.).
421. COMMON SANDPIPER. One or two birds were present nearly every day
at Lacock gravel-pits from April 18 to May 21 (G.L.B.). Single birds at
Chilton Foliat, May 3 (M.C.F., W.I.W.), at Erlestoke Lake, May 13 (D.S.),
and on the Avon below Staverton on several dates in May (I.U.). Two birds
at Mildenhall, May 19 (M.C.). Autumn: Single birds at Westbury Ponds,
July 25 (G.W.C.), near Staverton, Aug. 2 (I.U.), and near Britford, Oct. 13
(C.M.R.P.). At Bowood Lake on Aug. 5, two adults and three juveniles
(G.L.B., P.R.).
V2
324 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
424. GREEN SANDPIPER. One at Littlecote, March 25 (C.A.W.); one near
Swindon, June 24 (M.C.). At Lacock gravel-pits on April 5 a bird was seen to
swim. The same bird was seen every day until April 18 when two were
present and gave a fine piping display at dusk. The bird was last seen on
April 20, when it towered to a great height and made off westward. Single
birds were seen at the same place for a month from July 22 and again on Sept.
12, when one was stalking flies at the water’s edge (G.L.B.). At Salisbury
gravel-pits single birds were seen from Sept. 18 till early October (C.M.R.P.).
428. BRITISH REDSHANK. Piping near Clarendon, Feb. 28. Many more
arrived at Britford, April 4 (C.M.R.P.). One near Froxfield, March 13; at
least 9 near Clatford, March 20 (M.C.) ; one seen and several heard at Axford,
March 16 (M.C.F.). Birds already present on three separate marshes near
Ramsbury, March 23 (C.A.W.). About fifty pairs between Chilton Foliat and
Knighton, five pairs near Whittonditch and one pair near Preston, April 2
(W.LW.).
435. RINGED PLOVER. On May 6, near Melksham, G.L.B. had a clear view
through field-glasses on one feeding on a grass hummock in flood water.
440/441. GOLDEN PLOVER. In spring: one bird near Hilperton with Lap-
wing, March 3 (G.L.B.); birds near Broad Hinton, March 24 (M.C.). In
autumn: 14 near Manton House, Oct. 6 (M.C.) ; a flock on Dean Hill, Oct. 22
(R.H.) ; 5 near Stonehenge, Oct. 23 (A.M.M.) ; c. 40 near Chiseldon, Oct. 28
{L.G.P.) ; a large flock with Lapwings and gulls in a field near Netherhampton,
Dec. 1 (M.L.) ; near Hilperton, one bird with Lapwings, Dec. 5 ; 16 0n Dec. 8
and 23 on Dec. 14, by which date Fieldfares and Starlings had joined the
Lapwings which numbered at least 800 (G.L.B.) ; seen in large numbers at
Harnham as in previous winters (W.A.C.).
441. NORTHERN GOLDEN PLOVER. Near Stonehenge on April 15, at least 16
out of a flock of 43 were in the full breeding plumage of this race. They were
seen well in flight and on the ground: the deep black of the face, breast and
belly was clearly outlined by a wide white band across forehead, down the side
of neck and along the flanks. One bird had a most unusual prominent wing-
bar (A.M.M.).
446. DOTTEREL. Late in April, Mr. R. H. Wilson saw a bird on the top ridge
of the downs near Bishopstone, some 800 ft. up. He was able to watch it for
about 15 minutes at a distance of 15 yards and note the details of its plumage.
They exactly corresponded with those of a coloured illustration of a Dotterel
which he looked at when he got home. Mr. Wilson, some 10 years ago, saw a
similar bird in the same district at the same time of year. He has lived there
for 48 years and farmed the land for 30 and knows the downland birds intimately.
On May 13 Mr. Blakeley saw a bird at 4 yards’ range from a car, it stretched
a wing and then flew about 20 yards. He then got field-glasses on it at close
range. He gave a detailed description of it, ‘‘ plover habits, size iust about
that of a Ringed Plover, ashy colour on neck, white streak above and below eye,
wing coverts edged with deep red, etc.”” Both these birds were seen on the
highest parts of the Downs.
In the last century small “ trips ’’ of Dotterel were not uncommonly seen on
the Marlborough Downs on spring passage but there seems to be only one
other record this century. The details of both records were obtained from the
observers by L.G.P. :
Lapwing—Herring-Gull 325
449. LAPWING. On May 16 near Melksham two birds were each seen to
- vibrate one foot on the ground in front of the body, the movement being so
rapid that it could be observed only through glasses. The ground was marshy
and presumably this action brought worms to the surface (G.L.B.). flock
of c. 400, consisting mostly of young birds, at Keevil aerodrome, Sep.. 4
(G.L.B.), and one of 300-400 between Hackpen and Broad Hinton, Nov. 22
(C.S.H.). Arrived in large numbers near Clarendon, Dec. 16 (C.M.R.P.).
452. BRITISH OYSTER-CATCHER. On March 13, an Oyster-catcher was rest-
ing at the water’s edge in Lacock gravel-pits. It was flushed and flew round
calling noisily, and then went off to the river Avon where it was later seen on the
grass bank (G.L.B.).
456. STONE-CURLEW. First noted: March 18 (C.M.R.P.); March 26
(R.W.); April 4 (A.M.M.). Last noted: Sept. 30 (H.W.T.); Oct. 13
(A.M.M.) ; Oct. 19 (C.M.R.P.) ; Oct. 20 (J.K.S.). Ten pairs seen and other
birds heard calling at night (A.M.M.). Two birds seen incubating, May 13,
and flock of 15 near the same area, Oct. 20 (J.K.S.). Many, which may have
been on migration, seen near Salisbury flying S.W. at dusk during September
and October (C.M.R.P.).
462. BLACK TERN. Between seven and ten visited Coate Water, May 17(M.C.).
469/470. TERN, COMMON OR ARCTIC. Two flying very low over Berwick St.
James in south-westerly direction during a nasty drizzle and S.E. wind at
1430 hrs., Aug. 28 (C.M.R.P.). One bird flew over Aldbourne village and was
watched for a long time with field-glasses, Aug. 29 (W.I.W.). On the same day
one was seen flying over the Avon below Staverton (I.U.). One at Erlestoke,
Sept. 27 (D.S.).
GULLS. On Aug. 16 ona field being ploughed near Biddestone, C.R. saw four
species of gulls in one flock, a unique experience for him in Wiltshire. A
juvenile Black-headed Gull, 3 adult Great Black-backed Gulls, 20 Common
Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, also 4 immature birds, probably Lesser
Black-backed Gulls.
478. BLACK-HEADED GULL. On Feb. 13, five Black-headed Gulls and one
Common Gull were seen in a field with a flock of Lapwings. As soon as a
Lapwing pulled up a worm, it was chased and harried by a gull until it dropped
the worm, which the gull at once swallowed. This went on continuously and
the Lapwings made no attempt at retaliation (G.L.B.). Small numbers re-
ported near Beckhampton, May 5 (C.S.H.); Great Bedwyn, May 6 (M.C.) ;
Braydon Pond, Aug. 5 (R.G.B.); Aldbourne, Sept. 14 (W.I.W.) and c. 30
near Staverton, Nov. 20 (C.S.H.). Several birds, including two in full breed-
ing plumage, were seen over Salisbury Plain throughout June (A.M.M.).
481. COMMON GULL. Flocks were seen flying 1p and down the Avon at
Seagry daily during the first fortnight of February. Several hundreds on
Feb, 22. A flock of 250-300 near Rodbourne, March 24 (R.G.B.). Reported
at Coate Water, Feb. 4 (L.G.P.), and at Chippenham, April 2 (G.L.B.). A
flock of 30 adults near Enford, April 5 (A.M.M.). First autumn flock, c. 50,
seen near Grittleton, Aug. 16. A small number were on the Avon at Seagry
on Nov. 8 for a few days only (R.G.B.).
482. HERRING-GULL. One at Coate Water, Jan. 9 (M.C.); two resting in a
meadow at Beanacre, March 28 (G.L.B.); a flock of 30 immature birds at
326 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
Chitterne Down, April 7, and at least 4 still present, May 7 (A.M.M.) ; two
birds were seen, Sept. 9, and one, Sept. 14, near Aldbourne (W.I.W.).
484/485. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Single birds flying over Chippenham,
Jan. 31 (G.W.C.), and over the flooded Avon at Beanacre, Feb. 2 (G.L.B.). On
Feb. 23, one rested on Coate Water for 20 minutes, then flew off to the north-
west (R.G.B.). One flying N.W. over Bowden Hill, and 3 adults flying N.
over the Avon at Lacock, March 31 (J.C.C.O.). One circled low over goldfish
in a pool at Seagry, April 16, and two flew up the Avon at Christian Malford,
April 26 (R.G.B.). Single birds at Chippenham, May 14 (G.W.C.), and by the
Avon at Lacock, May 17 (C.R.). Five were seen bathing in floodwater near
Bulkington ; and two juvenile birds were often on the Avon below Staverton
from mid-May to mid-September (1.U.).
486. GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. Three on Salisbury Plain, Jan. 18 (D.S.) ;
single birds at Coate Water, Jan. 23 (M.C.) and Feb. 4 (L.G.P.). An adult
near Larkhill, Feb. 18, and a dead immature bird (which was later reported by
R.W.) at Clarendon Lake, April 8. One foraging near floods at Chitterne,
May 14 (J.S.).
503. SOUTHERN PUFFIN. A juvenile bird picked up in a cottage garden in
Hartham by a camekeeper. Aug. 20, was taken to Hartham House and kept for
a fortnight. / first it had to be forcibly fed, but later it readily took raw fish
and gainec strength. It was released in the sea at Clevedon where it swam
away and dived strongly (A.G.S.).
504. CORN-CRAKE. A single bird calling persistently from May 10 to 15 at
Sandridge was heard by Mr. and Mirs. Crook. Mir. Crook is familiar with the
species in Ireland. It was not seen or heard again (A.G.S.). One heard near
East Grimstead, July 28 (R.H.), and one seen near Aidbourne, Aug. 3 (W.LW.).
During reaping near Gastard, Sept. 3, one flew from standing corn but there is
no evidence that it was other than on passage (A.G.S.). One was seen near
Oare Hill, Sept. 15, by Mr. R. Bull, a former gamekeeper (R.K.H.).
509. WATER-RAIL. Seen at Manton, Jan. 3 (M.C.), several times in February
near West Lavington (D.S.), and by the Avon at Figheldean, March 7 (A.M.M..).
A juvenile was found dead on a road near Melksham on Aug. 23 (G.L.B.), and
another was found dead in Aldbourne, Oct. 11 (M.C.F.). Birds reported by a
stream near East Grimstead, Oct. 16 (R.H.), and in a willow tree by a marshy
pond near Farley, Nov. 24 (R.W.) ; seen at Salisbury gravel-pits, but no nest
found ; five birds present there, Dec. 8 (C.M.R.P.).
519. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. Reported near Aldbourne, Jan. 2 (W.1.W.) ;
Ford, April 24 (G.W.C.) ; Lockeridge, May 3 (P.R.) ; Ebsbury Copse, May 13
(A.M.M.) ; Tan Hill, June 3 (L.G.P.) and Milk Hill, June 15 (M.C.).°
520. QuaiL. Heard near Ogbourne St. George, June 18. Quail are said to
occur regularly near Bishopstone, up to 20 in a field in late summer (L.G.P.).
Calling incessantly in rough grass by the roadside, half a mile west of
Stonehenge, July 3 (F.L.B.). A nest was seen at Avebury Trusloe, Aug. 6,
where it had been uncovered 3 days previously when flax was pulled. Four of
the eggs had been pulled out by the machine and the remaining four were wet
and cold. There was no sign of the birds (D.J.R.). Five birds seen and
another heard at Aldbourne, Aug. 29 (W.I.W.) ; and three were flushed during
partridge shooting near Winterslow, Sept. 1 (R.W.).
O27
THE REDSTART IN WILTSHIRE
Report of an Inquiry conducted during 1949-50-51
Recorder: CYRIL RICE
The status of the Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) in Wiltshire
would appear to be in accordance with the general pattern of this
bird’s distribution in Europe.
In spring there is a N.E. movement from Africa, into France,
through the Alps and across the continent to Soviet Russia. The
main spring rush tends to work away from the British Isles and the
number of Redstarts to be seen here in any one year varies according
to the pressure at the centre of the stream. Some recent records of the
recoveries of ringed birds are of interest to Wiltshire observers. Of
two birds ringed in the Forest of Dean one was recovered at Braganca
in Portugal and the other was captured where it was ringed the
previous year. In 1950, while many Redstarts were trapped on Fair
Isle and at other East Coast observatories, only a mere handful were
taken at Skokholm, off the coast of Pembrokeshire. Our own observers
report a spring movement of Redstarts in a general northerly direction,
In autumn the reverse passage is also noted. Thus Wiltshire is a
marginal area in the European distribution of the Redstart and must
expect a fluctuating population.
The Birds of Wiltshire (The Rev. A. C. Smith, 1887) describes the
Redstart as a decreasing species. A number of the contributors to
this Report make the same comment. The results of the three annual
counts included in this Report point to fluctuation rather than
decrease. In fact, from 1949 to 1951 there has been an increase in the
number of pairs known to have nested but, in view of the small
increase in the number of our observers, I think this is an apparent
rather than a real increase. Also, the Redstart may forsake one
locality, only to appear in stronger numbers in another, or to return to
the original locality in the next year. An investigation (1950) into the
distribution of birds in the West Midlands, carried out by C. A,
Norris and others, reveals a similar tendency there, although the
breeding population is denser than in Wiltshire.
The Redstart appears to have two apparently contradictory
characteristics which help it to maintain its status. One is adaptability,
shown in the varied types of nesting sites used, and the other is fidelity
to the same site. In Wiltshire the Redstart nests in woods, gardens and
orchards and on the open downland, where hawthorn, elder and
328 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
juniper grow. In the Severn valley H. H. Davis finds that the
Redstart uses pollarded willows. There is an old record of a nest in a
pollarded willow on a bank of the Summerham Brook, but, although
Redstarts have recently been seen in that neighbourhood, evidence of
recent nesting has not been obtained. In the North of England the
Redstart frequently nests in stone walls, which are built also around
North Wiltshire fields, but, again, we kave not found any nests in this
type of site. Later, examples will be given of the use of the same
nesting site over a considerable period of years.
The organiser of a bird count has two major problems. First, to
find a sufficient number of observers, properly spaced over the area to
be studied, and secondly, to find the birds. When the field work is
over a third question is set: how much has the numerical inadequacy
of his observers affected the results obtained ? The map on page 330
relates the approximate position of the nesting areas with the obser-
vers’ homes, and as I attach greater importance to the records
received from those observers who reported in each of the three
years of the Inquiry, I have marked their positions thus ©. Observers
who sent in records for fewer than three years are shown thus ®@. The
map demonstrates the serious scarcity of observers in the South-west,
North-west and extreme North-east of the county.. The lack of
resident watchers on Salisbury Plain is less important as, from our
knowledge of the range of nesting sites chosen by the Redstart in other
areas, we may assume that suitable nesting sites are scarce on the
Plain. Since Savernake Forest, Spye Park and Longleat, during the
period of this Inquiry, have yielded the largest and most consistent
groups of nesting Redstarts, it seems strange that no use is made of
Clarendon, Fonthill, Grovely and Great Ridge; yet our team has sent
in very few records of occurrence and no definite nesting records from
these woods. Thus, since these four areas have been inadequately
searched, I consider that our final score is likely to have been an
underestimate of the breeding population in Wiltshire.
Savernake Forest has been combed finely by members of’ the
Marlborough College Natural History Society, whose Secretary,
J. V. Boys, has sent in adequate evidence of ten resident pairs in 1951,
including a map of the Forest on which the approximate territories of
the pairs had been marked. In the Forest the Redstart frequents
cleared spaces in which twisted and split hawthorns grow surrounded
by grand oaks and beeches. In the course of forestry operations the
position, extent and nature of these clearings change, but, while the
The Redstart in Wiltshire 329
Redstart’s habitats must be altered to some extent by the forester’s
work, there is one tree, near the Forestry Commission’s Nursery,
which has been the song post of Redstarts for at least ten years; a
remarkable example of the bird’s fidelity to places.
Spye Park and Bowood are near to one another, but, whereas Spye
Park, which contains a lake, a stream in a narrow valley and mature
trees in apparently natural clearings, is annually inhabited by two or
three pairs, Bowood, which bears the imprint of Capability Brown, is
spurned, The Inquiry has not been close enough to discover the
reasons for this discrimination.
20 20
IS WE
/0 10
S S
1949 1gso 195) ce. 1960 1951 '
PATRS knoww OBSERVERS
to have nested.
10 Jo
1950. 1951
d 1969 1950 95) CT OE
SINGLE BIRDS RECORDED
outsive : areas. .
SPRING AUTUN)N
As a further example of the Redstart’s faithful return to the same
locality, the recorder notes a report from Mrs. E. C. Barnes of a
singing male, seen in mid-April in the Bybrook Valley near Castle
Combe Manor, where for twenty years he has generally found adults
and young.
Nesting-boxes put up in Longleat have been used fairly consis-
tently. The Estate keepers have also observed that the Redstart has
nested in old beech, birch, oak and holly trees which have usually been
330 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
growing in clumps on sandy soil. The individual trees selected have
been near the rides and not far from human habitation. The keepers
have not found nests in isolated trees or in deep woods.
North of Chippenham lies Draycot Park which, Mr. Collett reports,
used to be the home of a few pairs. The Park contained large oaks,
patches of bracken and many hawthorns, some of which bore mistle-
toe. A year before the Inquiry began the Park was taken over by a
syndicate of farmers: many trees were felled, thorns were grubbed out
and the plough put in. Consequently no Redstart records have come
in during the years 1949-51.
Sree PUT,
: ae 23
» AES Zz
iis Ls VEIN), =
& 2
bg G we
a ‘A Fi
ott \t4 QE vy
@ OBSERVERS gos 23456
in * oer
ORSERVERS “* mMILES fF YS
© eS &'5!
Another locality with a special interest is Totterdown, near Marl-
borough. On this high, open country spotted with thorns, elder and
gorse the Redstart has bred (but not apparently in 1951), and where
the Ridgeway runs beside tall thorn hedgerows a bird or two of this
species may be seen, in autumn, working their way along the escarp-
~The Redstart in Wiltshire 331
ment towards the south. Similarly, the same movement has been
noted at Aldbourne, Huish and Heddington, all on the edge of the
chalk, with the same characteristic trees and bushes to provide posts
and cover for the migrant Redstarts.
List of Observers, aiding the Inquiry, to whom my thanks are
extended: Mrs. E, C. Barnes, G. L. Boyle, A. E. Burras, Miss M.
Butterworth, G. Collett, Mrs. D. Newton Dunn, C, Floyd, Mrs. C.S,
Hett, Marlborough College Natural History Society, Maxwell
Macfarlane, Mrs. M. Nurse, J. C. Oliver, L. G. Peirson, Miss E. M.
Thouless, Miss I. Usher, W. Washbrook and R. Whitlock.
332
A NINETEENTH-CENTURY BIRD WATCHER
Being extracts from the Common Place Book kept by Benjamin
Hayward (1791-1886)
Transcribed by C. J. JACOBS
I am indebted to Mr. Robert Hampton of Erlestoke for the loan of
a manuscript book containing notes, memoranda, news-cuttings, etc.,
entered by Mr. Benjamin Hayward, farmer, of West Lavington and
Easterton, from 1824 until 1879. Mr. Hampton tells me that Hay-
ward farmed St. Joan 4 Gore Farm and lived in the house where
Capt. Williams is now, the last house on the (left of the) road as you
go towards Tilshead. When he retired, he went to live at Easterton in
the house called Kestrels, but I have been unable to ascertain when
this change occurred; it was presumably about 1855-60. Writing in
the June 1908 number of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural
History Magazine, Mr. E. O. Pleydell Bouverie, introducing a
transcript of two documents given to his father in 1876 by Mr.
Hayward, says:
“ this Mr. Hayward, who lived to a great age, and died shortly after this date,
was a yeoman farmer and resided in a charming little seventeenth- or early
eighteenth-century house, which still exists with its architectural attractions, on
the west side of the lane running north alongside the Royal Oak Inn at Easterton.
The taste of the later Victorian period has, I think, done the house some injus-
tice by calling it The Kestrels, though it may be that the ornithological researches
of the then proprietor justified him in this nomenclature... .”
The house, of course, is still there. As noted later, one who knew
Benjamin Hayward and shared in his sporting pursuits is still alive,
but the enquiries I addressed to him, in the hope of resolving certain
doubts, brought the sad reply from one of his family that, at the age of
99, his memory is not equal to the task.
The entries in the earlier part of the book refer exclusively to
farming matters, chiefly records of numbers and movements of sheep,
but later on the diarist reveals himself as an enthusiastic hawker, a
trapper of hawks for sporting purposes and a bird watcher of the
intelligent rather than the sentimental sort. The propagating of pinks
and other flowers and the doctoring of trees are other interests
revealed, and altogether old Ben Hayward would appear to have been
a countryman well worth knowing.
I am indebted to Mr. L. Guy Peirson for reading the typescript
and furnishing some useful suggestions and notes of an ornithological
nature; also to Mr. J. F. Welch of Market Lavington for helping with
1 Actually he survived it by 10 years.
A Nineteenth-Century Bird Watcher 330
his encyclopaedic knowledge of that area. Notes contributed by these
two gentlemen are distinguished by their initials,
The verbatim extracts which follow comprise the whole of the
entries of an ornithological interest except simple records of the
coming and going of common migrants at usual dates; the spelling,
punctuation, use and misuse of capital letters and abbreviations are,
as nearly as I can reproduce them, the diarist’s own. Cuckoo in
particular gave him trouble; besides the customary spelling he tried
cuccoo, cockoo, coockoo, cooccoo, coccoo, cucco.
(The first entry of an ornithological nature is undated but can be seen,
from the entries made before and after, to belong to 1833, although pinned
to the next page is a newscutting with the headlines: ** THE INDIAN
MUTINIES. FALL OF DELHI. TERRIFIC SLAUGHTER,”
etc.)
(1833) Memorandum. A very great difference was observable among
the Swifts tribe as early as the 11th August there appearing but few
comparatively speaking to what there was a short time before. I
observed a few days previous to the day noticed above that their
flight was more rappid and their being at a much greater height than
earlier, they at that time seem’d to take longer flights on the Hill and
on their return to their Haunts for Roost travel’d with such amazing
rapidity as seem’d to rend the air.
At about the same period as before mention’d I recollect as upon
many occasions at about that time of year, there was a scratching
underneath my Bed Room floor, which I am inclined to think may
have been a Swift concealing itself instead of migrating.
1834, August 24th. Saw one Swift flying towards Ramsclift.+
May 16th. Saw the first fly catcher or Bee Bird, and on the same day
saw the Shrike or Butcher Bird.
(1835) April 3rd. Saw the first Cuckoo; never recollect before, its
coming till after its mate had proclaimed by her tautologous song
several days previously that her arrival may shortly be expected.*
1 This entry appears to have been interpolated here as it is followed by entries
of earlier date. Ramsclift is now Rams Cliff on the O.S. Map 6” XLVIN.W.
It is a very prominent steep place between the 400 and 500 ft. contours, about
+ mile east of West Lavington Church and the same S. by E. of Market Laving-
ton Church.
2 The diarist’s grammar makes it impossible to decide if he expected the
cock or the hen to come first. Or by “its mate ’”’ did he mean the wryneck or
cuckoo’s mate? Yet he often in later years records the wryneck (then much
commoner in Wiltshire than it is now) as wryneck.—L.G.P.
334 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
1836. Jan’y Ist. Caught a Beautiful Falcon on Ramsclift, the second
day after the Trap was plac’d; how different this to what generally
happens! (I have often known Traps to remain set for Months
together, save only an occasional throw, which I have done myself to
preserve my Gins from dishonest hands, or when frost has set in, and
have compleatly failed at last.)}
1837. Saw the first Swaliow on the 22 April
- - - - heard the first wry-neck - - - - -
first cuckoo - - - - ---- -
(This entry is reproduced as nearly as possible as it is written as the
meaning is far from clear.)
1837. Dec. 4th. Met with a Shrike or Butcher Bird never recollect
seeing one so late before by nearly two months.?
1838. April 16 Nightingale died, believe it to have accur’d either
for want of Grubs, or Water, having shown much uneasiness, which
was suppos’d at the time to have been on account of its being near the
time that such birds return to this country.
(It cannot be disguised that this and later entries reveal Mr. Hayward
as a trapper of song-birds.)
August 17th Caught the last Nightingale by shear Accident, the Trap
being plac’d for whitethroats in the old garden, the blight on the
Parsnip seed was the lure us’d as a decoy, instead of meal-worms which
are generally used for catching Nightingales.
Bird-lime
Mr. Thompson recommends oil being put upon bird lime when
the Sprigs are dressed, tho’ sparingly.
1839... April . . . supposed the cuccoo 17th Wry-neck 19th.
August 17th/39 Mr Thompson catched a Nightingale near my house
August 23/39 I catch’d 2 Nightingales in Mr Briggs’s Beans.
Migration —
from between the 18th and 25th of August seem’d to be the principal
time of migration with the birds—having catched in a Trap at that
time, double the number than afterwards.
1 In 1828 and again in 1834, Hayward entered methods of catching hawks.
They are not very clear, some words are illegible and Mr. Peirson, to whom I
submitted transcripts, summarizes the two entries as follows: *‘ His method
was to cover the jaws of a gin with thin turf and conceal the gin in an artificial
mound about a foot or so high.”
2 If he meant the Red-backed Shrike, this is by one day the latest date for the
British Isles. But though the record is in Smith’s Birds of Wiltshire, it was not
admitted to the Handbook. Could he have seen a Great Grey Shrike ?—L.G.P.
A Nineteenth-Century Bird Watcher 335
Hobby Hawk.
August 30/39 Robbed from a Nest of the above-named sort of Hawk
a young one quite in down, the nest being a deserted Crow’s, which
had also safely produced her young, there were only two Hawks in the
Nest. Having last year observed a set of young Hawks in the same
locallity, made me more strickt in my observations this year, when my
former conjectures were quite verified in its not being only in the
districkt, but in the very Tree imagin’d, where I have not the smallest
doubt it had brought up its last years progeny.
March 28th 1842—Catch’d a Peregrine Falcon that weighed 2 lb 6 oz.
Dec 9th 1842. Saw a Beautiful White Peregrine Falcon on Ramsclift
According to Mr. Salvin’s account, the above Bird must have beena
Greenland Falcon
Dec 30th 1842 Catch’d a beautiful Falcon on Ramsclift
1849 Decr 8th Caught a male Peregrine Falcon weight 1 lb 6 oz
Saturday Novr 9th Caught a fine Peregrine falcon weighing nearly
12 Ibs.
1852 May 2nd Saw a Hobby-hawk near Woodbridge Mills, the old
nesting place.!
1852 May 9th Saw both Hobby’s together by Woodbridge Mill
1853 Jany 2nd caught a fine peregrine Falcon—female weight 24 lbs
April 6/54 Heard the first wry-neck
April 25th/54 Saw the first Hobby Hawk by the late Mr Phillpots
Brick Kiln,?
April 27th/54 Saw both Hobby Hawks
August 5th/54 Saw a Hobby in full pursuit of a Swift but did not
catch
(In 1852 and again this year, the handwriting shows such a marked
deterioration that one can only conclude that serious illness has caused the
diarist to age rapidly—even though one knows that he lived and kept his
notes for many years to come.)
Feby 28th 1855 lost Frank my old Tierce! Hawk
(Was this perhaps the Peregrine caught Dec. 1849 ?)
met Woodbridge Mill is the farm on the east side of the Salisbury-Devizes road
nearly opposite the road to Great Cheverell.
2“ ‘This was at Broadway where Chiver’s Brickworks (recently closed) now
are. In 1841 it was owned by Henry Philpot and is No. 281 on the Tithe
Terrier.””-—J.F.W. This is very near Woodbridge Mill.
336 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
The Above Hawk shot by Mr Harding’s Servant near Urchfont
Plantation March 6th/55,1
(April) 18th Heard the first Wry-neck
April 24th 55 Saw both Hobbies together at their old Eyrie, near the
Black Dog,” I examined the spot two days before, but they had not
then arrive’d from their winter quarters.
Starlings quitting New Copse® as a Roosting place about Oct 19/56
May 2nd Saw a Hobby the first time
3 Saw the above again without a mate
April 25th/59 A Peregrine captur’d a Starling close to my House,
believe it to have been a Falcon.
August 21 1860 Saw a great many Swifts, I dont recollect seeing so
many together so late in the season for many years.
1860, Enquire of Ornithologists about Starlings, for my own part
I think they only brought out one brood of young ones instead of two
which latter circumstance I never knew before vary, except in this
year.
Sept Ist 1860 Saw six Swifts very late.
1862 April 7th. Heard 2 Wry-necks; this is earlier than I ever heard
them before !
August 3lst 1863 Saw a Swift & also two Butcher-birds, how late !
Sept 7th 1863 saw a Hobby!
June 10th 1864 Saw the first Hobby-hawk
(From about 1856 until the end, the MS. notes are almost exclusively
ornithological, the rest being mostly about the whereabouts of cuttings
struck in the open garden. The bird notes follow one after the other much
as they appear here and seem to have been entered in groups of three to six
items, presumably copied from notes made at the time of observation.)
Nov 10th 1865 Catch’d a verry fine Tercel Peregrine Hawk
Nov 22nd Caught a young Peregrine Falcon weighing 24
1 This ‘is on Urchfont Hill on the North side of Ridge Road which it
adjoins. It is opposite ‘ Seldom Seen ’ (on the south of the Plantation) and the
land to the East is known as ‘ Dog Tail’.”—J.F.W. i.e., very near the 713
bench mark due south from Erchfont—about 1 mile.
2 The Black Dog farm, formerly a public house, lies on the east side of the
Salisbury-Devizes road, just north of where the Lavington-Worton road crosses;
a cart track called Rowbury Lane opens off the road alongside the farm.
3 There is a New Copse about 1 mile east of St. Joan a Gore Farm, half way
between West Lavington and Tilshead. Mr. Welch tells me he knows of no
other. He adds that it was approached from Market Lavington Hill by the
track known as Soot House Road or from West Lavington via Brazen Bottom.
A Nineteenth Century Bird Watcher 337
(The diarist nowhere mentions any actual hawking although it is to be
supposed that he did not trap and train birds except with a sporting end in
view. The only indication which the diary affords is a newscutting,
pasted in about 1843, which refers to the death, presumably recent, of
Major C. Hawkins Fisher, one of the founders of the Old Hawking Club.
He was wont to stop at the Bustard Inn on Salisbury Plain for rook
hawking. The members at first flew only at rooks but later the major
initiated game hawking; beginning with partridges on the open arable
lands in South Wilts, he went every autumn to the neighbourhood of
Chitterne and West Lavington where he had good sport with English
eyasses, falcons and tiercels, and a passage hawk or two from Holland
for rook hawking. In later years he paid more attention to grouse. Mr.
Draper has added a note alongside the cutting, reading: *‘ Stroud Castle.
Mr. Hayward & Self had many a good days sport with him. F.T.D.’’)
It being supposed that Mr Wadman shot my hawk March 17th 1866
Mark the result of such a base transaction.
(This entry is written in a very shaky hand. Mr. Hayward seems to
have been very angry.)
(At this date the Wadman family were probably still at Imber, but
one of the farms on the down above Market Lavington was farmed by a
Mr. Wadman.)
Here Mr. Hayward seems to have been thinking of “* graves and
epitaphs ”’ for he enters particulars from the gravestones in the churchyard
(Market Lavington, presumably) of the deaths of people he had known
personally. The list includes his grandfather Richard Hayward who
died 1823 aged 94; as Mr. Draper, the young friend of Benjamin
Hayward’s later years, ts still alive, aged 99, these three lives reach back
nearly to the reign of George I. Mr. Draper ts living in the tenth reign
which the triumvirate have known.)
Sept Ist 1866 Saw the first Hobby-Hawk over the Withy Bed? at
West Lavington.
A most extraordinary Pheonomanon
May 25th 1867—The Martins & Swallows have nearly all disappear’d
being a most extraordinary cold time the wind blowing from the
northeast with almost continual frosts.
where does the Birds go ?
Jan’y 4th 1868—I returned in the Evening of the above day probably
1 Mr. Welch tells me this was on the Market L. to West L. road where the
stream crosses by Cornbury Mill; in fact, that very pretty spot where there is a
white wooden footbridge for the use of the boys of Dauntsey’s Junior School.
VOL. LIV—CXCVI W
338 Wiltshire Bird Notes for 1951
about 6.0 clock and heard Wild Geese a short distance off when after
standing still awhile they came overhead, the distance being only a
rather long shot, in number between 20 & 30
1870 May 10th heard and saw a pair of Butcher-birds for the first
time
Monogamous—a term used in a work of ornithology :
Novr. 18th 1871 on a Saturday, had a Gin stolen from Ramsclift
between the hours of 2 & 3 in the afternoon by some miscreant
working below
April 3rd 1879 Saw a Hen harrier by the 3 graves! near the Folley
October 28th Heard and saw two Ravens 1879
Saw a wri-neck 11th April
Swallow 13th
(This is written on a scrap of paper pinned to the page next after that
on which the Raven entry is written; the year *‘ 1881” is added in
Mr. Draper's hand.) —
And so, having written down his last bird note at the mature age
of 90 years, we must reluctantly allow a grand old boy to take his
leave of us.
1 These are the well-known graves of victims of a visitation of the plague in
1644, John Jacob, Humphrey Giddings and the Rev. Peter Glassbrook, his son
and four grandchildren. There is a note at the back of the diary, copied by Mr. |
Draper from a note of Mr. Hayward’s, giving these names. The field in which
are the graves lies to the east of Folly Wood, adjoining Wroughton’s Folly, |
which is to the east of the railway line just by the second milepost eastwards
from Lavington station.
339
WILTSHIRE PLANT NOTES [13]
Recorder: J. DONALD GROSE
Downs Edge, Liddington
CONTRIBUTORS :
A.G.S. A. G. Spencer, Corsham, G.M.B. Mrs. Brown, Swindon.
A.L. Miss Luce, Malmesbury. G.W.C. G. W. Collett,
A.R. A. Ridout, Swindon. Chippenham,
B.W. Mrs. Welch, Richmond. G.W.O. G. W. Olive, Lavington.
C.C.T. CC. C. Townsend, Chelten- H.J.K. H. J. Killick, Larkhill.
ham. H.M.H. Miss Hughes, Bratton.
C:G, Miss Gurney, Turleigh. ILM.G. Mrs. Grose, Liddington.
C.HVE-H.. C.-L. Hinton, J.F.H-S. Dr. J. F. Hope-Simpson,
Lavington. Bristol.
C.M.F. C. M. Floyd, Holt. Js. J. Smith, Swindon.
C:R: C. Reinganum, Lavington. J.T. Miss Tucker, Whaddon.
C:S.H. Mrs. Hett, Box. jJ.T.W. J. T. Wildash, Savernake.
D.E.C. D. E, Coombe, Salisbury. L.G.P. L. G. Peirson,
D.M.F. Miss Frowde, Colerne. Marlborough.
D.P. D. Pigott, Caterham. M.B.Y-B. Mrs. Yeatman-Biggs,
D.S. Miss Stevens, Clarendon. Stockton.
E.C.W. E. C. Wallace, Sutton. M.E.N. Mrs. Nurse, Worton.
E.M.M-J. E. M. Marsden-Jones, P.C.M. Mrs. Crichton Maitland,
Littleton Pannell. Wilton.
E.M.R. Mirs. Richards, Avebury. P.R.F. Mrs. Farquharson,
E.T. Mrs. Timperley, Salisbury.
Bishopstone. R.B.A. Rev. R. B. Abell, Stroud.
F.H. Miss Holiday, Lavington. R.S. R. Sandell, Devizes.
F,P. Mrs. Partridge, Ham. R.S.N. R. S. Newall, Fisherton
G.G. G. Grigson, Broad Town. Delamere.
T.G.C. T. G. Collett, Ealing.
+ Indicates that a plant is not native in the given locality.
All records, except where otherwise stated, are for 1951.
t+ Adonis annua L. Pheasant’s Eye. 10, Dogkennel Farm, D.S.
Ranunculus hederaceus L. Ivy-leaved Crowfoot. 6, Pool west of Ploesdons
Farm.
R. auricomus L. Goldilocks. 8, Great Ridge and Stockton Woods, M.B.Y-B.
Aconitum anglicum Stapf. Monkshood. 2, Still at Witcomb Bridge, G.G.
Berberis vulgaris L. Barberry. 2, East Tytherton, G.W.C.
+ Corydalis bulbosa (L.) DC. 5, Winterbourne Earls, H.J.K. Redlynch, B.W.
Fumaria micrantha Lag. 7, Near Rox Hill Clump, H.J.K. 9, Near Chisle-
bury Camp, D.E.C.
+ Hesperis matronalis L. Dame’s Violet. 2, Roadside near Bell Farm, Hedding-
ton, G.G. 4, Near Gadbourne Bridge, G.G. 7, Bulford, H.J.K.
+ Sisymbrium altissimum L. 7, Larkhill, H.J.K.
+ S. orientale L. 10, Downton, D.E.C.
+ Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm. 1, Near Urchfont.
+ Lepidium sativum L. Garden Cress. 1, Westbury, D.M.F. and G.W.C.
WwW 2
340 Wiltshire Plant Notes
L. campestre (Iu.) R. Br. Field Pepperwort. 2, Wootton Bassett Station, G.G.
Viola canina L. Dog Violet. 2, Spye Park, M.E.N.
Melandrium noctiflorum (L.) Fries. Night-flowering Catchfly. 3, Clattinger
Farm, Oaksey. 6, Near Henley, F.P.
t+ Agrostemma Githago L. Corn Cockle. 2, Box, C.S.H. The only reported
occurrence of 1951; in 1950 it was seen in many places.
Cerastium semidecandrum L. 7, Lake Down and Old Sarum, H.J.K.
C. arvense L. Field Mouse-ear Chickweed. 8, Chitterne Down.
Hypericum Androsaemum L. Tutsan. 9, Near East Knoyle House, G.G.
H. elodes L. Wiarsh St. John’s Wort. 5, West Grimstead.
+ Althaea hirsuta L. 2, Sandy Lane, T.G.C. Not previously recorded for
Wiltshire.
Erodium cicutarium (L). L’ Herit. Stork’s-bill. 1, Urchfont, G.G.
Euonymus europaeus L. Spindle. Form with white capsules. 4, Avebury,
E.M.R. This rare form has only been recorded once before for Wiltshire.
+ Melilotus alba Medic. White Melilot. 1, Bratton, H.M.H.
Trifolium striatum L. Soft Knotted Trefoil. 2, Sandridge Hill, C.M.F.
Lotus tenuis Willd. 8, Near St. Joan a Gore, E.M.M-J.
Ornithopus perpusillus L. Bird’s-foot. 7, Near Etchilhampton.
Vicia sylvatica L. Wood Vetch. 2, Murhiil, C.G.
Lathyrus Aphaca L. Yellow Vetchling. 3, Near Lammy Down, E.T.
+ Spiraea salicifolia L. Willow-leaved Spiraea. 1, Poulshot. 6, Between Ham
Hill and Fosbury, F.P.
Galium uliginosum L. Bog Bedstraw. 2, Clyffe Pypard Wood, G.G.
+ Valerianella carinata Lois. 7, Wall near Salisbury Cathedral, H.J.K.
Dipsacus pilosus L. Small Teasel. 2, Reybridge, A.G.S.
+ Erigeron canadensis L. 1, Bratton. West Lavington, C.H.L.H.
E. acris L. Blue Fleabane. 1, Potterne, E.M.M-J. 2, Quarry, Wadswick,
P.C.M.
Anthemis nobilis L. Camomile. 10, Woodfalls, B.W. The first certain record
for South Wilts.
Chrysanthemum segetum L. Corn Marigold. 1, Devizes, R.S.
+ Senecio vulgaris L. var radiatus Koch. Rayed Groundsel. 1, Westbury,
D.M.F. and G.W.C.
S. sylvaticus L. Heath Groundsel. 2, Sandridge Park, G.W.C. 6, Cornfield
weed, Sunton Heath, I.M.G.
Cirsium tuberosum (L.) All. Tuberous Thistle. 8, Downs south of Bratton,
H.M.H. The plant grows in greater quantity here than in any other known
locality in Britain.
C. acaule x tuberosum. 2 ,King’s Play Hill. I think this must be a new arrival;
it had not been seen on previous visits to the spot.
+ Silybum Marianum (L.) Gaertn. Milk Thistle. 2, Near Gastard, A.G.S.
Scratchbury, J.F.H-S.
Picris Hieracioides L. Hawkweed Oxtongue. 8, Warden’s Down, I.M.G. |
|
+ Lactuca macrophylla (Willd.) A. Gray. 1, Westbury, D.M.F. and G.W.C. [
2, Easton Grey and Norton, A.L.
Campanula Trachelium L. Nettle-leaved Bellflower. 3, Eastcourt, J.S.
Lepidium campestre—Orchis Morio 341
Monotropa Hypopitys L. Yellow Bird’s-nest. 1, Bratton, H.M.H. 9, Fonthill
Terrace, B.W.
Primula vulgaris Huds. Primrose. Form with claret-coloured flowers. 4,
Forest Hill, G.M.B.
Anagallis arvensis 1. subsp. pheenicea (Scop.) Schinz and Kell. var. caerulea
Liidi. 1, West Lavington, F.H. Var. with purplish flowers. 4, Field near
Apshiil Copse, E.T. A very rare colour-form for which there appears to be
no name. Subsp. foemina (Mill.) Schinz and Thell. 2, Weavern, G.W.C.
Centunculus minimus L. Chaffweed. 3, Flisteridge Wood. New for North
Wilts.
Gentiana campestris L. Field Gentian. 6, Still near Burridge Heath. R.B.A.
A welcome confirmation of an old record; the species is now extremely rare
in Wiltshire.
G. anglica Pugsl. 4, Easton Hill, E.T. Allington Down. Golden Ball Hill.
Cuscuta Epithymum (L.) Murr. 1, Lesser Dodder. Bratton, H.M.H.
Atropa Belladonna L. Deadly Nightshade. 2, Murhill, C.G. 5, Dean Hill,
E.C.W.
+ Hyoscyamus niger L. Henbane. 1, Market Lavington, G.W.O. Easterton,
C.R.
Verbascum nigrum L. Black Mullein. 4, Chalk-pit, Walker’s Hill, E.M.M-J.
+ Linaria repens (L.) Mill. Pale Toadflax. 6, Tidcombe, F.P.
+ Mimulus guttatus DC. Monkey-flower. 7, Avon above Amesbury, G.G.
+ Veronica filiformis Sm, 2, Great Chalfield. South of Corsham. Neston.
8, Roadside near Yarnbury, B.W.
Pinguicula lusitanica L. Pale Butterwort. 5, a new locality north of West
_Grimstead. 10, reappeared in good quantity at Alderbury, P.R.F.
+ Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. var. horridula Briq. 1, Stradbrook, E.C.W.
det. R. Graham.
Stachys sylvatica L. Hedge Woundwort. Form with green flowers. 1, Brat-
ton, H.M.H. det. J. E. Lousley.
+ Chenopodium ficifolium Sm. 7, Larkhill, H.J.K.
C. rubrum L. Red Goosefoot. Green-flowered form. 2, Neston, P.C.M.
Polygonum Bistorta L. Bistort. 1, Tinhead, H.M.H.
Viscum album L. Mistletoe. 1, Bratton, H.M.H. 2, Broad Town and
Tockenham, on apple, G.G. Copse near Highway Common, on lime, G.G.
4, Broad Hinton, on lime, G.G.
Thesium humifusum DC. Bastard Toadflax. 1, Picket Hill, H.M.H. 6, Near
Everleigh, H.J.K.
+ Cannabis sativa L. Hemp. 2, Pickwick and Neston, A.G.S.
Quercus petraea (Mattuschka) Liebl. Durmast Oak. 4, Savernake Forest,
J.T.W. The first certain record for the county.
Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall. Lady’s Tresses. 1, Bratton, H.M.H. 10,
Dogkennel Farm, D.S.
Epipactis vectensis (Steph.) Brooke and Rose; sensu lato. 1, Clyffe Hall,
1950, C.R. This plant is under investigation and it is possible that it may be
described as a new variety later.
Orchis Morio L. Green-winged Orchis. Form with white flowers. 8, Wylye
Down, 1904, R.S.N. 9, Wardour Park, B.W. 10, Near Clarendon, D.S.
342 Wiltshire Plant Notes
O. ericetorum (E. F. Linton) E. S. Marshall. Heath Spotted Orchis. 2, Near
Silverstreet Wood, L.G.P.
Gymnadenia conopsea x Orchis Fuchsii. 3, Bishopstone Downs, E.T. 4,
Clifford’s Hill, E.T.
Ophrys insectifera L. Fly Orchid. 10, Battscroft, R.S.
Platanthera bifolia (L.) L. C. Rich. Lesser Butterfly Orchid. 5, Battscroft,
J.T. ; Clarendon Wood, D.S.
PP. chlorantha (Cust.) Reichb. Greater Butterfly Orchid. 2, Braydon Pond
Plantation. Clyffe Pypard Wood, G.G.
Allium vineale L. var. bulbiferum Syme. 1, Little Cheverell. E.M.M-J. 2,
Colerne, D.M.F.
Juncus conglomeratus L. Common Rush. 3, Near Clattinger Farm, Oaksey.
J. acutiflorus Hoffm. Sharp-flowered Rush. 1, Caps Lane, H.M.H. 6, Near
Polesdons Farm.
Zannichellia palustris L. Horned Pondweed. 7, Amesbury, H.J.K.
Eleocharis uniglumis (Link) Schult. 3, Oaksey Moor, 1950, C.C.T. The
locality is in Gloucestershire but belongs to North Wilts by virtue of the former
county boundary.
Carex pulicaris L. Flea Sedge. 2, Somerford Common, A.R.
C. Pairaei F. Schultz. 2, Sandridge Hill, det. E. Nelmes.
C. flacca Schreb. Glaucous Sedge. Form with compound lower spikelets.
3, Near Braydon Manor, A.R.
C. humilis Leyss. Dwarf Sedge. 4, Easton Hill, E.T. Although previously
listed for North Wilts no definite locality has ever been mentioned ; the sedge
is abundant on the south slope of the hill. 5, Figsbury Ring and near Hillcrest
Bungalow, D.E.C. 7, Wilsford Down, J.F. H-S. 8, Wylye Down, J.F.H-S.
10, Middle Down, D.P. Win Green; Knapp Down ; south of Odstock Copse
and near Clearbury Ring, D.E.C. Gallows Hill and Winkelbury Hull, J.F.H-S.
C. pilulifera L. Pill Sedge. 2, Roadside north of Braydon Pond.
C. caryophyllea Latour. Vernal Sedge. 2, Somerford Common, A.R,
C. pallescens L. Pale Sedge. 2, Roadside north of Braydon Pond. 10, Batts-
croft, B.W.
C. strigosa Huds. 1, Sleight Wood, C.G.
C. laevigata Sm. 6, Near Polesdons Farm.
C. hirta L. Hairy Sedge. Forma hirtiformis (Pers.) Kunth. 3, South Marston,
G.G.
C. vesicaria L. Bladder Sedge. 2, Brinkworth Brook, G.G.
+ Phalaris canariensis L. Canary Grass. 2, Near Neston, A.G.S.
+ Avena Ludoviciana Dur. 1, Westbury, G.W.C. det. C. E. Hubbard. .
Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench. Purple Moor Grass. 3, Meadow south of
Flisteridge Wood.
Catabrosa aquatica (L.) Beauv. Water Whorl Grass. 3, Near Warneford
Place. 8, Winterbourne Stoke, H.J.K.
Poa angustifolia L. 3, Wroughton Hill, det. C. E. Hubbard. 8, Codford
Down. Near Tilshead, det. C. E. Hubbard.
Glyceria declinata Bréb. 6, Near Polesdons Farm.
t+ Vulpia myuros (L.) Gmel. Mouse-tail Fescue. 8, Codford Station.
x Festulolium loliaceum (Huds.) P. Fourn. 3, Cloatley. 7, Amesbury, H.J.K
Orchis ericetorum—Equisetum litorale 343
+ Bromus lepidus Holmb. 10, Dogkennel Farm, B.W., det. C. E. Hubbard.
+ B. carinatus Hook and Arn. 7, The Butts, Salisbury, 1950, P.R.F., det.
C. E. Hubbard.
Ophioglossum vulgatum L. Adder’s Tongue. 10, Dogkennel Farm, D.S.
Blechnum Spicant (L.) Roth. Hard Fern. 2, Braydon Pond Plantation.
Athyrium Filix-femina (L.) Roth. Lady Fern. 2, Braydon Pond Plantation.
4, Birch Copse, Savernake Forest.
Dryopteris Borreri Newm. 2, Silverstreet Wood. 8, Great Ridge Wood.
D. spinulosa (Miull.) Watt. Narrow Buckler Fern. 2, Braydon Pond Planta-
tion. Webb’s Wood.
Polystichum setiferum (Forsk.) Woynar. Soft Shield Fern. 8, Crockerton.
x Equisetum litorale Kuhl. (E. arvense x fluviatile). 7, Canal near Horton,
E.C.W. det. A. H. G. Alston.
344
ENTOMOLOGICAL REPORT FOR 1951
by B. W. WEDDELL
Looking through previous reports I find that I have to go back to
1947 to find a really good season. Since then each year has been
disappointing for one reason or another and entomologists have
indulged in a good deal of grousing.
Sugar has again failed and there have been few nights when light |
could be called really attractive. )
Last year I was convinced that the lack of results was because of
a serious shortage of moths. Now, however, I am not so sure, having
had some experience with a mercury vapour trap. From the masses
of insects that arrived even when the trap was set up in a Trowbridge
back yard, one realizes something of the vast insect population and
its incredible variety.
A contribution from the pen of Mr. Charles Floyd on the
subject of this new moth trap appears below, and will be found of
interest. There are acute differences of opinion on the damage sus-
tained by insects trapped and subsequently released, but common
sense use of this attraction has revealed many hitherto unsuspected
local species.
This year we are starting to keep a phenological record, that is to
say the earliest observations of half a dozen well-known and easily
identified species are logged year by year. The “‘ forwardness ” or
* backwardness ” of the season can then be expressed by a plus or
minus compared to normal.
PHENOLOGICAL RECORD
Average for the
last four years In 1951 Difference
Large White April 2 April 4 - 2
Brimstone Moth May 10 May 24 -14
Garden Carpet May 13 May 20 = i
Cinnabar May 14 June 6 —23
Meadow Brown June 16 July 2 -—16
Marbled White June 16 July 2 -16
+=early; -=late.
CONTRIBUTORS : .
B.W. B. W. Weddell, M.C. Marlborough College
Trowbridge. , N.H.S.
C.F. Charles Floyd, Holt. _ M.C.F. Miss Muriel Foster,
C.M.R.P. C, M. R. Pitman, Aldbourne.
Salisbury. R.A.J. Capt. R. A. Jackson,
G.W.C. G. W. Collett, Codford St. Mary.
Chippenham. W.LW. W. I. Washbrook,
J.S. J. A. J. Smith, Bradford. Aldbourne
Large White—Poplar Hawk 345
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Orange Tip
Clouded Yellow
Brimstone
White Admiral
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Silver-washed Fritillary
High Brown do.
Dark Green do.
Pearl-bordered do.
Small Pearl-bordered
Fritillary
Marsh do.
Marbled White
Grayling
Speckled Wood
Wall
Meadow Brown
White Letter Hairstreak
Green do.
Brown Argus
Chalkhill Blue
Adonis do.
Holly do.
Duke of Burgundy
Fritillary
Silver-spotted Skipper
Poplar Hawk
Pieris brassicae
P.rapae
P.napi
Euchloe cardamines
Colias edusa
Gonepteryx rhamni
Limenitis sibylla
Polygonia c-album
Vanessa urtice
V. 10
Pyrameis cardui
P. atalanta
Argynnis paphia
A. adippe
A. aglaia
A. euphrosyne
A, selene
Melitza aurinea
Melanargia galatea
Satyrus semele
Pararge egeria
P. megera
Epinephele tanira
Thecla w-album
Callophrys rubi
Lycena astrarche
L. corydon
L. bellargus
Cyaniris argiolus
Nemeobius lucina
Augiades comma
Smerinthus populi
W.C.F. 4.4, W.LW. 8.4,
G.W.C. 11.5
W.I1.W. 6.4, C.M.R.P. 12.4,
G.W.C. 17,4
C.M.R.P, 27.4, G.W.C.
13.6, W.LW. (L), 17.9
W.LW. 8.4, G.W.C. 12.5
C.M.R.P. 21.7 (rare), M.C.
(rare)
W.LW. 4.4, G.W.C. 17.4
(hibernated)
C.M.R.P. 8.7, W.LW. 38,
M.C. (increasing)
G.W.C., 22.8
G.W.C, 17.4, -C:VLR.P,
20.7 came in for hiberna-
tion
G.W.C. 5.4, C.M.R.P.
29.6 (L)
W.LW. 5.8
M.C.F. 8.9, 10.10
G.W.C. 25.7, W.LW. 18.8
M.C.
M.C., C.M.R.P. 4.8
G.W.C. 3.6, D.S. 4.6
M.C.
D.S. 3.6
GWG. 2:7, MCE. 2167,
C.M.R.P. 5.8, M.C.
W.LW. 8.4, M.C.F. 18.10
C.M.R.P. 3.6, M..C.F. 13.9
G.W.C. 2.7
I.C.,. C.M.R.P. (lL) 4.5
very early
M.G., C.M.R.P.:3.6
W.I.W. 19.8
GC.VLR PL
€.M.R-P. 8:6; 1029;
W.LW. 15.8
C.M.R.P. 14.4, G.W.C.
12.55 MGR. 3.5;
C.M.R.P. (L) on Buck-
thorn 17.7
D.S. 2.6
C.M.R.P. 4.8, M.C.
D.S. 8.6, C.F. 21.7
346
Eyed Hawk
Death’s Head Hawk
Small Elephant Hawk
Elephant Hawk
Lobster
Swallow Prominent
Great Prominent
Coxcomb Prominent
Chocolate-tip
Figure of Eighty
Vapourer
Black Arches
December Moth
Pebble Hooktip
Oak do.
Scarce Silver Lines
True Lover’s Knot
Double Square Spot
Broad-bordered Yellow
Underwing
Antler Moth
Rosy Minor
Bulrush Wainscot
Brighton Wainscot
Centre-barred Sallow
Red-line Quaker
Grey Shoulder-knot
Beautiful Golden Y
Blackneck
Fanfoot
Mocha
Lead Belle
Chalk Carpet
Scarce Tissue
Pheenix
Twinspot Carpet
Royal Mantie
Pimpinel Pug
Netted do.
Haworth’s do.
Maple do.
Entomological Report
S. occellatus
Acherontia atropos
Metopsilus porcellus
Chezrocampa elpenor
Stauropus fagi
Pheosia tremula
Notodonta trepida
Lophopteryx camelina
Phalera curtula
Palimpsestis octogesima
Orgyia antiqua
Lymantria monacha
Poecilocampa populi
Drepana falcataria
D. binaria
Hylophila bicolorana
Agrotis strigula
Noctua triangulum
Triphena fimbria
Charesas graminis
Miana literosa
Nonagria typhe
Synia musculosa
Cirrhedia xerampelina
Amathes lota
Graptolitha ornithopus
Plusia pulchrina
Toxocampa pastinum
G.E) 21-7
M.C. 9
IML.C.F. 3.6, 0DS~ 22.6,
C.F. 20.7
B.W. 29.6, C.F. 27.7
B.W. 2.7, (L) 10.9
C.F. 27.7, M.G.
M.C. 1.6
B.W. 27.
R.A.J. 15.6
M.-C. 5:7, C.F. 21:7
M.C.F. (L) 6.8, C.M.R.P.
6.10
C.F. 27.7
C.M.R.P. 28.10 ( 9)
M.C.
C.F. 29.7
B.W. 23.7
B.W. 30.7, unexpected here
being a heather feeder
C.F. 20.7
B.W. 23.7, C.F. 29.7
C.M.R.P. 6.9
C.F. 29.7
J.A.J. (L) 27.7, C.M.R.P.
15.8
C.F. 6.8 furthest west
record, R.A.J. 4.8 num-
erous
C.M.R.P. 10.9
C.M.R.P. 8.11
C.M.R.P. 15.10
C.F. 20.7
B.W. 23.7
Zanclognatha tarsipennalis M.C. 3.6
Ephyra annulata
Ortholitha plumbaria
M.C.
C.M.R.P. 14.7
Mucronata umbrifera (Prout) R.A.J. 23.6
O. bipunctaria
Eucosmia certata
Lygris prunata
Malenydris didymata
Anticlea cucullata
Eupithecia pimpinellata
Eu. venosata
Eu. haworthiata
Eu. inturbata
M.C.
C.M.R.P. 30.5
B.W. 27.7
M.G. 247
C.M.R.P. 5.8, very rare
B.W. 25.7
B.W. 29.6
B.W. 29.6
R.A.J. (L) 2.6, 27.7
Eyed Hawk—Latticed Heath 347
Gem Percnoptilota fluvatia Baw 22.7,
Light Emerald Metrocampa margaritaria C.F. 20.7
August Thorn Ennomos quercinaria CoB 217
Feathered Thorn Himera pennaria C.M.R.P. 8.11
Tawny-barred Angle Semiothisa liturata B.W. 9.8
Pale Oak Beauty Boarmia consortaria M.C.F. 4.7, 14.8
Latticed Heath Chiasma clathrata var. C.M.R.P. 1.6, a bred series
nocturnata presented to the British
Museum (Nat. History)
Notes by C.M.R.P. On September 13 he watched ichneumon flies waiting
for the eggs of Large Whites to hatch and then pouncing on them and laying
their eggs in the tiny larve. On October 6 he saw Poplar Hawk larve feeding
on Birch.
THE ROBINSON LIGHT TRAP FOR MOTHS
Last July I acquired one of the new Robinson light traps for moths
and I write these notes in case they may be of interest to those who
have not yet seen the remarkable number of moths these traps attract
in a single night.
The trap itself is quite a simple affair, the source of attraction
being an 80-watt “‘ Osira”’ mercury-vapour lamp which (with the
use of a choke) may be lit from the normal mains. At least 50 yards
of flex are desirable so that the trap can be set at some distance from
the house. The lamp can be left burning all night, but it is best to
visit it at dawn as once the daylight outshines the lamp, some moths
are apt to escape and others such as the “ Y’s” will fly and spoil
themselves.
The trap was first set at Holt Manor and Great Chalfield on two
consecutive nights on the 20th and 21st July. On these two nights
alone over 60 different species of ‘‘ macros ” were taken and a large
number of “‘ micros ’’ which Mr. Weddell kindly identified.
It is not, however, to list the species that I write but rather to
describe the almost incredible abundance of some of the common
species which the trap revealed. The trap was set at most weekends
during the late summer and autumn and, as they came into season,
the following species were each represented by over 250 individuals
each night : Common Rustic (A. secalis), Common Yellow Underwing
(T. pronuba), Dark Arches (A. monoglypha), Beaded Chestnut
(A. lychnidis).
What characteristic, one may ask, have these four species in
common? The answer is undoubtedly great variation, especially in
348 The Robinson Light Trap for Moths
the colour of the forewings. This variation is vividly demonstrated
when such a great gathering of living insects can be examined at
leisure in the restricted space afforded by the trap. What, if any, is
the biological link between variation and abundance ? Does variation
favour the survival of the species and so produce an abundance, or
does abundance in a species indicate great vitality which in turn
encourages variation, possibly as a first step towards the separation of
new species ?
Some moths which one would have thought impossible to overlook
if they were common turned up in astonishing numbers. For exam-
ple, in a garden where no larvae had been seen the lamp nevertheless
attracted up to 16 Garden Tigers (A. caja) per night and as many as
20 Buff Tips (P. bucephala). One night the trap contained more than
50 individuals of the beautiful Buff Arches (H. derasa) and other
interesting species taken included Peach-blossom (T. batis), Large
Emerald (H. papilionaria), the intermediate form of Peppered Moth
(B. betularia) and the Goat (C. cossus). The most unexpected capture
was a single specimen of the Brighton or Downland Wainscot (O.
musculosa) taken at Great Chalfield on the night of August 6th.
Perhaps the most spectacular sight was a large catch of Centre-barred
Sallow (C. xerampelina). There were few other species present and
the trap looked as though it had been filled by a shower of gold.
Some species, although attracted by the light, prefer to rest on the
surrounding grass rather than enter the trap. One July morning the
lawn near the trap was sprinkled for a radius of ten yards with Gold
Tails (EZ. similis), Each moth was resting on a grass or plantain stalk
so that the effect suggested a crop of daisies. Red Underwings were
frequent at Chalfield and these too were usually to be looked for
outside the trap.
Moths are by no means the only insects attracted by the lamp. At
Chalfield the trap was sometimes invaded by hundreds of small water
beetles from the moat and on other occasions masses of crane flies
made themselves a nuisance. The most troublesome catch was a few
hundred wasps when one night I inadvertently set the trap within a
few yards of a strong nest.
My practice was to take any few specimens required as soon after
dawn as possible and then to move the trap to a safe place leaving the
other moths in it till dusk, when they could be let out without fear
of attack by birds.
CHARLES FLOYD
349
NATURAL HISTORY SECTION
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS, 1951.
RECEIPTS.
fo Ss «ds
Balance, 3lst Dec., 1950 30 9 5
Members’ subscriptions:—
144 at 7/6 . 4215 O
Reprints sold 2:4)... all 8 6
Teas, Chippenham eee Bs: 66
£716 -O 05
Hon. Treasurer:
G. W. COLLETT.
31st Dec., 1951.
PAYMENTS.
aS. And
Postage and Stationery:—
Hon. Secretary 2 11 10
Hon. Treasurer 2 ies
Press and Field Meetings 2 13 4
Printing and typing 3212.6
Magazine reprints.. .. 13 5 O
Wiltshire Archzological
Society,l/-permember 4 13 0
Indoor Meetings .... 5 1 O
Book lists ay: £3) 129
Affiliation fees :—
British Trust for
Ornithology Pil?) See Oke
South-Western Natur-
alists Union Paes 10 O
Cheque book Seah 4 0
Balance, 3lst Dec., 1951 25 14 4
£16 10° 5
Audited and found correct,
E. C. BARNES,
Ist Jan., 1952.
350
THE PROVISIONING OF EDWARD [Ls JOURNEY
THROUGH WILTSHIRE IN 1302
By R. A. PELHAM, M.A., PH.D., F.R.HIST.S.
In December, 1302 the King spent nearly a fortnight in Wiltshire on
his way to Odiham, where he stayed for Christmas. His precise route,
compiled from the names of places whence writs were issued—for he
was conducting state business much of the time—was as follows :1
December 4 Hungerford, Berks. December 11 Mariborough
5 Ramsbury, Wilts. 12 3
6 a9 a» 13 a9
7 a a Ludgershall
Marlborough 14 pee
8 Wolfhall
9 Ap 15 Ludgershall
10 ae 16 Andover, Hants.
It is not clear from the itinerary whether the King actually spent a
night at Wolfhall. Since the places listed are, as a rule, only five or six
miles apart it seems unlikely that he would have gone from Marlborough
to Ludgershall, a distance of more than a dozen miles, and then made
a return journey to Wolfhall which would have added a further 15 miles
or so altogether. One of the dates may be in error, for it is reasonable
to suppose that he spent a night at Wolfhall en route to Ludgershall,
and there consumed the goods purveyed locally. Wolfhall is nearly
half-way from Marlborough to Ludgershall, as the plan shows.
It was customary for the King to live on the country as he went
through. If his requirements were likely to be considerable he would
issue writs in advance to the sheriff of the county concerned asking for
certain specified quantities of goods to be purveyed and delivered at a
given time and place.” Any further purchases would be made locally
by the clerks of his various household offices. Accounts were kept of
all goods bought, and payment was usually made either directly from
the Wardrobe or by presentation of the accounts at the central Ex-
chequer. In the latter case the sheriff might be instructed to make pay-
ment out of monies received by him from taxation, only the balance of
the latter being eventually forwarded to the Exchequer. If funds in
the Wardrobe were low it would be a strong temptation to an impecun-
1E. W. Safford, Itinerary of Edward I (typescript in P.R.O.).
* For an example of this see ‘‘ The Provisioning of the Lincoln Parliament
of 1301,” by the present writer in Birmingham Historical Journal, Vol. III,
No.-1, 1951. :
King Edward’s route
3
Ogbourne A @ Ramsbury
an YO é | Re, mm, Hungerford
Overton A =, ee Newbury BS
Melksham go —“ ~=Windso
{\ Cannings Hampstead
cS Marshall
Devizes
~ Odiham
ATiaworth
O22
Andover
| no ee _ ) Salisbur
A.--- ee
Witheridge
- Romsey
4+ Nursling
LEGEND: 1. The Kings’ route. The places named are those from which writs were issued
and where the King may be therefore presumed to have stayed.
2. Royal Castles. These seem to have helped determine the route followed.
3
Chief centres of purveyance. It is not clear from the accounts whether these
were the places for which or from which goods were bought—probably both,
to some extent. The Burbage items have been linked with Wolfhall.
4. Meat \
53) (Gorn. etc: Most of the goods were purveyed in the chief centres. These
6. Hay | symbols represent places to which other vendors belonged.
7. Unspecified
352 The Provisioning of Edward I's Journey through Wiltshire
ious monarch to postpone payment of even small sums, and to hand
over to the sheriff, on departure, a list of local creditors with instructions
that they should be reimbursed in this way. This might mean some
delay, but it conveniently absolved the King from further responsibility
in the matter.
Two surviving documents enable us to gain some idea of the magni-
tude of the task involved in supplying the royal party’s needs on this
occasion. A visit of this kind often put a severe strain upon the normal
resources of a district, and it is an indication of the difficulty of trans-
porting enough food, drink, fuel and litter to where the King happened
to be staying that he seldom remained for any length of time in any one
place. On this journey, although he passed through only the north-
eastern corner of the county his arrival cast an economic shadow as far
at least as Salisbury.
Documents of this kind belonging to the early fourteenth century
have a double interest. In the first place they throw light upon the
nature and extent of royal purveyance at a time when popular indigna-
tion against the arbitrary exercise of this royal prerogative was running
high,* and in the second place they reveal the names and, either
directly or by implication, the occupations of many persons who can
be traced through contemporary subsidy rolls. Unfortunately, neither
document gives a complete picture of what was provided. One, in-
cluded amongst the Sheriff’s Administrative Accounts, is the more
comprehensive, though it omits quantities. The other belongs to the
Wardrobe Accounts® but omits certain important sections, though this
may be because a membrane is missing. However, by using the former
as a basis and the latter as a quarry for supplementary information we
get as near as possible to completeness, and details from both sources
are set out below :
SHERIFF’S ACCOUNT
Indenture of the names of various persons whom the Sheriff
of Wiltshire was assigned to pay out of the issues of his baili-
wick and the monies to be raised within the same bailiwick,
for ale, meat, fish, fuel, litter and other things taken from the
3 There is a John Smith of Romsey, Hants, but he may have been a travelling
tinker in the Marlborough district, and also a John Brongi, possibly of Nursing
near Southampton.
4 In this connection see “‘A Lincolnshire Assize Roll for 1298,’ ed. W. S.
Thompson, being Vol. XXXVI of the Lincoln Record Society.
5 Exchequer K. R. Accounts, Various, 593/2. 8 Ibid., 364/11.
Buttery account 353
same for the victualling of the royal household during the
King’s stay in, and passage through, the same county in the
month of December, the 31st year.
BUTTERY
—Robert Burre (of Salisbury)’ for (2 tuns
Salisbury of new) wine (price 60s. a tun) 6l,. Os. Od.
Henry de Lym? (of the same) for (2 tuns
— of) wine 51, 10s. Od.
—Richard atte Mulne for (72 gallons of)
ale (price ?d. a gallon) As, 6d,
Richard de Foxley for (49 gallons of)
the same 2s. -6d,
Thomas de Copigray for (56 gallons of)
the same 3s. 6d.
John de Welpel for (32 gallons of) the
same 2s, “Od.
Geoffrey Aldwynt for (120 gallons of)
the same 1s 6d,
John Gold for (180 gallons of) the same lis; 3d.
William le Wyte for (140 gallons of)
the same 8s. 9d.
John Wyting for (100 gallons of) the
Marlborough same : 6s; ~3d.
Walter Baker for (120 gallons of) the
same Ts. 6d.
John Yreng for (286 gallons of) the same 17s. 103d.
Edith la Daye for (153 gallons of) the
same Os. 62d.
(Alnova la Honte for 172 gallons of the
same 10s. 9d.)9
Geoffrey Aldewyn for (160 gallons of)
the same 10s. Od.
Alice Childe for (110 gallons of) the
same 6s. 103d.
Roger Ernest for (220 gallons of) the
same 13s, "9d.
John Yring for (52 gallons of) the same 3s. 3d.
? The bracketed details are those taken from the Wardrobe account.
8 By this period many place-names had become surnames, e.g. Henry de
Lym, where the place-name no longer gave a clue necessarily to where the
person lived. In such cases throughout the lists the preposition ** de ”’ has been
retained. Where two names are given in addition to the christian name the final
name, which is invariably a place-name, is assumed to be geographically signifi-
cant and is preceded by the anglicised form “* of.”’
9 These are cancelled items in the Wardrobe account and noted as paid.
VOL. LIV—CXCVI Xx
354 The Provisioning of Edward I's Journey through Wiltshire
John Bruning for (146 gallons of) the
same
Richard atte Mull for (103 gallons of)
the same
(Nicholas Heved!9 for 5 tuns of cider
Marlborough price 10s. a tun
(John Godlygne" for 5 tuns of cider
price 10s. a tun
Lord Eustace de Hacch for one tun of
cider by one tally
Stephen le Botillier for (364 sesters of)
— wine (price 18d. a sester)
—John le Nedlere for wine taken from the
Salisbury same for, the Queen’s use by Guy
— Bureward
Total — 251. Os. 44d.
KITCHEN
—John Loupere for meat
Walter le Lardiner for the same
William Mey for the same
Richard le Carpenter for the same
Alice Wayte for the same
Robert Engelond for the same
Ramsbury Simon Koc for the same
Isabella Ysmanger for the same
William Miller for the same
William de Wanetingg!!* for the same
Henry le Boule for the same
—Adam Bouestret for the same
—John Wychen for fish
John Journel for the same
John Golde for the same
John Chiper for the same
Walter Cole for the same
Sheriff of Wiltshire for the same
Marlborough | Alnova la Honte for the same
Richard le Marchal for the same
John Yring for the same
William Fairforde for the same
John Brounig for the same
Walter le Reve for the same
John Balbe for the same
Richard Nytingale for the same
9s.
6s.
2l. 10s.
21. 10s.
10s.
21. 14s.
31. 15s.
21. 17s.
4s.
Is.
Is.
5s.
3s.
2s.
2s.
5s.
6l. 10s.
5s.
5s.
ll. 8s.
3s.
21. 8s.
4s.
11. 17s.
2S.
1l. 13s. £
2s.
6s.
5s.
7s.
11. 10s.
5s.
17s.
Od.
9 These are cancelled items in the Wardrobe account and noted as paid.
10 i.e. Head. 4 Probably for Godhyne. 11° ie, Wantage.
Marlborough
Burbage
Salisbury
Poultry
Newbury
Marlborough
Wolfhall
Kitchen account
Hugh Harlewyne for the same 6s.
Henry Broun for the same 5s.
Thomas le Reve for the same 7s.
Richard atte Mille for the same 6s.
William Wite for the same 6s.
Lord Eustace de Hacch for the same 51. 4s,
Geoffrey Siward for the same 12s,
William le Tabour for the same 5s.
John Boule for the same 6s.
Geoffrey le Someter for the same 3s.
Humphrey Baker for the same 2s.
—John Godhine for the same 3s.
—Adam le Long for one pig PAR
—William Blond for one pig 2s.
—John Fisher of Fisserton for fish 12s.
John Nogg for the same 21. 10s.
Thomas de Bristoll for the same 5S:
Stephen Fayrthing for the same 7S.
Robert Godard for the same 8s.
Nicholas Baker for one pig 2s.
John le Long for meat E2s;
Richard de Boukyngham for fish As,
Elias le Ster for meat Is.
Richard le Drover (of Waitherich) for
the same 51. 12s.
—William de Buytinton for same 10s.
Thomas Brun the King’s Poulterer 501. Os.
Sum total of the Office of Kitchen with
poultry 921. 16s. 25d.
SCULLERY
—Richard Henne for fuel 2s?
William Smith for fuel 3s,
John Smith for the same 2s:
John Gervais for the same Is.
Roger le Bochul for the same 3s.
William Gosselin for the same is.
—Alice Turpin for the same As,
—Roger Hernest for the same 6s.
Jordan Carpenter for the same 7s.
Thomas Smith for the same 2s
Richard Gramori for the same 4s.
—John Elys for the same Is.
—Robert Cobald for the same ls.
William Burrel for the same
—Adam le Cornmocher for the same ls.
355
Od.
6d.
6d.
Od.
Od.
9d.
6d.
Od.
Od.
éd.
éd.
6d.
éd.
PA o's
Od.
8d.
Od.
Od.
Od.
Od.
Od.
8d.
9d.
Od.
Od.
Od.
Od.
6d.
6d.
6d.
3d.
Od.
4d,
Od.
6d.
2d.
6d.
6d.
2d.
8d.
6d.
X 2
356 The Provisioning of Edward I’s Journey through Wiltshire
—John le Tornor for the same 2s. 2d.
Roger Mayhuwe for the same ls. 4d.
Ramsbury William Miller for the same 9d.
Robert Carter for the same 6d.
Robert le Colier for charcoal 4s. 6d.
—William le Long for fuel Od.
John Brongi of Noteschugll!2 2s. Od.
Roger Scelwestri for fuel Od.
Godfrey de Noteschalling!3 8d.
John Smith of Romesey Is. Od.
Richard Gonarr for salt ls. 4d.
Gilbert le Turnour 4s. Od.
Robert de Drayton for fuel Is. 4d.
William Walraund for the same lisveod:.
John Secot for the same 2s. Od.
Robert Martin for the same Is. 4d.
John Tot for the same 10d.
Thomas le Chapman 2s. Od.
Richard de Chaswell ls. 4d.
Sum total of the Office of Scullery 31. 13s. 7d.
MARSHALSEA
—Robert Love (of Ramsbury) for hay 12s. Od.
Adam de Stok!* for the same 8s. Od.
Parson of Bedewynde for the same 3s. Od.
Thomas Norman for the same 2s. 0d.
Ramsbury Robert le Chareter for the same 10d.
Henry le Newman for hay and straw ls. 6d.
Philip atte Hacche for the same 9d.
John Leper for straw ls. Od.
—Adam de Stok for the same 235 1G.
—Walter le Barker for hay 11. 10s. Od.
Roger Hernest for the same 12s. Od.
Roger Aldewyn for hay and vetches 7s. Od.
Walter Wilemot for hay 3s. Od.
John Carpenter of Okeburn!® for hay 7s. Od.
Marlborough | Abbess of Wilton for hay 15s.. Od.
Prior of Winchester for hay 8s. Od.
Bailiff of the Barton (of Marlborough)
for hay and straw 7s. 3d.
The same for (153 qrs. of) oats (price
ls. 8d. a qr.) Il. 5s. 10d.
12 Possibly Nursling, near Southampton.
13 Certainly Nursling.
14 i.e. Stokke Manor in Great Bedwyn.
15 je. Ogbourne,
Marlborough
Marshalsea account
John Yrige (of Marlborough) for hay
Richard de Witt of Okeburn for the
same
William Durent for hay
Prior of St. Margaret of Marlborough
for hay
Thomas Coppegrei of Marlborough for
straw
John le Bedel of the same (for straw)
John le Rouse (of the same) for straw
William Durent of the same for fuel
Adam Bryghtriche of Overton for hay
Prior of Winchester for hay
Philip Pulhop for hay
—Richard le Messer for hay
—Adam de Stok for (1% qrs. of) oats
Wolfhall
Ludgershall
(price Is. 8d. a qr.)
The same for hay
Prior of Bradenstoke for the same
Eustace le Sauvag’® for hay and straw
Hugh de Braybeof for the same
John Gregg of Hurlach for hay
John Russel!6 for hay
John le Boyer for hay
—Philip Wesprei of Lutegershal for hay
Prior of Bradley for hay and straw
Peter Eleyn (reeve of the royal manor of
Ludgershall) for hay and vetches
Roger de Lecford for hay
Hugh le Irreys for hay and straw
The same for hay
Abbot of Gloucester for hay (and
straw)
—The same for (1 qr. of) oats
Sum total 111. 14s. 4d.
—The canons and chapter of Salisbury
Chapter of
Salisbury
'© Of Burbage Savage ?
for corn and other things taken from
the same at Cannings & Melksham
for the victualling of the King’s two
sons, Thomas & Edmund, staying at
Devizes in the 30th year, by an in-
denture negotiated between the same
chapter and Lord William de Werine
clerk of the documents of the same
sons
—William de Brykenyle of Tudworth for hay
46l.
16° Probably of Knowle in Little Bedwyn.
ls.
OOF,
Od.
6d.
Od.
Od.
Od.
10d.
8d.
Od.
Od.
Od.
Od.
6d.
6d.
8d.
6d.
8d.
8d.
éd.
Od.
Od.
6d.
6d.
LOd:
Od.
Od.
Od.
6d.
6d.
Od.
23d.
358 The Provisioning of Edward I’s Journey through Wiltshire
—Prior of St. Margaret without Marl-
borough and the other canons dwel-
Prior of ling in the same priory, for the tithe
St. Margaret of bread, tithe of gallons of ale, and
without tithe of dishes of the King’s great
Marlborough Kitchen which had to be taken for
the King’s sojourn within Marlbor-
— ough Castle 6l. 14s. 8d.
Sum total of this indenture on account
of the details set forth 1861. Os. 43d.
A careful comparison of these two accounts shows that the Wardrobe
account is the more complete in respect of the details that it contains.
From this we may assume that the Sheriff’s account has been copied
from it or, perhaps, that both have been drawn up from the accounts
of the individual household officers. But it is still difficult to reconcile
the two because the heading of the Wardrobe account merely states that
it contains ‘‘ The names of those who are owed for wine and ale in the
County of Wiltshire in the month of December...’ We should thus
expect to find only the Buttery items listed whereas, in fact, the Kitchen
and Marshalsea items are given as well, only the Scullery account being
omitted, though as already hinted this may be because a membrane is
missing. Then again, the fact that three items in the Wardrobe account
have been cancelled as having been paid—items, incidentally, which
are not included in the Sheriff’s account—suggests that payments were
still being made while the accounts were being drawn up. Some pay-
ments may have been made even before either account was compiled,
in which case they would not appear at all. Indentures of this kind
are seldom as complete as particulars accounts, and may, therefore, be
quantitatively misleading though containing much of interest in other
respects.
The Sheriff’s account is summarised below in order to show more
clearly how the burden of demand was spread.
BUTTERY
JB ho Gl. £ s. id:
Wine : Cider :
Salisbury 11 10 O Marlborough 10 O
Salisbury (Queen) 315 -0
Marlborough 214 9 ——
Ale: 25 O 44
Marlborough 610 74 anny Ses
Summary 359
KITCHEN
US) ds £s.d
Meat : Pork :
Ramsbury 11 5 4 Burbage 4 8
Salisbury 615 9 Salisbury 22a 0
Fish : Poultry : 50 0 O
Marlborough 20 1 14 ——
Salisbury 474 92 16 24
SCULLERY
fsa di: fos. d.
Firewood : Salt :
Newbury 18 1 Unspecified 1 4
Marlborough Lo 2h 8 Other unspecified
Wolfhall 3 4 amounts : 11 O
Ramsbury 5s 6
Unspecified M8 ee
Charcoal: — 3,13. 7
Ramsbury 4 0 ee
MARSHALSEA
IBS eole £ sed.
Hay : Oats :
Ramsbury 1. S020 Marlborough lL. 3410
Marlborough 5 107.9 Wolfhall 2 6
Wolfhall 19 8 Ludgershall 2 0
Ludgershall 13.6 Firewood :
Straw : Marlborough 20)
Ramsbury Sik Hay & Vetches :
Marlborough 3.6 Marlborough 10
Hay & Straw : Ludgershall 20
Ramsbury 20D
Marlborough f (ene a
Wolfhall 3 4 11 14 4
Ludgershall 3 10 —S
From this it is clear that, leaving aside poultry and the unspecified
items, Marlborough provided the major share with a total of £38 15s. 6d,
against Salisbury’s £26 10s. ld., though much of the difference is
accounted for by cheaper and bulkier goods such as fuel and fodder,
which it was neither profitable nor necessary to bring from a distance.
Poultry was by far the most expensive item, and it is unfortunate that
no details are given. In spite of the appropriateness of the season
turkeys were not, of course, available, so we must assume that the money
was spent on geese, ducks and capons which at that time were selling
for 3d., 13d., and 2d. each, respectively.!” It seems unlikely, however,
17 Thorold Rogers, History of Agriculture and Prices, II, p. 207.
360 The Provisioning of Edward I’s Journey through Wiltshire
that the whole £50 was spent on birds. At an average price of, say, 24d.
this would represent a consumption of some 5,000 birds, which is a bit
much. Of the other items fish figures prominently, and although it was
a generally expensive article of diet in the Middle Ages a sum of £20
must have meant a considerable quantity for a town of the size of Marl-
borough. However, as over a quarter of this amount was supplied by
Eustace de Hacch, who was Constable of Marlborough Castle at the
time, it probably came from the King’s great stew, on which Eustace
had been authorised some months earlier to expend 10 marks in re-
pairing sluices that had been broken down by floods.1®
Although a number of ecclesiastics appear in the accounts, a not
inconsiderable amount of produce seems to have been supplied by
humbler folk in the town and villages. If the occupational surnames
are to be relied upon, we see that most of the Salisbury meat was pro-
vided by a Devonshire drover!®, while several persons engaged in
crafts, transport and local food supply made their modest contributions.
Some of the rest may well have been freemen or villeins, and it was upon
such folk that the incidence of purveyance tended to fall most heavily,
for the commandeering of a cow, a sheep or a few bushels of grain was to
them a matter of moment, especially when payment was not readily
forthcoming. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient evidence in the
accounts to enable us to judge accurately as to whether full market
prices were being paid ; nor was sufficient grain purveyed to throw light
upon the regional character of agriculture within the county. But colla-
tion with other contemporary material might reveal the status of many
of the persons in these lists and so help to complete the socio-economic
picture of Wiltshire during the heyday of manorial farming.?°
18 Cal. Close R., 1296-1302, p. 510.
19 On the assumption that “‘ Witherich ’”’ is Witheridge, Devon.
20 Since the above was written Mr. Kempson of Marlborough has kindly
supplied the following details: Eustace de Hacche, constable of Marlborough
Castle (Cl. Roll, 1299), had family connections with Westhatch in Tisbury
(F.F. of 1281). Richard, the Queen (Dowager)’s marshal in Marlborough,
is recorded (Pat. Roll, 1281) as holding a messuage late of Sweteman the
Jew. In 1289 he was one of the borough coroners. In the same year John
Bruning and Roger Hernest were jurors of the borough. John Godehyne,
purveyor of fish and probably of cider, was the earliest known mayor of
Marlborough (1310) and co-founder with another merchant of the town of
the Priory of White Friars in the High Street (1316) ; two years later he gave
62 acres in the Barton of Marlborough to St. Margaret’s Priory of the same.
In 1281 John le Rouse was a juror of Selkley Hundred. Other names are
recognizable as belonging to known families in the town or district.
361
NOTES
A Parallel from Amiens for the Rudge Cup.! The discovery in
1949 in a Roman villa at Amiens of an enamelled bronze patera
closely resembling in its inscription and decoration the Rudge Cup
found in 1725 at Froxfield, six miles east of Marlborough, prompts
a note to record the French discovery and to draw attention to the
modern interpretation of the Rudge Cup. A full-size figure of this
will be found in Hoare’s Ancient Wilts II, 121, or in W.A.M. 1, 118.
It is 4 inches in diameter and stands 3 inches high.?
The Rudge cup, or bowl without a handle, carries the legend
(with the letters A unbarred) : AAMAISABALLAVAVXELODVM-
CAMBOGLANSBANNA. Professor Richmond has shown that this
list of place-names can be assigned to the western forts on Hadrian’s
Wail, Maia being Bowness-on-Solway, Aballava Burgh-by-Sands,
Uxelodum (or Uxellodunum) Castlesteads, Camboglans (or Cambo-
glanna) Birdoswald and Banna Bewcastle, an outpost fort six miles
north of Birdoswald. The list begins with the preposition a, govern-
ing the ablative, and continues with subsequent places in the accusa-
tive or locative; it gives the post-houses from some itinerary and
omits a fort like Stanwix which has access to the facilities of Carlisle
lying on a different trunk-road.
The rest of the exterior of the cup ts filled with a series of rectangular
panels of blue and green enamel surmounted by turrets, each with its
battlements; the space between each turret has been filled with
crescents in blue and green enamel. As Mr. Cowen has shown, this
decoration forms a contemporary representation of the turrets and
running work of Hadrian’s Wall, and the upper edge of the fortifica-
tion is prominent because it has been picked out in red enamel.
The Amiens patera (2 inches high and 4 inches in diameter), had
an enamelled handle 3 inches long, though it was broken off when
discovered. Its main decoration gives a similar portrait of Hadrian’s
Wall. The legend is moulded in red letters, with each place-name
set in.a blue or green field; with the letters A unbarred it reads:
1 J. Heurgon, Comptes-rendus de l’Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
(1949), 125 ; Journal of Roman Studies ,xli (1951), 22, Fig. 4, pl. III, 1.
2 J. D. Cowen and I. A. Richmond, Arch. Ael. ser. 4, xii (1935), 310; I. A.
Richmond and O. G. S. Crawford Arch. xciii (1949), 13. For other illustrations
see J. C. Bruce, Lapidarium Septentrionale, pl. facing p. 205 ; M. E. Cunnington,
Introduction to the Archaeology of Wiltshire (ed. 2), Fig. 41.
VOL. LIV—CXCVI ¥
362, Notes
MAISABALLAVAVXELODVNVMCAMBOGLA|[NI|JSBANNA-
ESICA. This text omits the preposition a, gives the fuller forms
Uxelodunum and Camboglal|ni|s, and adds Esica, for Aesica. The last
name is Greatchesters, two forts east of Birdoswald, and the inter-
mediate fort of Carvoran? has been omitted because it lies on the
Maiden Way and would appear elsewhere in an Itinerary.
These bronze vessels seem to have formed items in sets of table-
service, aS a variant for the more normal silver or pewter ware. A
complete set would include the names of the forts on Hadrian’s Wall,
in so far as they occurred in some Itinerary. They belong to a group
of enamelled bronzes which were produced in south-east Britain, and
which in some cases have been found on military sites. In addition to
the Rudge and Amiens vessels, there is the fragment of a third vessel
with the representation of the Wall but without any inscription; it
belongs to Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, who acquired it from north-western
Spain, which was a military district in Roman times. The vessels
were manufactured in Britain and may have been sold anywhere
within the island and need not indicate a tour of duty on Hadrian’s
Wall. Alternatively, they may have been bought by officers during a
command in the north and been treasured as souvenirs; one was found
in Wiltshire, another in northern Spain, and a third reached Amiens,
R. P. WRIGHT
Battle of Mertune. In the June 1951 issue, Mr. Lane Poole ex-
presses surprise at my omission of the battlefield of Mertune in my
article on Wiltshire Battlefields. The reason is simple: I had not
adequate evidence to locate the site in Wiltshire. Now, thanks to
his paper and to a recent examination of the ground, I am satisfied
that the battle probably took place just to the north of Bokerley Dyke.
I would add to Mr. Lane Poole’s reasons the following military con-
siderations, strategical and tactical.
Strategical. Armies in southern England during the Dark Ages
seem to have been almost as “‘road-bound”’ as were the U.N. troops
at the beginning of the Korean campaign. I could site at least thirteen
instances where battles seem to have been fought astride an existing
3 As Richmond and Crawford show (Arch. xciii, 11, 19), the Ravenna Cosmo-
graphy omits Luguvalium (Carlisle, adjacent to Stanwix), Camboglanna (Birdos-
wald), and (in locative form) Magnis (Carvoran) from its list of posts on the
western sector of Hadrian’s Wall, but does include them in a sequence drawn
from Cumbria.
Notes 363
road or track. If Wilton and Mertune were both fought astride the
Old Sarum—Dorchester Road, this road would seem to have been
the axis of advance and retreat by Saxons and Danes in the “year of
battles.”’ A battle therefore on such a commanding site as Martin
Down would be no surprise.
Tactical. The usual pattern of battle in those times was for one
army to occupy a position running along the crest of a ridge roughly
perpendicular to the road-axis, and for the other army to advance and
attack it. This position was normally on high ground, with a long
field of view to the front. The Martin Down ridge a few hundred
yards north-east of Bokerly Dyke exactly fits this description. It is
easy to picture Alfred (and Ethelred) occupying a position just on the
forward slope of this ridge, watching closely the Danish advance, re-
solved to follow the plan that had produced good results at Ashdown,
charging down on them ‘like a wild boar’.
Unfortunately the Danes, after an initial retreat, recovered, and the
Saxons probably took refuge in the Bokerly Dyke position. Its very
presence may indeed have been the deciding factor in the selection of
the position. If this be so it adds interest to the battle, for it means
that a defensive line constructed by Romans against Picts was five
hundred years later occupied by Saxons against Danes. The progress
of the science of war was not rapid in those days.
ALFRED BURNE
Possible climatic origin of Lower Greensand sarsens. These |
sarsens, which are found in situ in the Lower Greensand, occur
chiefly in the upper portion of the Vale of White Horse south and
east of Swindon. Here the Lower Greensand has decomposed,showing
abundant limonite probably derived from the original glauconite. The
Lower Greensand at Sands Farm, east of Calne, in another drainage
area, has not decomposed but exhibits current bedding and lenses
of silver sand. Nor has the Upper Greensand decomposed, probably
through being uncovered at a later date.
The bulk of the Lower Greensand sarsens are intensely white i in
colour, indistinguishable from the Tertiary sarsens except that white
grains show through the brown skin, which was probably acquired by
absorption and not by solution as in the case of the Tertiary sarsens,
It would appear that the primary weathering of the Lower Green-
sand has been caused by exposure to tropical weather causing lateritic
conditions whereby the secondary silica was thrown down to silicify
ary
364 Notes
the lenses of silver sand, the Lower Greensand decomposing in the
process.
The time of this exposure to tropical conditions could hardly have
occurred early in the Tertiary when the Eocene deposits were laid
down, but the Lower Greensand sarsens could be dated to the next
tropical period in the early Miocene.
Dr. Alex Muir, head of the Pedological Department at Rothamp-
stead, tells me that he has *‘ seen in the United States fossil laterites
in the Dakota Sandstone (thought to be of Cretaceous age), perfect
text book examples of laterite as now seen in Africa and India. In
the vicinity of Dunstable, in the Greensand, some nodular and vesicular
material has been found extremely reminiscent of laterite.” Dr. Muir
further states that “‘ under contemporary tropical conditions in the
formation of a laterite a considerable amount of silica is leached out
which in part goes to form rocks like quartzites and part to the
cementation of other clastic material,” and he sees “* no reason why the
silica cement in the Lower Greensand sarsens could not come from
the primary weathering which gave rise to the more ferruginous
material.” D. W. FREE
Wiltshire Spas and Mineral Wells, etc. Notes are being compiled
for the Victoria County History of Wiltshire on the above, and many
references have been found through Canon Goddard’s bibliography
and in Aubrey’s works and elsewhere. The Spas—if these may be
defined as “‘ commercialized mineral wells ’—seem to have been
those at Chippenham, Holt, Melksham, Purton and Seend, and pos-
sibly also at West Ashton, Box, Poulshot and Wootton Bassett. But
mineral wells are also recorded at Biddestone, Braydon, Christian
Malford, Crudwell (?), Draycott Cerne, Heywood, Highworth,
Kington St. Michael, Knoyle, Luckington, Lydiard Tregoze, Rowde
and Sheldon.
The Victoria County History can only include a list of the mineral
wells, springs, etc., but brief information on any—whether included
in the above list or not—including references to any printed informa-
tion, will be welcome. So will information on the “ Spas ”.
Communications should be sent to :-—
Mr. J. H. P. PAFFORD, 62 Somerset Road, Wimbledon, S.W.19.
Stonehenge. The two Aubrey Holes, A31 and A32, opened two years
ago as noted in W.A.M. (Dec., 1950), have now been fully published
Notes 365
in the current Antiquaries Journal (Jan.-Apr., 1952). The investiga-
tors, our members, Mr. R. J. C. Atkinson, Prof. Stuart Piggott
and Dr. J. F. S. Stone, venture no positive opinion as to the purpose
of the holes but adhere to their negative conclusion that they had held
neither stone nor wooden post. Perhaps the most interesting feature
of the report is the result of what is known as the C,, method of
arriving at a date by observation of the radio-active state of charcoal
found in one of the holes. The American authority on this method
assigned an age of 3798+-275 years or a date between 2123 and 1573
B.C. This accords sufficiently closely with the date accepted on
archaeological grounds for the earliest known work at Stonehenge.
It also covers Sir Norman Lockyer’s date for a reconstruction of
the monument on a solstitial alignment, which was 1680 B.C., also
with a margin of error. But the time for a reconsideration of the
astronomical evidence is not yet : Lockyer spoilt his case by extrava-
gant claims for his methods and thereby discredited a possibly legiti-
mate approach. No one seems to have traced back the habit of assem-
bling at Stonehenge on the longest day. It would be a pity if it were
supposed by future generations that it all started from Lockyer in
1905 ; some of us were there earlier (and Hardy’s Tess before us).
But that is another hare. |
In the same issue Mr. R. S. Newall has a note on Stone 66, which
lies under Sarsen 55b. With the consent of the Ministry of Works ,
he has partially excavated it, proving it to be not the dolerite maul it
appeared to be, but the rounded stump of a true member of the blue-
stone horseshoe, on which 55 crashed before the year 1575. The
buried length of this fragment was not ascertained, but the southern
edge of it was found to carry a vertical ridge 14 inches high. The
corresponding stone 68 west of the axis carries, on the other hand, a
groove 14 inches deep. Mr. Newall infers that these features have
to do with the use of the stones in an earlier monument.
A lost landmark. On the boundary between Bratton and Edding-
ton parishes where two tracks cross 14 miles S.E. of Bratton Church
(N.G.R. 31-928501) the 1926 edition of the 6” O.S. map marks
Sealland Cross (site of)t and the recent 1: 25000 sheet repeats the
information. Miss Seth Smith, who knew the place before it passed
behind the W.D, curtain, reports only boundary stones thereabouts.
1 The site appears on the map, W.A.M., liii, p. 407, but the name is wrongly
spelt.
366 Notes
She has further made enquiries of Mr. C. W. Phillips of the Survey,
who answered that the original record, made at least 100 years ago,
was lost in the air-raid of 1940 which destroyed all the O.S. records.
He added that a surveyor had searched in vain for any traces of the
cross in 1922. Andrews and Dury’s map of 1773 shows the crossing
but records no name. Indeed the cross had already vanished 200
years before. In his Modern Wiltshire Colt Hoare quotes the bounds
of the Hundred of Westbury in 1575, of which the relevant section
reads :—
...and so by a straight line between Eddington field and Bretton’s [Bratton]
field to a stone called Patten’s Stone (anciently Padcanstone) : and so straight
along the way to a little ball [boundary mound] where once was a stone cross
called Sealland Cross, standing on the highway leading between Devizes and
Warminster... :
Padcanstone is the Padecanstan of the Saxon bounds of Edington,
and a remnant of Padeca’s name exists, as Grundy remarks, in Patcombe
Hill. ‘* The stone,” he says, “‘ seems to survive at the angle which the
boundary makes on that hill ” (Wilts. 6” O.M. xlv, S.W.). The later
cross has been less fortunate, but clearly it stood on the boundary
where the medieval highroad crossed the bottom on a raised causeway,
itself some indication of wet ground. In this we may have a hint of the
derivation of the name, for Sealhland in Saxon would mean ** Willow-
land.”’ But the shrinkage of the water-table under the downs has
altered conditions in that valley as elsewhere, and little remained, in
Miss Seth Smith’s recollection, but the ‘ gnarled and writhen thorn ’
of Kipling’s Sussex.
Preshute font. Mr. Buck writes: ‘‘ Perhaps you could find
room for a short announcement in connection with my last article
[p. 208 of the December, 1951, number]. It has just been confirmed
by the Service Geologique du Belgique that the material is Tournai
marble of the type *‘ marbre noir de Calonne.” Full particulars will
appear in the next issue (December, 1952).” :
367
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, ETC.
[The Editor invites all who are ina position to do so to assist in making
the record under this heading as complete as possible. Books sent for review
pass eventually to the Museum Library, an extensive collection of Wiltshire
material to which such additions are particularly welcome. ]
Beginning in Archaeology, by Kathleen M. Kenyon (Phoenix
House, 1952. 12s. 6d.). This comprehensive handbook sets out the
elements of the subject and the fields open to workers at home and
abroad. From this Miss Kenyon leads up to a detailed account, with
photographs and diagrams, of the technique of excavation adapted to
various types of site. It gives an insight into the manifold duties and
problems that beset the director of a large-scale dig and will be in-
valuable to anyone wishing to take any sort of part in one.
A chapter is devoted to air photography and field surveys. These
comprise mapping earthworks, observing linear ditches in relation
to environment, study of distribution of special types and dating
sites by surface finds. The latter is dismissed in few words as being
more applicable in the East, but it may be suggested that of all the
methods it offers most scope to the amateur ; particularly on down-
land, many enclosures can be roughly dated in this way and other
sites discovered through sherds being noted where little or no trace
of earthworks exists.
A useful novelty is a very full list of posts open to archaeologists
and training facilities to qualify for them.
O. M.
List of Wiltshire Borough Records earlier in date than 1836,
ed. M. G. Rathbone. All students of our local history will be grateful
to Mr. Rathbone for the work that he has done in compiling this fifth
volume for the Records Branch of our Society, that for the year 1951,
Salisbury and Wilton had already taken trouble over arranging their
material; Mr. B. H. Cunnington had extracted largely from the
borough chests of Devizes and Marlborough ; but now for the first
time is it possible to know fully what material is available not only in
these towns, but also in Calne, Chippenham, Downton, Heytesbury,
Malmesbury and Wootton Bassett. Moreover research that might have
ended in frustration will now be an easy matter and will occupy the
minimum of time,
A hundred pages of the volume under review are occupied by the
list of documents from each borough, each section being preceded by
368 Wiltshire Books, Etc.
a brief municipal history. But the value of the volume is much increased
by half-a-dozen pages of introduction by Mr. R. B. Pugh, the general
editor of the series. Here he sets before us the various characteristics
that may be held to be essential for a borough : the possession of a
market, the tenure of property in burgage, the possession of charters
of privilege giving the right to municipal courts and guilds merchant,
the right of providing representatives to Parliament. All these have been
held to be the hall-mark of a borough, but perhaps the last is the most
essential, intermittent though the right often proved to be.
By these criteria Mr. Pugh sifts the more important from the less.
He omits such towns as seem manorial in character and those whose
early loss of status has prevented them from retaining any records.
The following table, compiled from this volume and other sources,
may be of interest. It shows the earliest known dates of charter, guild
merchant and mayor. In some cases it is believed that the mayor was
appointed by the guild.
charter guild mayor
Wilton .. ate be Suu | 1121 c. 1300
Old Salisbury .. i Ne 1175
New Salisbury. . ie toy IZA» 1261
Devizes. . ats ue (sic, 1140 (1371) 1302
Marlborough .. .. 2 ¢ 1204 1163 1310
We should like to close with a word of congratulation to the editor,
who has cast so wide a net in his choice of material ; and we await with
impatience the further volumes that have been promised. _E.G.H.K.
Materials for a History of Cricklade approach completion. Dr.
Thomson has produced the chapter dealing with the Early Topography
and Mr. Maddocks has drawn three maps to illustrate it. From the
text and the maps useful information is forthcoming, but both serve
to emphasize the difficulties that must still perplex the historian of
early Cricklade. The bounds of the area have evidently defied repre-
sentation, and we are left in doubt as to the relations of Cricklade
town to the manors which lie round it. Their development, we are
told, “* began the economic confusion which ended only with the last
Enclosure Act.’”’ But when we come to the chapter on the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries we are likely to find that no Enclosure Award
in pursuance of the Act of 1814 is to be discovered—at least none is
shown in the Handlist published by Mr. Tate (W.A.M. li. 163)—
which may partly explain “‘ the tangle of the Chelworth manors ”
Wiltshire Books, Etc. 369
to which Dr. Thomson refers. Changes in the bounds of Braydon
Forest and the question of what was or was not royal demesne also
add to the complication. It is not easy to discover whether the town
arable was really on the three-field system : the names Middle Field
and Farfield suggest some sort of ** Nearfield ’” which may have
included Hitchin Field, a name which generally denotes a portion
only of a common field. Perhaps the rest of the near field is the
Spittle Field, which Dr. Thomson describes as too wet for the plough.
Is it cynical to suppose that it was assigned to the maintenance of
the two religious houses of the town for that reason ?
We are on surer ground when Dr. Thomson reviews the topo-
graphical features of the whole site and its relations to the Thames
and Ermine Street. It may be that the results of recent excavations
may produce an Appendix G. on the boundaries of the town in this
period. The two latest Appendices issued, on certain Cricklade
families and local place-names, complete the present tale of these
additions.
HG. BG.
The Life and Loyalties of Thomas Bruce by the Earl of Cardigan,
(Routledge & Kegan Paul, 229, pp. 21s. Od.). Our Magazine has had
the honour of being the first publisher of Lord Cardigan’s records of
his family history, and readers of his latest book will not suffer any
disappointment, for there is not a dull page in it. To say that the
author is not a professional historian might sound offensive, but
herein lies his strength : he tells history with ease and grace, qualities
which professionals far too easily stifle and bury beneath their erudi-
tion. The erudition is here all right, but it is borne so easily that it
often escapes the reader’s notice and the book is exciting and alive.
The best quality in historical writing is the power to stimulate further
reading, and in this respect this book is entirely successful.
The title is admirably chosen. Thomas Bruce was a vital, virile
man, “ all of a piece ’’.. To Macaulay he was no man of honour, but
though he may have dealt in treason no one will think of him as a
dishonourable man. His descendant has dealt with him with humour,
affection, justice and piety—nor does the piety excuse or hide his
faults. The description of events and characters—particularly the
character of that dreadful old ‘* battleaxe’’, the Duchess of Beaufort—
is faithful and vivid. Thomas spent the last 45 of his 86 years of life
in exile in the Netherlands, a long anticlimax, one would think ; but the
370 Wiltshire Books, Etc.
narrative is never dull, and we take leave of this tough old Royalist with
real regret. Only a brave man would have ventured to describe the
death-bed of Charles II when he could expect that his readers were
already familiar with the descriptions by Macaulay and Dr. Arthur
Bryant. Lord Cardigan’s courage meets with the success it deserves.
RA. UJ
371
WILTSHIRE OBITUARIES
CANON CYRIL HENRY MEYRICK died at Codford on November 27th, 1951, aged
71. Ordained in British Columbia, 1907, he succeeded his father as Rector
of Wytham and Binsey, Berks, 1914, serving during the war as army chaplain.
Came to Codford St. Mary 1924, later taking over Codford St. Peter and Upton
Lovel. Rural dean for Wylye Valley ; created Canon 1945. Member of the
County Education Committee and chairman of the Scholarships and Awards
Sub-committee, where his services were highly appreciated.
Obits.: Bath and Wilts. Chronicle, November 29th ; Wilts. Times, November
30th, 1951.
REV. PHILIP WILLIAM GIRDLESTONE FILLEUL died at Bath on December 4th,
1951, aged 97. A graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, ordained 1879,
curate of Trowbridge 1879-81, he later held livings at Bath, Birmingham and
Oxford. Rector of Devizes 1909-15, he returned there in 1949, at the age of
95, to preach a series of half-hour sermons.
Obit.: Wiltshire Gazette, December 6th, 1951.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR RICHARD HARMAN LUCE, K.C.M.G., C.B., F.R.C.S., F.S.A., died
at Romsey, Hants on February 21st, 1952, aged 84. Son of Col. C. R. Luce,
of Malmesbury, educated at Clifton and Christ’s College, Cambridge. After
training at Guy’s Hospital, qualified 1893, holding posts at Guy’s and
York County Hospital. Later as consulting surgeon at Derby held appoint-
ments at several hospitals. Served in 1914-18 war with the army in Egypt as
Director of Medical Services. Prominent in public life in Derby and Conserva-
tive M.P. for the borough 1924-29, Retiring to Romsey became Mayor 1935-7,
and president of Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society. His
publications inciude Pages from the History of the Benedictine Monastery at
Malmesbury and several contributions to this magazine on kindred subjects.
Married 1877, Mary Irene, daughter of Dr. John Scott, and had a son and
three daughters,
Obit.: Times, February 23rd, 1952.
oie
CORRECTIONS
Bradford-on-Avon and Ethelred’s Charter (Vol. liv, pp. 210-218)
p. 211. li. 2-3 and footnote : My friend Dr. C. E. Wright of the British Museum
has pointed out that the Saxon boundaries were first printed in Vol. ii of
Dugdale’s Monasticon issued in 1819. on pp. 479-80. The 1849 edition is
a reprint of this. It is accordingly incorrect to say that Kemble’s is the
first printing, and the following corrections should be made:
1. 2 for 1849 read 1819
1.3 ..,, second," first
SSS TSE xy second
footnote: delete all after edition.
p. 214, n. 2. military road. To this note should be added :—
The use of this word is interesting because the history of hereweg is
obscure. It is in Bosworth and Toller, but the only source cited in that
dictionary is 4lfric’s Glossary. It seems that the word occurs in only one
of the 7 known MSS, of the Glossary and this is the Bodleian MS. made by
or for Junius in the seventeenth century. This was copied from a MS.
now lost, but which, since it contained a reference to King Cnut, could
not have been earlier than 1016. The entry is publica via, ealles here weg,
and it seems to be an interpolation, since it occurs, with other miscellaneous
words, in the section ‘‘ Nomina XII. Ventorum”. (Thomas Wright:
Anglo-Saxon and Old-English vocabularies. Edited by R. P. Wulcker. 2
vols. 1883-4. Vol.I, Col. 146). The Place-Names of Wilts (E.P.N.S.
Vol. XVI) simply states (p. 435) that “‘“hereweg is not on record from
O.E.”” If 1001 is the real date of the Bradford charter its later herewai form
appears to be the earliest recorded use of the word. Although translated
literally above, the meaning is, of course, highway and indeed hereweg may
actually have been assimilated to that word at an early date.
p. 215, n. 5. Wrindesholt. To the possible interpretations may be added: c.
rymed holt = cleared wood, with assimilation of md to nd (cf. Roundway—
E.P.N.S. Wilts, p. 253).
p. 216,n.9. Wret. In W.A.M. xiv (1874), p. 165, W. H. Jones discusses the
river-name Were and suggests that it may be associated with the Welsh
gwyr = crooked.
p. 216, n. 15. The Grid reference for Rowley Copse should be 808585 not
808589. , |
J.P PP:
373
W. A. & N. H. S. RECORDS BRANCH
Honorary Secretary’s Report for 1950
Membership. The Branch now numbers 116 individual and 59 institutional
members—a total of 175.
Finances. At the end of 1950 the Branch had a credit balance of approxi-
mately £850, out of which the costs of the volumes for 1949 and 1950 must be
met. j
Volume for 1949. Itis unfortunately necessary to report that Mr. Meekings has
still been unable to complete the Calendar of Crown Pleas for Wiltshire for 33
Henry III (1248-9). The abstract itself and the index of persons and places
are however finished, and the introduction and subject index—the only remain-
ing features—well advanced.
List of Wiltshire Borough Records before 1836.1 The whole text of this volume
went to press on 15th April. The printers have stated that the work can be
finished by 15th July.
Members will be interested to learn that the List is being printed by a Wilt-
shire firm. This is the first time that a Wiltshire printer has handled our work.
Volume for 1950.1 The whole text and introduction of The Trowbridge
Woollen Industry as illustrated by the Stock Books of John and Thomas Clark,
1804-1824, which Dr. R. P. Beckinsale has been editing, are now in page proof
and the index in galley proof. The printer has been asked to make the most
rapid progress possible in completing the volume.
Volume for 1951. Mr. E. Kerridge has completed his abstract of the Survey
of Lord Pembroke’s Manors, circa 1631, and the text and introduction have
already gone to press. Unfortunately, some work is still needed upon the index.
Volumes for future years. Mr. A. W. Mabbs has completed the text and index
of that part of the Calne Guild Stewards’ Book which he is editing, and work
on the introduction is proceeding.
Mr. G. D. Ramsay has finished transcribing the Wiltshire taxation assessments
of 1545 and 1576.
I have completed the first draft of a transcript of the portmote rolls of High-
worth, and have begun to transcribe the manor court rolls of Stratton St.
Margaret. Miss Joan Gibbs of the Minet Public Library, London, $.E.5, has
begun to edit the documents of title formerly belonging to Lacock Abbey. She
will collate them with the entries in the Lacock Cartularies. Miss Gibbs is
undertaking this work primarily as a qualification for the London M.A. degree.
Her edition will be offered to the Branch after it has been presented to her
examiners. Mr. J. P. M. Fowle is preparing an abstract of the records of
Wiltshire Quarter Sessions for 1736.
R. B. PUGH,
June, 1951. Honorary Secretary and Editor.
1 Since published. This Report appears late.
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375
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE SINCE THE
LIST OF DECEMBER, 1851
An artificial collection of 127 documents, mainly medieval and later deeds
and documents relating to Salisbury from 1315, documents of the family of
Nicholas and the hospital of St. Nicholas, with court rolls of manors of the
Dean and Chapter of Bristol, including Bradford-on-Avon, 1543-5 ; court book
of the manors of Perston in Gillingham, Dorset, and West Harnham, 1615-81,
compotus roll of Britford manor, 1542, official transcript of parish registers
(baptisms only) of Amesbury, 1627-32, highway accounts, Newton Tony,
1767-1811, and a collection of A.L.S.s from Catherine, Duchess of Queensbury
concerning her estate at Amesbury, 1722-77, and others. (Deposit.)
A collection of 25 deeds of property in Broughton Gifford and families of that
parish, chiefly Bull, Twyford and Redman, 1651-1784 ; indenture of apprentice-
ship, Keene of Broughton Gifford to Godwin of Holt, 1844.
Forty two deeds of the Gauntlett family of Downton, 1594-1728, and the
Batt family and others of Salisbury, 1625-1772.
About 91 documents and packets ; parish documents of Mildenhall, 1711-
c. 1836: churchwardens’ accounts, vouchers and rate assessments ; overseers’
accounts and vouchers, removal orders and other poor law records with corres-
pondence ; highway accounts and vouchers.
Copy of court roll of the manor of Alderbury, 1596. (Deposit.) —
Four deeds: a family settlement of Ludlow of Heywood, Westbury and the
Westbury families of Lopes and Gibbs, and estates in Westbury, Steeple
Ashton, Tytherton and Chippenham, 1837.
Ten deeds : 7 concerning a blacksmith’s shop in Quidhampton, and families
of Williams, Compton, Swayne and Baghurst, 1789-1828 ; 3 concerning houses
in Wilton and families of Whitmarsh and Doling, 1836, 1849.
Sale particulars of Cove House and estate at Ashton Keynes, 1914.
About 250 documents, mainly 19th cent. deeds of the estates of Lord
Heytesbury in Heytesbury, Knooke, and Tytherington, being a second part of
the Heytesbury collection. Documents include estate rentals 1835-89, a terrier
with maps of 1855, and a family resettlement with maps, 1862. (Deposit.)
About 550 documents : parish records of Lacock, with a volume of church-
wardens’ accounts and general memoranda with overseers’ and surveyors’
accounts and vestry minutes, 1583-1821 ; vestry minutes 1817-43 ; 10 volumes.
of overseers’ accounts 1701-1848 ; 6 volumes of poor rate assessments 1818-48 ;
206 apprenticeship indentures 1668-1836 ; 47 settlement certificates 1672-1768 ;
177 removal orders 1723-1849 ; 4 volumes of accounts of surveyors of highways
1785-1852 ; and a packet relating to Rey Bridge 1628-1704. (Deposit.)
Copy of an indictment at Quarter Sessions of Jerome Dyke and others for the
destruction of a footbridge in Wilsford, Woodborough or Beechingstoke, 1745.
Thirty-five various papers of the family of Dugdale Astley and the estate of
Sir John Dugdale Astley and Sir Francis E. Astley-Corbett at Everleigh, with
a map of the estate, 1886-1920.
Assignment of lease of land in West Wellow, 1877, and copy of will and pro-
bate of Catherine Ellison of Cricklade, 1878.
376 Accessions to the County Record Office
Approximately 450 documents, mainly deeds, from a solicitor’s office
relating to Cricklade, Ashton Keynes, Little Somerford, Purton and Wootton
Bassett, 16th—19th cents.
Thirty-four documents, mainly deeds, from a solicitor’s office, 1601-1894,
including a group relating to Calne and the family of Mansell, 1733-1818.
(Deposit.)
Sixty-two documents, mainly leases and estate papers of the Hobhouse
family in Broughton Gifford, Bradford, Wingfield and Westbury-upon Trym
(Glos.), 1765-1911. (Deposit.)
A collection of 19 letters and 4 estate papers of the families of Nicholas and
Elliott. One group concerns land of the borough of Old Sarum in Stratford-
sub-Castle, c. 1680-1749 ; another relates to property of the Elliott family in
Winterbourne, 1803-9. (Deposit.)
Account book of the collectors for the Highworth Charity School, 1722-1855,
with receipts from donations, disbursements and occasional appointments of
masters.
Seventy-five deeds and estate papers from a solicitor’s office, mainly of the
Tuckey family in Rodbourne Cheney, 1632-1860. (Deposit.)
A private collection of approximately 600 estate papers and a few deeds. The
deeds relate mostly to Ogbourne St. George and the families of Eyre and Potter,
1620-1806 ; the letters and papers comprise two groups relating to the families
of Holford and Williamson respectively, both concerning Avebury Farm, 1695-
1797. The Holford papers concern mainly the relations of the family with various
tenants of the farm and a dispute with the vicars over tithes ; the Williamson
group mainly monthly reports and accounts from the family’s bailiff at the farm
1791-97. Also 59 removal orders and other civil parish records of Avebury,
1714-96, and two maps of parts of Purton, 1763.
Highway account book, 1850-57 and two poor rate assessment books, 1877,
1882-96, parish of Stockton.
Game book of Knoyle house, record of game killed on the Seymour estate at,
and about, East Knoyle, 1837-96.
Two deeds; family settlements of the Hoare family of their estate centred
upon West Knoyle, 1817, 1836. (Deposit.)
Three maps, tracings made in 1897 of the original tithe apportionment map
of 1844 and an altered apportionment of 1884, parish of Ogbourne St. George.
{ Deposit.)
M. G. RATHBONE.
377
ADDITIONS TO THE SOCIETY’S MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
Presented by Mr. R. EDEN: Box ironing machine, eighteenth-century. (De-
a9
+9
posited in the Tithe Barn at Bradford-on-Avon).
Mr. W. G. HOLLoway : Small iron steelyard, eighteenth century.
Major C. J. JAcoss : Flint implements and flakes found at Great
Cheverell.
LIBRARY
Presented by Mr. H. L. ALLANSON: A number of MSS relating to Edington.
x9
+9
2a,
a9
+?
+9
THE LATE MR. FITZROY-JONES : Some notes on the Hippisley Family
(Wessex Press).
Mr. W. H. HALLAM: Christchurch, Swindon, 1851-1951 (Centenary
souvenir). |
Vir. JOHN LEECH: Preston’s Flowering Plants of Wiltshire ;
Wiltshire Inquisitions Post Mortem Henry III—Edward II, and
Charles I (Fry) : (Bound Volumes) W.A.M. 21-36.
THE LATE SIR RICHARD LUCE : Britton’s Beauties of Wilts (2 vols.,
1801 ed.): Britton’s Sketches of Wiltshire, 1814; Chronicle of
William of Malmesbury ; Questions concerning Liberty .. . etc.,
debated between Dr. Bramhall and Thomas Hobbes, 1656; Col-
lections for Wiltshire (Aubrey and Jackson); Translation of
Athelstan’s Charter (Malmesbury) and its ratification by William
III.
the Publishers, PHOENIX HOUSE LTD.: Beginning in Archaeology
by Kathleen M. Kenyon.
Mr. R. B. PuGH: Centenary Souvenir of Sherston Methodist
Church.
Mr. C. W. PuGH: Centenary Souvenir of New Baptist Church
Devizes.
Dr. T. R. THOMSON: Acts of Parliament for the recovery of
small debts in (1) the Hundreds of Bradford, Melksham and
Whorlsdown, 1763; (2) in the Hundreds of Chippenham,
Calne, Darnesham North and the Liberty of Corsham (1765).
Act granting inheritance of the Manor of Corsham to Paul
Methuen, 1770. Act for cleansing, repairing, etc. the streets of
Devizes, 1781 : Materials for a History of Cricklade, Chapter II;
Appendices D and E.
Bought by the Society. Aspects of Archaeology (W. F. Grimes): Excavations at
Dorchester (Oxon.) ; Report for 1951.
VOL. -LIV—CXCVI Z
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THE BRITISH AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTH
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WILTSHIRE INQUISITIONES POST MORTEM: HENRY III,
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& € JAN 1999
No. CXCVII DECEMBER, 1952 Vol LIV
5
~The Wiltshire
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
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SOCIETY FORMED IN THAT COUNTY IN THE YEAR 1853
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oy. GC BRENTNALL, FSA: OWEN MEYRICK
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Pp. iv + 19 plates.
Archeological and Natural
History Magazine
No, CXCVIL DECEMBER, 1952
CONTENTS
A TRIAL FLINT MINE AT DURRINGTON, WILT-
SHIRE: By A. St. J. Booth and J. F. S. Stone, F.S.A.
EOINTON AND’ LITELE-CLARENDON:: By <°H. F-
G@iretmle GUM Ge ache Leaeeclaakes
THE NEOLITHIC CAMP ON WHITESHEET HILL,
KILMINGTON PARISH: By Stuart Piggott.........
QUIDHAMPTON IN NORTH WILTS: By June
THE NOTE BOOK OF A WILTSHIRE FARMER IN
THE EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY: By Eric
Le re reveal cite) By WN 22 cr BD J OC a A
SOME WILTSHIRE FONTS. PART IV: By A. G.
[Re earyenca lies BRUT 2 aie
NOTES.—Stonehenge and the Winter Solstice. A
Palaeolith from Heytesbury. The Imber Church
of St. Giles. The Grave on the Devizes-Beck-
hampton Road. Medieval Pottery at Overton.
Lost Place-Names. Proposed Agricultural History
Society. Decay of Churches. The Cricklade
Historical Society. John Britton: A bibliograph-
fenlunotes,) 210 Old nutcracker c/n te. ite
Vol, LIV
PAGE
381—.388
389—403
404—410
411—415
416—428
429—434
435—442
il PAGE
WILTSHIRE BOOKS, PAMPHLETS AND ARTICLES 443—448
WILTSHIRE ‘OBITUARIES 2). 2 0 ee 449— 451
A NEOLITHIC CHALK CUP FROM WILSFORD IN
THE DEVIZES MUSEUM: & NOTES ON OTHERS:
By Nicholas;lhomas: Curator 620 a 452—463
ANNW@AL GENERAL MBETING, 1952)... 464—468
WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL
MISTORY, SOCIETY RECORDS BRANCH) ns 469—470
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE... 471
ADDITIONS TO MUSEUM AND LIBRARY............ 472
|e BSS CSE IE MAS ND) Gl Ue ca ear oo 473—484
ILLUSTRATIONS
A Trial Flint Mine at Durrington, Wiltshire:
Fig. 1 Sections of pits and pit-shafts 1 to 5........... 383
Fig. 2 Plans at floor level below pit-shafts 4and 5 386
Fig.3 Petit tranchet derivative from pit-shaft 5..... 387
Dinton and Little: Clarendom:—Miap. 2. a 396—397
The Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet Hill,
Kilmington Parish :
| yt aeie Bed 24 Eel gC ence tse, fre Mein AMAA NEO Caestsee (5 20 405
1 a eee en nin te i ortega cere ee Ee MEIOR EST ng on - 407
Fig. 3 Neolithic sherds from Cutting L................. 408
A. Palaecolith trom: Eleytesbuny..< 2...) 3 eee 436
An oldinutcracken.es esc. cg ue ne nen eens 442
A Neolithic chalk cup from Wilsford in the
Devizes Museum: and notes on others:
| CT sd) (erm Reg. Campeggio.
6 Valor Ecclesiasticus II 105, 107.
* Letters & Papers, Henry VIII, XV 831 (88).
8 Val. Eccl. I 279.
9L. & P. XV 942 (72). .
Descent of the manor — 391
y
capital messuage ’’ about 1546, and although the rectory was in
other hands in 1567 he seems to have transmitted it, in some manner
not now traceable, to the Hydes.1 There were sales and leases of
the rectory and the vicarage in 1544 and 1555, and Burbache’s income
was raised.? Arundell, after a brief enjoyment of spoils from many
monasteries, was attainted and executed; Dinton and Teffont, with
the rest, fell to the Crown, and they were granted in 1547 to Sir
William Herbert, afterwards earl of Pembroke. Twenty years later,
Sir William’s admirable staff set down on paper, with vignette
illustrations, every holding on his vast estates, and the modern history
of Dinton began.
II. THE Tupor BACKGROUND
The quiet rural community carried into the new age houses that
the abbess had known, and families which had known and served her.
f those houses, Jesses and Little Clarendon survive ; it would be
both difficult and invidious to say which families are represented at
Dinton in the male line. But certain names will suggest the person-
alities on Sir William Herbert’s new estate.
The Carenthams had, in fact, left Dinton. Henry de Carentham
had given property to Shaftesbury.? Richard was mayor of Wilton
in 1387.4 The real interest lies in Roger, whose messuage, mill and
meadow at Dalwood (between the present main road and the Nadder)
were held in 1389 of the abbess of Wilton.°
The Lambards, or Lamberts, were at Wylye in the early fourteenth
century. They are found, in the next eight generations, at Dinton,
Maiden Bradley and Salisbury. They furnished a member of Parlia-
ment for Wiltshire in 1343-8, and a mayor of London about the end
of the fifteenth century. John Lambard was at one time keeper of
the abbess’s woods at Dinton ;7 William was their keeper for the
earl in 1567. They were free tenants in 1567, but about that time
the family seems to disappear from Dinton.
1 Sir R. C. Hoare: Modern Wiltshire (Dunworth) 221.
2 Reg. Capon ff. 18v, 67v, 78, 83; Pembroke Survey (see p. 392) I 230.
3 British Museum: Egerton MS 3098.
4 Cal. Cl. Rolls 1385-9, 314.
5 Calendar of Inquisitions II no. 733. Dalwood Mill was acquired by Sir
Thomas Hungerford in 1337 (Hungerford Cartulary f. 163v).
6 Pedigree in Canon Jackson’s Wiltshire Collections, held by the Society of
Antiquaries.
? Egerton MS 3098.
392 Dinton and Little Clarendon
John Mauduit, in 1242-3, held one knight’s fee in Dinton of the
abbess of Shaftesbury ;! Thomas Upton of Warminster had property
in Dinton in 1420 ;2 and these families survived in field names. The
Souths, landowners in the village from 1500 or earlier, had Mawduytts
Wyke, Gerardes and Uptons among their holdings in 1567, but let
them to William Donne. They were free tenants of the earl; sixty-
three years later they claimed a manor of their own in Dinton.
The Mayhews were householders at Dinton at least as early as
1340, and their pedigree was written down by the heralds in 1565
and in 1623. They were well-to-do free tenants of the earl’s manor,
and in 1625 they claimed their own manor in Dinton. In the mean-
time, Henry Mayhew and his two sons had apparently suffered for
adherence to the old faith: Henry died (about 1590) excommunicate,
and the two sons “ contemptuously fled the Realm” (or “* went
away for Relligion ”’).4
The Coles held considerable property in Dinton in 1316, and
Robert Cole lost it in 1326-7 by adhesion to the earl of Lancaster’s
party.° He or another Robert kept the abbess’s woods in 1340.°®
The family were copyholders in 1567, tenants by indenture and by
copy in 1631,’ churchwardens and respected householders, except
that in 1623 it was officially published that ‘‘ Barnabie Coles of
Duncton ”’ had “ Usurpt .... without Authoritie ” the name and
title of gentleman. ®
Such were the more ancient families noted by the earl of Pem-
broke’s staff in 1567.
Ill. THE PEMBROKE SURVEY
The Survey of the lands of William first Earl of Pembroke® gives
details of every holding as it existed in 1567. All the demesne lands
were held by the executors and assigns of William Mellowes, on a
1 Book of Fees 734; see also p. 389.
2 J. S. Davies: The Tropenell Cartulary I 58-9, 65-7.
3 Harl. MS 1443 ff. 164-6.
4 Minutes of Sessions (W.A.S., R.B.) 63; Public Record Office, E178 /2445.
5 R. B. Pugh: Feet of Fines relating to Wiltshire 93 ; P.R.O.: Lists & Indexes
V pp. 460-1.
§ Harl. MS 61 f. 110 b; see also p. 389.
? Dinton & Teffont Old Survey of 1631 at Wilton House.
8 Harl. MS 1165 f. 105.
® Ed. C. R. Straton (Roxburghe Club, 1909).
The Pembroke Survey 393
twenty-one year lease dated the Ist December 1552. They included!
the abbess’s manor-house, where her courts had been held (“a
house roofed with tiles, with hall, parlour, kitchen, chambers, and
other houses necessary for habitation, and a chapel? roofed with
stone tiles, and a great barn similarly roofed with stone tiles contain-
ing fifteen couples with two porches, and a dovecote roofed with
stone tiles, and a sheep-house containing four couples and a stable
also, etc.’’); considerable land; divers large coppices; and the
rectory with its house and lands. This property included the woods
called Rygley and Marshwood,? part of Grovely forest.
The free tenants at Dinton and Teffont were Henry Mayhew,
William Lambard, Thomas South, Thomas Gifford, and Henry
Moggridge (a descendant of the Souths) ; of these, the Giffords and
the Lambards disappeared from Dinton in the next few years.
Customary interests were held by the Daniells and the Jesses®
(names surviving in the parish for several centuries to come) and by
twenty-one other families.
Claims to a second manor of Dinton have been mentioned already.
In 1441-2 William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, and his wife Alice
stated that they retained “‘ the manor of Dinton ”’.® John Mayhew,
in 1625, sold the manor, lordship and capital messuage and land to
William Rolfe, who sold it to Richard South in 1630;'’ in 1689
George South, Richard’s grandson, sold the manor to William
Wyndham,® and John South, merchant of London, apparently
joined in the conveyance.’
IV. THE FAMILIES OF HYDE AND LAWES
Two families came to the village at the close of the sixteenth cen-
tury, and left it in the seventeenth. The sons of Henry Hyde and
1 Survey I 228-32.
2 A holy water stoup and a Mass Dial, now at Little Clarendon, were found
recently at ‘‘ Gwyer’s Cottages ’’, a hundred yards east of the Church. There
was a niche in the wall of a first-floor bedroom here; but the houses were
burned down in November 1951.
8 Marshwood Farm, part of the Dinton Estate, was sold in June 1948; and
see p. 398
4 Egerton MS 3098; Survey I 194.
5 “ Tesses ’’, a late fifteenth-century house, is still standing.
6 Lists & Indexes XXII 748.
7 Hoare (Dunworth) 102-3.
8 Hoare (Dunworth) 103.
® Information from the Wyndham Estate Offices at Williton.
394 Dinton and Little Clarendon
Thomas Lawes gave to Dinton its modest place in English history,
and the former bequeathed to Little Clarendon, in some manner not
yet clear, its present name.
Robert Hyde of Norbury in Cheshire, who lived in the mid-
sixteenth century, had married as his first wife Margaret Hollard of
Dinton.’ His son by his second marriage, Lawrence, married the
widow of Matthew Colthurst, who seems to have brought him
houses in south-west Wiltshire and the impropriate rectory of
Donington, held by knight service. Lawrence died in 1590 leaving
four sons: Robert, the eldest, lived at Buckland in Dorset, but was
a free tenant at Dinton in 1631 (paying fourpence a year for a ““Wast
olott to enlarge the Court to his house ’’),3 and was buried at Tisbury ;
Sir Lawrence (II), the second son, held the rectory, died in 1641,
and left five sons, of whom Robert (II) lived at Dinton in 1654;
Nichcelas, the fourth son of Lawrence (I), became Lord Chief Justice.*
Henry Hyde, the third son of Lawrence (1), drew £40 a year from
his brother’s Dinton rectory, and nine children were born to him at
Dinton.® Of these, Edward, who became first earl of Clarendon,
was born on the 16th February 1609; and Sir Henry Craik consid-
ered that his birthplace was the old Rectory house.® It was renamed
*“ Hyde’s House” by Mr. Bertram Philipps, and conveyed by him
to the National Trust in 1943,
Henry Hyde wrote from Dinton in October 1623.7 But he went
later to live at Purton, preferring “‘ to rent Dinton, which was let for
a lease of lives, to a tenant ”’ ;* and this tenant was probably one of
the Nicholas family, close friends of the Hydes, who were at Dinton
in 1631-3.°
Alexander Hyde, bishop of Salisbury, fourth son of Lawrence (ID),
had a son Robert (III), serjeant-at-law, of West Hatch. Robert (II1)
held of John South in 1674 a lease of a cottage and half an acre of
land in Dinton called West Grove, late in the occupation of Mary
1D. Macleare in Memorials of Old Wiltshire 167.
* Hoare (Dunworth) 131.
3 Particular or Survey of manor of Dinton, at Wilton House.
4 Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, addenda 1580-1625, 444; Wiltshire
Notes & Queries VII 160.
5 W.A.M. IX 287.
6 Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon I 7.
7 C.S.P. Dom. 1623-5, 88.
8 W.A.M. VII 139-40.
9 C.S.P. Dom. 1629-31, 562; 1633-4, 85, 93, 214.
Hyde and Lawes families 395
Everley, widow.! Two infant sons of his died at Dinton in 1676 and
1677,2 and he himself died in 1721 or 1722 without surviving issue.
Lastly, a certain John Hyde connected his family with an earlier
Dinton stock by marrying John Coles’s daughter in 1631.
It has been stated* that the house now called Little Clarendon,
‘* with about fifteen acres of land, forms a small isolated freehold ...,
which, according to tradition, was in the possession of the Hyde
family during the greater part of the seventeenth century.”” This
tradition seems to be erroneous, for the rectory house existed in 1552 ;
the Hydes held the rectory; and ‘* Hyde’s House” is considered
to be a building of about 1725 incorporating Tudor work.® There is
a great square dovecote (which may well have been the abbess’s)
very close to it.
It may be noted (as completing the story) that the *‘ parsonage
house ’’ is mentioned in 1619 ;® that the “ Parsonage ” is shown as
a house on a map of 1746;7 and that Dr. Hazeldine, who died in
1775, is said to have built at Dinton “‘ one of the best parsonage
houses in the county ’’.® But there is evidence that this *‘ Parson-
age ’’, just below the churchyard, was demolished, perhaps early in
the present century ; its foundations were uncovered by the plough
in 1951.
The name of Lawes Cottage, on the west side of Little Clarendon,
recalls two great English musicians. Thomas Lawes of ‘* Dyneer ”’
in Somerset, afterwards a vicar choral at Salisbury, married Lucris
Shepherde of Dinton on the 3rd February 1594; William Lawes
was his eldest son, and Henry, baptized at Dinton on the Ist January
1596, the second. Thomas died in 1640. Henry, who composed the
music for Comus, founded charities (now “lost or expended ’’) for
poor labourers of Dinton and of Teffont Magna.’
Another William Lawes, son of another Henry (of Steeple Lang-
ford), was married in November 1594 to Elizabeth, daughter of Avis
4
1 Information from Wyndham Estate Offices.
2W.N. & Q. VI 389.
3 Dinton Church Registers.
4S. J. Elyard: Some Old Wiltshire Homes 79-80.
> National Trust List of Properties, 1946-7.
6 W.N. & Q. v. 70.
7 W. Wapshare’s Part of the West End of Dinton, drawn in connection with
a local dispute.
8 Gentleman's Magazine 1795, 997.
® Return of Endowed Charities, Wiltshire (1908) II 137, 697.
396 Dinton and Little Clarendon
Ames of Dinton.t Another Lawes of Dinton, Nicholas, was a tenant
by copy of court roll in 1631.?
Lawes Cottage, an early seventeenth-century thatched stone house,
was occupied by Francis Coward in 1800,? and held on lease by the
owner of Little Clarendon in 1837. It was bought by Mr.
Engleheart in 1917, and transferred to the National Trust by Mrs.
and Miss Engleheart in 1940,
V. DinTon House
Three manors of Dinton are on record: that which William
and Alice de la Pole retained in 1441; that which the abbess of
Shaftesbury held from Saxon times to the dissolution; and that
which passed from the Mayhews in 1625, was sold to Richard South
in 1630, and was sold to William Wyndham in 1689. The first has
left no other trace in history. The third is probably a phantom of
the second, born of occupation of the manor house. The Court Roll
of the manor of Dinton, October 1584, now in the British Museum,*
like the later court rolls at Wilton House, records proceedings over
which Lord Pembroke’s steward presided.
The abbess’s capital messuage was probably the home of Britton’s
cell of six nuns (if that in fact existed), and he located the cell close
to the site of Dinton House; double narcissus daffodils, a favourite
monastic medicinal plant, grow a little east of Dinton House. Sir
William Herbert did not need it as a home, and he let it in 1552, for
twenty-one years, to William Mellowes. The next tenancy does not
seem to be recorded.
But *‘ Souths manor ” seems to have an early and long, although
always a tenuous existence. It may have begun with John Mauduit’s
knight’s fee held of the abbess in 1242-3, Thomas South held
‘“*Mawduytts wyke ”’, with other property, in 1567, and William
Donne occupied it;> in 1577 Thomas South settled on his son
Thomas “‘the manor or farm of Donyngton otherwise Dynton
called Mawdittes ’”’, now or late in the tenure of William Donne.®
Again there is a gap.
1 Dinton Church Registers.
2 Survey of 1631.
3 Brit. Mus. map 5710 (52).
4 Add. Roll 24718.
5 Survey 217.
*R. B. Pugh: Calendar of Antrobus Deeds No. 112.
Reproduced by permission from the six-inch
2
ses
ey
@F7
19.%
so
_ St. Mary'atigaa\\
<8 Church 5 bate
e
1 (on Nadder), Dalwood Mill. In village: 2, Gwyer’s Cottages ; }
Ordnance Survey map and on the same scale
3, Jesses ; 4, Little Clarendon ; 5, Lawes Cottage ; 6, Cottrells.
j
|
|
3 Dinton House 397
But the capital messuage and farm of Dinton, alias Donyngton,
and Teffont were held by Roger Earth under lease of the 23rd June
1610; they were re-let in 1634 to Prudence, daughter of Joseph
_ Earth, and in 1649 to John Lowe and Prudence, his wife.1 These
and subsequent leases were for ninety-nine years determinable on
lives.
The Earths were an old and reputable local family. Roger Earth
was M.P. for Wilton in 1584. The will of Roger Earth of Dinton was
proved in 1589.2 Mistress Earth lived at Dinton in 1617 ;? and the
will of Elizabeth Earth of Dinton, widow, was proved in 1620.4 Five
years later John Mayhew sold the manor, lordship and capital
messuage to William Rolfe, and Rolfe sold them in 1630 to Richard
South ; Sir Richard Hoare is our authority for these transactions,
and in the absence of the deeds, and in the face of the Earl of Pem-
broke’s leases to Roger Earth and his descendants, it is difficult to
say what property passed under the Mayhew-Rolfe-South sales.
The Pembroke lease of the capital messuage and farm in 1649 to
John and Prudence Lowe was followed by a similar lease to Nicholas
Daniell in 1686 ;} in 1689 George and John South sold their interest,
whatever it was, to William Wyndham. In 1710 the earl of Pem-
broke granted a fresh lease of the capital messuage and farm to Lucy
Daniell, widow ; her assignee, Wadham Wyndham, surrendered it
in 1717 and had a fresh lease, and another in 1735 ;° a lease of the
capital messuage and farm of Dinton to Wadham Wyndham, for the
usual 99 years terminable with lives, dated the 30th June 1730, is at
Wilton House.
The Wyndhams had now acquired, from all parties, their interest
in Dinton. An undated “ particular or survey of the manor” at
Wilton House fixes William Wyndham’s quit-rent for “* Souths land ”
at £1. 7s. 6d.—the figure paid by John South as a free tenant in 1631.
The family lived at first in the abbess’s house, rebuilt or remodelled
in the Elizabethan style, and increasingly distasteful to subjects of
George III.®° They pulled it down, and decided to build a new house
1 Survey of 1631 at Wilton House.
2 Index Library XXV 137.
3 Dinton Church Registers.
4 Index Library XLIV 93.
5 Documents at Wilton House.
® Information from the family ; James Lees-Milne in Country Life 17 Dec.
1943,
VOL. LIV—CXCVILI 2B
398 Dinton and Little Clarendon
a little to the west, and in the interval between demolition and new
construction they moved from the Park to Marshwood.
Marshwood House was a mid-eighteenth-century building* with
two great wooden dovecotes, on the site of the estate cottage which
had gone with the abbess’s woods. It was let by the earl of Pembroke
in 1788 to Elizabeth Wyndham, improved by her, and re-let in 1799
to William Wyndham.” Then, about 1815, after ten years of building
operations, there arose on the slopes of Mr. Wyndham’s park, looking
down remotely at the *‘ new turnpike ” and the Nadder, and turning
its back to the old Hindon-Salisbury road, the ‘‘ neo-Grecian ”’
house which was sold to Mr. Philipps in 1916, let to the Young
Women’s Christian Association as a holiday home, and since 1943
has been another freehold of the National Trust.
The house, of Chilmark stone, was designed by Jeffery Wyatt
(later Sir Jeffery Wyattville) ; and it is said that he based it on a study
of Pythouse, which looks down at the Nadder, six miles further west,
and which the owner, John Benett, M.P., had himself designed in
1805.* The result was a mansion free of the influences of medieval
or Elizabethan Dinton, free of the Gothick fashion which inspired
Jeffery’s uncle and the younger Beckford at Fonthill, but eminently
dignified and completely charming.
The entrance to the park had been, at first, by gates opposite the
Tisbury turning on the Dinton-Teffont road; by 1746 a new drive
had been opened, and the gates were on the south side of the church-
yard.4 The entrance was now moved to a point further north, above
the rectory (‘* Hyde’s House ’’) and the field which adjoins it.
VI. WILLOUGHBYS, COMBES AND HAYTERS
We return to the Tudor age and to Little Clarendon by way of
three families which came to Dinton after 1567. In that year, the
Combes were tenants of the earl of Pembroke in Somerset, and the
Willoughbys in south-west Wiltshire and in Somerset. Mary, the
wife of Albinus Willoughby of West Knoyle, was buried at Dinton
in October 16022; but by that date het family had retired from the
parish, John Willoughby, of Knoyle and Baverstock, had married
Michael, daughter of Thomas Smythe, of Knighton in Broad Chalke,
1W.N. & Q. 1 148.
2 “ Surveys and Valuations ’’ at Wilton House.
3 Hoare (Dunworth) 132.
4 Wapshare’s map.
Willoughbys, Combes and Hayters 399
and in 1593 he and his wife sold to Edward Combe, for eighty marks,
three messuages, a dovecote, four gardens, four orchards, seventy
acres of land, thirty of meadow, seventy of pasture and ten of wood,
in Dinton and Barford St. Martin.? And here, perhaps, another
reputed manor might have arisen: Mr. Daniel Combes of Manor
Farm (near the east boundary of Dinton), of Baverstock, and of
Barford St. Martin, has a dovecote at Manor Farm, and a right of way
connects his Dinton farmyard with those at Baverstock and Barford.
Edward Combe was of Norton Ferrers in Somerset and Bridsor,
Tisbury, and his brother John was of Place Farm, Tisbury ; both
brothers were constables of Dunworth hundred. John’s servant
married Thomas Tabor of Dinton ; he himself was buried at Tisbury
in 1607 ; and it was his grandson Thomas, of Chicksgrove in Tisbury,
who married in 1631 a daughter of William Hayter of Teffont Ewyas.
An earlier lord of the manor of Norton Ferrers was Charles lord
Stourton, hanged in March 1557, who was also a free tenant of
Dinton manor in 1550-7. A link between two or three villages
proves, repeatedly, to be one of a series of links.
Edward (II) Combe, another grandson of the first Edward, was in
September 1631 a free tenant of the manor of Dinton, paying five
shillings a year to the earl of Pembroke.’ He is described as of
Tisbury *‘ in Somerset ’’ in the Visitation of Somerset made in 1623,
and one of his granddaughters married Thomas Cox of Tisbury.’ A
certain Alice Coombs, by will dated in 1731, founded an educational
charity for the parish of Tisbury.®°
The Hayters were established at Barford St. Martin in 1439;
they were tenants of the earl of Pembroke at South Newton, in the
Wylye valley, in 1567; they do not appear in the Survey at Dinton.
They were at Tisbury in 1541 and at Salisbury in the seventeenth
century.? In 1705-15 William Hayter was assessed in Clarendon
1 Survey.
2 Dinton Church Registers. Willoughby Hedge in the north of West Knoyle
parish preserves the family name.
3W.N. & Q. VIII 66; Feet of Fines, Easter 35 Eliz. (C.P. 25 (2)/242in
P.R.O.).
4H. C. Johnson: Minutes of Proceedings in Sessions 20, 75.
® Surveys of Manors at Wilton House.
5 Survey of 1631.
? Harleian Society’s Publications XI 28.
8 Endowed Char. Wilts. II 710.
° W.A.M. XIII 113, XLV 43; epitaph in Salisbury Cathedral of the found-
ress of Hayter’s almshouses ; D.N.B.; Index Library X 264,
2B
400 Dinton and Little Clarendon
Park for land tax and window tax; by 1719 his name (and those of
other smaller occupiers) had disappeared.+
About 1560 John Hayter had begun to found a long family at
Dinton. He was sufficiently important to sue Thomas Sheppard of
Dinton, husbandman, in the Common Pieas for trespass.2, Another
Hayter, Thomas, married Elizabeth Daniell at Dinton in 1569, and
he left four daughters, the eldest of whom was christened Michael.
A third, John, and a fourth, Robert, began to found families ten and
thirty years later ; Robert’s descendants held “* Cottrells ”’, opposite
the then east gate of the park, in the eighteenth century.*
Mary, daughter of William Hayter of Teffont Ewyas, married
Thomas Combe of Chicksgrove, Tisbury, in 1631.° And then, in
1697, Henry Hayter, formerly of Clarendon Park, Yeoman, bought
the house, afterwards called Little Clarendon, which an embarrassed
Combe had sold to Nicholas Daniell the year before.
VII. LITTLE CLARENDON
Little Clarendon is a Chilmark stone house, apparently of the early
Tudor age, with remodelled Elizabethan windows and an added
porch. It certainly existed in 1567. It cannot have been the capital
messuage of the abbess and William Mellowes, which stood in a
larger holding and probably nearer the church. Edward II Combe
was a free tenant in 1631, and therefore it may be assumed to be one
of the free holdings of 1567. It was probably included in Edward I
Combe’s extensive purchase from John and Michael Willoughby in
1593. Michael Willoughby had been a Smythe of Broad Chalke.
But neither Willoughby nor Smythe can at present be connected
with any of the free tenants of 1567.
Those free tenants were Mayhew, Gifford, Lambard, South and
Mogeridge. Of these, Mayhew, South and Moggridge left descen-
dants in Dinton in 1631; and it seems therefore permissible to infer
that Edward Combe’s house of 1631 had been that of Thomas
Gifford or William Lambard. A feoffment of other property at
Dinton by Benjamin Gifford in 1658 is at Wilton House. William
Lambard claimed two virgates by serjeanty, and a garden enclosed
1 Salisbury Corporation MSS (in tin box 14).
2 Cal. Pat. Rolls .1561-3, 133-4.
3 A daughter of David Messer of Dinton was christened Michael in 1594,
and in 1603 Michael, wife of Ralph Smythe of Dinton, was buried there.
4 Wapshare’s map; deeds held by Miss Engleheart.
5 W.N. & Q. VIII 66.
Little Clarendon 401
from the common opposite his tenement; but there was never
common land opposite Little Clarendon. It seems to follow, by
exclusion, that the house had once belonged to Thomas Gifford.
Edward II Combe’s son (by his second marriage) and heir, Edward
III, having married Elizabeth, daughter of John Hancock of Combe
Bisset, settled his Dinton property, by lease and release, on the
21st-22nd February 1664.1 (His name does not appear in the Court
Roll of 1666 at Wilton House.) He made a fresh settlement in 1676.
In 1679 he began to mortgage the property ; in 1696 his son Robert
sold it to Nicholas and Lucy Daniel; and in 1697 it was conveyed
to Henry Hayter, formerly of Clarendon Park, yeoman. By 1701 this
Henry had become “‘ Henry Hayter thelder of Clarendon Park,
gent. 7
Henry Hayter had three sons; Henry II, the eldest, had a son
Henry III and a grandson William; John, the second, had a son
John ; the third was Walter. The property was settled in 1711 on
John I Hayter and his intended wife Prudence, and in 1742 on John II
and Hannah Lodge, who became his wife. By 1773 it had reverted
to Henry III Hayter, who mortgaged it for £550. Further charges
were placed on it by Henry III and William, and in 1797 the then
mortgagee, Thomas Webb Dyke, sold it to John Barnes. Under the
Hayters, the property was known as Coombes Land. ?®
' The Barneses had been copyholders at Dinton in 1631,* and
Roger Barnes built a house near the west end of Dinton in 1746.°
John died in 1822, having devised the property to his brother
William Maslen Barnes. Another of the same family, Thomas, was
a householder in Dinton in 1837, and by his will, proved in 1864, he
established a charity for the National School.°
It appears from the Dinton and Teffont Enclosure Award of 1837
that W. M. Barnes then held (1) “ for a Term of years determinable
with lives” the property now called Lawes Cottage, but then
“‘ Coward’s yard land ’’’—a farmhouse with five other parcels cover-
1 This and the following details are given in an indenture of the 11th October
1784 between William Wyndham and Henry Hayter, now at Little Clarendon.
2 Deed of 2 Feb. 13 Will. III, at Wilton House.
3 Particular or Survey, at Wilton House.
4 Survey of 1631.
5 Wapshare’s map.
6 Endowed Char., Wilts. II 137.
? The Cowards (Cowherd) were an old Dinton family. A lease of the rever-
sion of Cowards Yard Land to W. M. Barnes, dated in 1847, is at Wilton House.
402 Dinton and Little Clarendon
ing 16 acres 2 roods 4 perches—and (2) the Little Clarendon property
adjoining it on the east, then described as the ‘“‘ freehold estate
called Hayters ”’, comprising farm-house, barn, stable, outhouses,
yard and garden ; orchard ; meadow, across the road ; ** Garston ”’ ;
and coppice ; covering in all 17 acres 3 roods 2 perches. (Hoare’s
Hundred of Dunworth, published in 1829, states (103) that William
Wyndham and Lord Pembroke owned the whole parish except
Barnes’s fifteen acres and Croome’s three acres.) Under the award
W. M. Barnes added 12 acres 1 rood 6 perches to the former estate
and 2 acres 1 rood 30 perches to the latter. ‘‘ Hayters ” then formed
an estate of six parcels, crossing the “‘ new turnpike ”’ from ‘‘Barnes’s
Meadow ” to the house and continuing north-westward to the old
main road; for as late as 1773 the main road ran along the ridge
north of Mr. Wyndham’s Park, and between Upper and Lower
Marshwood.+
W. M. Barnes died in 1864, having established by will a charity
for the old and deserving poor of Dinton,? and having devised
““ Hayters ”’ to his great-nephew Henry Palmer Alexander. In 1882
the property was sold by H. P. Alexander to Albert King of Dinton,
butcher and farmer, for £1,000, and in the same year Mr. King
executed first and second mortgages for £1,000 and £200. He paid
off the mortgages in 1884 by means of a fresh mortgage for £1,500.
He had the property put up for sale by auction (as * Clarendon
House ’’, a name it had acquired recently; an earlier name was
“Steps ’’°) on the 25th August 1885; the area was then 22 acres
1 rood 23 perches, and a chief rent of three shillings was payable
to Lord Pembroke. The mortgage of 1884 was assigned in 1892 to
S. T. Savage and J. W. Cox, who sold the property in 1896 to Sarah
Jane Cuff (wife of John Cuff of Dinton), shopkeeper, but on the same
day Mrs. Cuff mortgaged it to Messrs. Savage and Cox for £1,500.
Mr. George Engleheart bought it in 1901, and it was reconditioned
under the advice of Mr. Doran Webb.?*
1 James Andrews and Andrew Dury: Topographical Map of Wiltshire ; Map
of Grovely Forest (1589) in the Museum at Devizes.
2 Endowed Char., Wilts. II 138.
3 Macleane 170; W.A.M. XXXIV 353.
4 Particulars and Conditions in Jackson’s Wiltshire Collections.
5 It was then renamed “‘ Little Clarendon ”’, to avoid confusion with Claren-
don Park.
Hayter’s, Hyde's and Clarendon 403
There is no evidence that any of the Hydes lived at Little Claren-
don, and it is difficult to say why, or exactly when, “ Hayters ”
acquired that name. Two or three associated facts should be
mentioned.
Henry I Hayter, yeoman, came from Clarendon Park in 1697; we
are not told what his function there had been.
The first earl of Clarendon took a mortgage of Clarendon Park
from Charles I and expected to obtain possession ; all he got was
approval of his choice of a title.1 He “* procured all the notable
portraits [of contemporaries and others] which were available ”’ for
his London house ; they were taken to Cornbury later, and were
then divided between houses at Watford and Bothwell. He died in
December 1674.2 Two portraits were found at Little Clarendon
during the present ownership ; a copy of the portrait in the National
Portrait Gallery of Thomas Osborne, first duke of Leeds, with the
Garter which was conferred upon him in 1677; and a portrait of a
girl holding a rose. John Oseborne had settled property in ““Donyton
and Teffante ” in 1458.3
Peregrine, second Duke of Leeds, married the daughter and
_heiress of Sir Thomas Hyde, second and last baronet of Albury,
Hertfordshire ;* but the connection of the Hydes of Albury with the
Wiltshire Hydes was, at any rate, remote. The link between the
Wiltshire Hydes and Little Clarendon, if it was anything more than
an owner’s whim, remains conjectural.
I am greatly indebted for help in compiling this paper to Miss
Engleheart of Little Clarendon; to Lord Herbert, for unrestricted
access to the admirable Muniment Room at Wilton House; to the
Vicar of Dinton, for access to the Registers of Dinton Church ; and
to the Agents for the Wyndham Estates.
1 Complete Peerage III (1913) 264.
2 Craik II 255-6.
3 J. S. Davies : The Tropenell Cartulary I 58-9.
4 His sister Catherine married *‘ James Herbert of Kingsey, a relative of the
Earl of Pembroke ”’ (Dictionary of National Biography).
404
THE NEOLITHIC CAMP ON WHITESHEET HILL,
KILMINGTON PARISH.
By STUART PIGGOTT
Wiltshire has for many years been known to contain within its
boundaries three out of the dozen or so * causewayed camps’ of the
Neolithic period recorded in southern England. Of these, Windmill
Hill and Knap Hill lie on the chalk hills of the north of the county,
and Robin Hood’s Ball is on Salisbury Plain not far from Stonehenge.!
Recently, however, a fourth example has been identified, again on the
chalk, and in the west of the county near Mere. This new discovery
is due to Mr. L. V. Grinsell, F.S.A., who in the course of his work on
air photographs for the Prehistoric volume of the Victoria County
History of Wiltshire noticed that an oval earthwork near the great Iron
Age fort on Whitesheet Hill, in the parish of Kilmington, appeared to
be overlapped at one point by a large round barrow of normal Bronze
Age type. This relationship was confirmed by field-work, when it was
also seen that the earthwork had its ditch interrupted at irregular
intervals by causeways of undisturbed chalk in a manner typical of
known Neolithic earthwork enclosures. In order to confirm this
remarkably interesting discovery, trial trenches were dug under the
direction of the writer and Dr. J. F. S. Stone by students from the
Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews in the summer of 1951,
with the results described below.
The earthwork is on the western spur of Whitesheet Hili (Nat. Grid
Ref. 802352), and was first recorded by Colt Hoare, who noted that
what was then the main road from Stourhead to Salisbury, and is now
a grass-grown drove-way, “ intersects an ancient earthen work, of a
circular form, and which, from the slightness of its vallum, appears to
have been of high antiquity.” Hoare did not however appreciate the
significance of the barrow which overlapped the ditch of the earthwork
on the south (Fig. 1), which he opened in 1807 and found that it had
contained a skeleton, but had been dug into before. It is a curious
example of Hoare’s and Cunnington’s limitations in field-work that
1 For a general account, see Curwen in Antiquity IV (1930), 22, and Piggott,
Neolithic Cultures of the British Isles (1953), Chap. II. The site at Rybury in
North Wilts, included as possibly Neolithic by Curwen, seems so dubious as to
be better omitted pending excavation.
* Ancient Wilts I (1812), 42. The earthwork is shown on the map of Station I
(Stourton) with the barrow correctly placed on its line.
Situation
405
NEOLETLHIC CAMP“ON WHITESHEET HILL
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406 Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet Hill, Kilmington Parish
they did not in fact notice and comment upon the remarkable fact that
they had before them an earthwork enclosure earlier than a round
barrow. One feels that Stukeley, who had correctly observed the
relationship of Bronze Age barrows to Roman Roads in Wessex, and
suspected a like relationship between such barrows and hill-forts in a
couple of instances,' would have perceived the importance of the
Whitesheet evidence.
As may be seen from the plan (Fig. 1) the ‘ ancient earthen work ’
is in fact not circular, but pear-shaped, with its long axis north-east
and south-west and overall dimensions of some 640 by 450 feet. On
the north-west the earthworks are mutilated by an old chalk quarry,
now grass-grown, and by a variant track of the drove road cutting into
the slope as a hollow way. Elsewhere, however, the bank and inter-
rupted ditch is in fair or good condition, especially on the north-east,
where the bank rises three feet above the present surface of the silted
ditch.
At the south east is a large round barrow, 8 feet high and 60 feet
in diameter within a wide ditch, about 90 feet overall external dia-
meter. It can be seen on the ground that the ditch is in fact polygonal
rather than circular, suggesting that it is a deep quarry-ditch dug in
segments in the manner of that surrounding Barrow 27 on Handley
Down, excavated by Pitt-Rivers.2, At Whitesheet it can be seen that
this ditch cuts through that of the causewayed camp, and encroaches
upon its bank, leaving no doubt of the chronological relationship of
the two constructions. It is unfortunate that Hoare obtained no direct
evidence for dating the inhumation in this barrow (it is indeed uncer-
tain whether the skeleton referred to was primary or secondary). The
well-known grave under a low barrow containing a Bell Beaker,
tanged copper dagger, archer’s wristguard and gold discs lay not far
away in Mere parish, and another low barrow near covered an inhuma-
tion with a Type A (Necked) Beaker. An Early Bronze Age date is on
the whole very probable for the Whitesheet barrow. :
Two cuttings were made into the ditch of the camp in 1951, No.
I on the north-east in the best preserved part of the earthwork, and
No. II on the south, near the barrow. In both cuttings it was found
1 Piggott, William Stukeley (1950), 69.
? Excav. in Cranborne Chase IV (1898), Pl. 293. No burial was found, though
the whole barrow was meticulously excavated. Sherds of Beaker and of Peter-
borough Neolithic pottery were found high in the ditch silt, so that its construc-
tion should date from Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age times.
The ditch 407
Pe TESHEET HILE--SEGTIONS 195!
CUTTING I
WEST FACE
Cut tTiING |
EAST FACE
CU TINGalt
O J es 3 4+ 5 6 i ¢ §
——— EEE a ————— rs re eo
408 Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet Hill, Kilmington Parish
that the apparent width of the ditch on the ground today considerably
exceeds that of the actual excavation into the chalk subsoil, and sug-
gests that an area wider than the true ditch was cleared of top-soil in
the original construction of the earthwork, possibly to obtain turf for
the rampart building.
Cutting I was the more informative of the two. Although there were
no surface indications, it did in fact cut across the ditch near a point
where a ‘ semi-causeway ” of chalk had been left in the original dig-
ging, so that the east face of the cutting showed the ditch narrowing
to this feature (Fig. 2). The west face showed a more typical section
of the ditch, 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep below the modern turf,
Rapid primary silt of chalk rubble had accumulated in the bottom,
followed by finer silt on each side, and the central region had then
slowly filled up with earthy soil and small chalk rubble. Above this
and below the modern humus and turf was a layer of earth containing
Fig. 3. Neolithic sherds from Cutting 1, Whitesheet Hill, 1951.
Scale 3.
numerous flint nodules. Several small sherds of Neolithic pottery of
Windmill Hill type, flint flakes and a scraper, were found in the prim-
ary silt and immediately above it at the base of the earthy silt (Fig. 3)
and on top of the primary silt against the inner slope of the ditch was
a skull of the small long-horned ox characteristic of the Windmill Hill
culture of southern England.! (See Appendix).
Cutting II showed, unexpectedly, that here the ditch was repre-
sented by a mere surface scraping some 7 feet wide and dug only one
foot into the solid chalk. No finds were made.
These limited excavations completely served their purpose in con-
firming the Neolithic date of the Whitesheet earthwork and demon-
strating its affinities to such sites as Windmill Hill. The pottery frag-
ments, though small and not very numerous, would appear to agree
1 The type was found at Windmill Hill, Woodhenge and Stonehenge in Wilt-
shire ; Maiden Castle in Dorset and Whitehawk Camp in Sussex, as well as
other minor occurrences.
Report on ox skull 409
in general type with those from the primary levels at the North Wilt-
shire site. The discovery of the earthwork, or rather its recognition as
a causewayed camp, shows that there are still important discoveries
to be made from air photographs or field-work even in counties so
well-known as Wiltshire.
APPENDIX
REPORT ON SKULL OF OX from the NEOLITHIC CAMP
WHITESHEET HILL, WILTSHIRE
By J. Wilfred Jackson, D.Sc., F.S.A.
The skull of ox submitted by Professor Stuart Piggott comprises the frontals
with horn cores. The sutures are not quite closed. Itis an interesting specimen
as it differs from the usual Celtic Shorthorn (Bos longifrons) so common on
Iron Age sites. It has features which link it with others from Neolithic sites.
It has been possible to obtain the following measurements :—
Frontals:
Between horn-cores (along intercornual ridge) = ae c. 200 m.m.
Least frontal width... Ms Sc o is ae E79! 55
Maximum bi-orbital width .. 3 Oe 2.
Length from centre of ae to line joining upper margin of
orbits a : 149 _ ,,
Length ditto to line joining upper margin of paoenclacy
foramina: .”. 48 vs CyLG. oes
The intercornual ridge nhs a tai prominence and is not straight, as in
Urus. The frontals are slightly dished between the orbits.
Occiput:
Distinctly notched by the temporal fossae: width between
notches ae ‘ Et i ae ae se 141 m.m.
Widest part of deeiput es ne 190 ,,
Depth from centre of iatercoenial idee to eae margin of
the foramen magnum aa Ave oH ne ae 143.5) 55
Width (outer) of condyles a a m ne: Sc 100: 33
Horn-cores:
Length (outer curve) .. es nus is - ee 170 m.m.
Circumference at base .. he ee ie 23 Ra 170% 3
Diameters at base ee an Bs ge bs a S148 3,
Tip to tip ae on oa oe ar a ae 490 _,,
The horn-cores are cylindrical and coarse: they curve outwards and slightly
forwards.
Other fragments of the skull consist of bits of orbit, etc., and 3 upper molars,
M 1, 2, 3, and 1 upper premolar.
The length of the three molars is 84 m.m. The Ist and 2nd show a little
wear: the 3rd molar and premolar show no wear.
410 Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet Hill, Kilmington Parish
The above skull has been compared with others from dated sites. It is
larger than one found by Mr. C. W. Phillips in the Giants’ Hills long barrow,
Skendleby, Lincolnshire (see Archaeologia, LXXXV (1936) 95-98). This was
found with Beaker sherds. It is also larger than an example from excavations
at Preston Dock, Lancashire, but has shorter horn-cores (see *‘ Woodhenge ”’
(1929), 66, figure). Noskulls were found at Woodhenge, but a comparison made
with several horn-cores from there shows the Whitesheet Hill examples to be
shorter, but about the same in the diameters. Compared with a horn-core found
in the lower, or silt, layer at Stonehenge, the present examples are shorter and
less robust (see Antiq. Journal, XV (1935) 438).
The Whitesheet Hill skull is much smaller than those found at Maiden Castle,
Dorset (see Maiden Castle (1943) 360-4, pl. LXV).
411
QUIDHAMPTON IN NORTH WILTS
by JUNE WILSON
Mr. Kidston’s two fascinating articles on Cumberwell tempt me to
write of another vanished house and, it seems, hamlet, which have in
like manner forced themselves upon my notice.
I have been, for the past year or two, endeavouring to make a con-
secutive story of the ownership of Norton and to discover as much as
possible about the families that have lived here. By a curious coin-
cidence—for it is due to no line of inheritance nor to any permanent
linking of properties—the history of this little village near Malmes-
bury has been frequently connected with that of the country that
borders the Downs above the Dauntsey Vale—Wootton Bassett,
Wroughton, Hilmarton. And it is in that country, in the parish of
Wroughton which was once called Ellandun and is thought to contain
within its borders part at least of the site of the battle that was fought
in A.D. 825 between the Kings of Wessex and Mercia—it is in that
parish that the vanished hamlet of Quidhampton was situated.
I first encountered the name when I was looking for information
about one Richard Jacob who had fought for Cromwell in the Civil
War, got a bullet in the back at Wellow in Somersetshire and was
subsequently granted a pension of £2 13s. 4d. at the Wiltshire
Quarter Sessions of 1652. Now I already knew that John Jacob, of
Vasterne Manor near Wootton Bassett, had bought Norton in 1650
and had settled here with his family. From the Parish Registers I had
learned that a few years later his daughter, Martha, had been married
in Norton Church to Giles Hungerford of Wellow in Somersetshire.
Out of these facts I made a charming romance—that the Hungerfords
had befriended Richard Jacob when he was wounded, that he had
brought them to see his relatives at Norton and that the young Giles
had fallen in love with Martha. But I had to prove that Richard Jacob
belonged to some branch of the Wootton Bassett family, and, despite
a diligent search, I found only one more clue—that in 1642 he was
renting land at Quidhampton.
I looked for the name of what I took to be a village on the 1l-inch
Ordnance Map and could not find it. Aubrey placed it in Wroughton
parish, but there was no sign of it thereabouts. The only thing I could
find was Quidhampton Wood. I was puzzled and slightly curious, and
then I forgot about it.
412 Quidhampton in North Wilts
A few weeks afterwards, I started to follow up some information
gleaned from the Valor Ecclesiasticus (the great register of Church
property, made in 1535) to the effect that before the Dissolution
Edmund Chatterton of Bradfield, Hullavington, was renting certain
of the Abbey lands in Norton. This Chatterton, or Chaderton as he
was sometimes called, was a grandson of William Collingbourne, of
whom Aubrey wrote (how often one turns to that garrulous anti-
quarian !) :
“* The Catt, the Ratt, and Lovell the Dog,
Rule all England under a Hogge.
“ T think it was Collingbourne made this. Q. Ned James.”
If Aubrey did ask Ned James, he never put down the answer, so we
do not know whether it was indeed Collingbourne who wrote the
jingle, but certainly he was executed in 1485 for conspiring to bring
over from Brittany the then Earl of Richmond (subsequently Henry
VII) and set him on the throne in place of Richard III. Edmund, the
son of Collingbourne’s daughter, Margaret Chatterton, was “ the
King’s Councellor and Chaplain ”’, and to him were given all the pos-
sessions of his grandfather. These included the manors of Bradfield,
Lydiard Muliicent and Manton, and lands in Hullavington, Wootton
Bassett and Quidhampton.
Meeting it thus, for the second time, I was curious all over again,
but rather more so. I determined to go and see. So I motored up
through Broad Hinton on to the road that runs from Wroughton to
Avebury and there stopped to ask a man who was working on the road.
“ Quidhamptor ? ”’ he said. * Oh, it’s just a cattle-shed and a yard
out in the fields. I don’t know if there was ever a place there, but
there’s mention of it on the charity board in Broad Hinton Church.
People by the name of Benet left a legacy to be paid from there, I
believe.”” He told me that a bit further on I should be able to see the
sheds from the road, but it was some time before I found them. Two
people I asked had never heard of Quidhampton, swore there was no
such place and plainly thought I was mad. The third was a man
bicycling home to dinner. He knew it and had heard tell that there
was once a house there. He didn’t know how it had got destroyed—
might be fire—but he had helped to build the present skillin out of the
stones that were lying about there.
This sounded better. I waded across two very muddy fields and
looked at the place. Behind the skillin there was a patch of rough
The landslide 413
ground which evidently would not grow anything much and looked
as if it contained foundations. Fifty yards away was a well, now
covered in and surrounded by wire. At the other corner, the farmer’s
son told me, an apple tree had stood until quite recently when they
cut it down. Those were the only clues to the past.
But now I was determined to discover this mystery, and after a few
vain searches in the Public Record Office and the British Museum,
I found a good chunk of the story in the most obvious place possible—
the W.A.M. of 1909. I further found that, had I consulted either
the 6” Ordnance Map or Andrews and Dury’s map of 1773, I should
have known that the place I had visited was Quidhampton Barn and
that the site of the house called Lower Quidhampton was some half-
mile further from the main road, towards the north-west, lying under
the Lower Chalk escarpment. I was chastened by these evidences of
my own obtuseness, but ee to find at last some facts of Quid-
hampton’s history.
The earliest of the deeds printed in the Magazine is dated 1268,
when Richard de Hyweye demised to the Abbot and Convent of
Stanlegh lands in Quidhampton. In 1324 it is spoken of as a manor,
and the last clause of the deed so dated says that * at the end of the
twelfth year at Hockeday the said Richard shall receive his hall and
-oxe-house, with that part of the court viz. towards the west ; and
all the other part of the court with the garden dove-house and with
the rest of the appurtenances shall remain in possession of the abbot
and convent.”’ Thereafter the deeds record the ownership of Quid-
hampton, or Quiddington, variously described as ‘the village’.
‘the capital messuage or tenement ’ or ‘ the manor ’, passing through
the families of Russell, Collingbourne, Spenser, Benet, until the year
1658. There they end, but through the kindness of Mr. Arnold-
Forster, on whose estate Quidhampton lies, I have been able to follow
its history up to the present day. From the female descendants of the
Benet family it passed to the Calleys, and from them, in 1839, to the
Duke of Wellington. Mr. Story Maskelyne, grandfather of Mr.
Arnold-Forster, bought it from him in 1861. But before that—
in about 1825—a landslide had destroyed the rear portion of the Manor
House, and the remainder had been converted into two cottages.
These were occupied for about another eighty years and were finally
demolished some thirty years ago. Another cottage was then standing
on the site called Quidhampton Barn, but it was burnt down during
VOL. LIV—CXCVII 2c
414 Quidhampton in North Wilts
the early years of the first World War, and from its stones the present
skillin was built.
From the study of all the available documents certain questions
remain unanswered and certain new ones arise. At what date and by
what cause did Quidhampton diminish from ‘ the village ’ or * ham-
let ’ of the early deeds to the farmhouse which was all that remained
to be a victim of the landslide? The words may have been used
inaccurately, but there are too many phrases suggestive of the exist-
ence of more than one house for it to be possible to dismiss them all.
As late as 1565, we read of * the capitall messuage ’, which implies
the existence of other messuages, and the deed of 1324 suggests that
the previous manor house was a much more important one than that
which survived to the nineteenth century. Why, one wonders,
should that cottage have been built in isolation on the site where the
skillin now stands instead of near the Manor House, and does the
latter’s designation as “ Lower ’ Quidhampton suggest that the other
may, in the distance of antiquity, have been Upper Quidhamtpon ?
Again, is there some significance in the name of the 5-acre field near
to where the Manor House stood—the Bowling Green? I rather like
to think that there is.
Probably these questions will go unanswered, but it may be that
there is somewhere more evidence waiting to be discovered. In the
latter years of the last century, Anthony Story Maskelyne, nephew
of the then owner of Basset Down, Salthrop and Quidhampton, was
engaged in researches into the history of that neighbourhood, for
which his post as an official at the Public Record Office gave him
excellent opportunities. It was thanks to him that the documents
relating to Quidhampton were transcribed and subsequently pub-
lished in the W.A.M., xxxvi, p. 90 (June 1909), but that he had it
in mind to carry the search a good deal further is evident from his
letters, now int he possession of Mr. Arnold-Forster at Salthrop.
In October, 1899, he was writing to his aunt, Mrs. Story Maske-
lyne: “‘ The ‘ Abbess of Wilton’ or the ‘ Abbot of Wotton ’ (it does
not clearly appear which from printed records) held a tenement in
Quidhampton, and this Quidhampton appears to [be] the N. Wilts and
not the S. Wilts one. [There is a village of the same name near
Wilton.] This tenement we must try and trace.”
Ten years later—in April, 1909—we find the correspondence still
in progress: “I received a proof of the first eleven Quidhampton
An unfinished story AIS
deeds this morning ; So that I hope before very long you will be able
to study a fairly good text of these pieces of evidence at leisure. I
will do my best to collect further evidence, and then we will set it out,
give them a map, and if you like some conjectures.”
With these tantalizing ends of broken threads in our hands we come
toastop. As far as I know, Anthony Story Maskelyne never gave the
promised ‘ conjectures ’, but perhaps the next best thing was so to
arouse the curiosity of a later generation as to ensure that they, too,
would ask the questions that intrigued him sixty years ago. Indeed,
the material that he left could not have been better shaped for that
purpose.
rho
416
THE NOTE BOOK OF A WILTSHIRE FARMER IN THE
EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
By Eric KERRIDGE, B.A., Ph.D.
Deposited in the University of Bristol Library is the exercise book
of Robert Wansborough of Shrewton,1 a folio volume in an indifferent
state of repair. Many of its leaves have long since been removed and
those that remain are some of them worn and torn. At one end are
examples of the forms of various deeds and exercises, to wit, a bond
to pay a sum of money, a bond to guarantee a recognisance, a bond
to appear in court, a release, an incomplete note of land, an appren-
tice’s indenture, a lease for 99 years, a table for calculating interest on
monies, a list of English names with their Latin equivalents in the
accusative and dative cases and explanations of various kinds of arith-
metic. The subsequent folios are occupied by cash accounts, a valua-
tion of Haxton parsonage, records of corn sowing and notes of small
loans. Reversing the volume, we find copies of writs relating to
trained bands, notices of Salisbury quarter-sessions, summonses,
an order for the repair of a bridge, taxation and purveyance accounts,
more sowing records, poor relief accounts and a great number of mis-
cellaneous notes.
Shrewton manor had been dismembered in 1596.2 The capital
messuage and demesne lands were sold to Robert Wansborough,
yeoman of Shrewton, for £400. The deed of bargain and sale,? dated
August 31, 1596, specifies the farm lands thus :
161 acres of arable ; 1 acre of meadow in Shrewton field and Net field ; 2 acres
of meadow in Frog mead ; 2 butt acres of meadow in Frog mead ; 3 half-acres
of meadow in Broad Mead ; ? acre and a butt in Broad Mead ; 8 half-haycocks
in Small Mead ; 1 acre of enclosed pasture ; Chilpitt Close containing $ acre ;
another close of 1 acre ; another of 4 acre ; another of 4 acre in Plenham.
All this lay in Shrewton and Netton.
Some of this land Wansborough may have let to small sub-tenants.
On March 14, 1619, he granted to John Mason junior, husbandman
of Maddington, a lease for three lives of a messuage, three acres of
arable and appurtenances.* These may have been a part of the former
demesne lands.® In 1638 Robert Wansborough the son exchanged
an acre of arable with one of his neighbours.® His father was pre-
sented in the court of Shrewton nuper Husseys in September 1616,
for the enclosure of a parcel of arable at Netton.’ There is no reason
The Wansborough family 417
to suppose, however, that the farm with which the notebook is con-
cerned was not much the same as that purchased in 1596. Robert
Wansborough the elder had nine children, of whom the first-born
was also Robert.® This son married about 1625, and in that year his
father transferred the property to him. The indenture of enfeoffment
speaks of seven virgates in Shrewton, of which five and a quarter were
in Shrewton fields and the remainder in the fields of Netton alias
Net.?
When the elder Wansborough bought his lands, he had contracted
a mortgage of £400, the purchase price. Such a practice was by no
means unusual. On October 8, 1630, his son paid off the third and
apparently final instalment of this mortgage.1°
Shortly after this the elder Robert died. On November 24, 1630 an
inventory was made of his goods and chattels, which were appraised
at £306 14s. He left 26 sheep valued at £6, nineteen lbs. of lamb’s
wool valued at 13s. 4d., £10 worth of wool and £10 in cash and cloth-
ing. By far the largest item however was the £280 ‘due upon
bondes.’!! A somewhat fuller picture of the farm is to be found in the
inventory made by Robert Wansborough in 1654 * of my goodes with-
out my dwelling house.’1? He reckoned that these were worth in all
£449. Of this the largest items were :
£s. d
24 ac. barley, oats and vetches in Elston field = 24 0 0
1904 ac. barley, oats, wheat and vetchesin Net field .. 190 10 0O
Wheat and barley in barn and rick yee Bes fous 30° 0F=6
Hay and vetches in rick 12 Oe 0
210 sheep and 63 lambs in Siirewton flock, 92 sheep aiid
42 lambs in Netton flock are af i 0
3 horses with harness st bs ae 50 O O
6 beasts .. 1. OO
6 pigs 4 0 0
1 wagon, 3 carts, 4 Fits (aisaehs a *. 20 0 O
There were also troughs, ‘ recke stauelles ’ (rick stavils or staddles),
rollers, sacks, planks and wood.
The Wansboroughs did not keep their own shepherd: the sheep
formed part of the common flocks. In 1616 Robert the elder was
ordered to provide hay for his sheep in the common flock of Shrewton
at the current rate of 3s. 4d. the yardland.'® In addition to his
thresher, Robert Wansborough used day-labour. His notes contain
a list of payments for this and, according to the only item that he
418 Note Book of a Wiltshire Farmer
particularizes, he paid 8d. for a day’s work. The total of this wage-
account was £1 13s. 8d. This may well be for a whole season, but we
are not to know.14
His notes show that Wansborough was interested in local affairs.
How long his family had occupied the manor house we do not know.
They may have farmed the demesne lands before 1596. After this
time at least they were people of some importance in the neighbour-
hood. Robert Wansborough paid £10 composition for knighthood
refused after the accession of Charles I.1° There is no doubt how-
ever that the main interest of the Wansboroughs was in farming for
profit and in this they seem to have shown success, Judging from his
inventory and notes, it was primarily in corn-growing that Wans-
borough was interested, though he sold wool in large quantities. It
seems likely that his wool crop was usually worth much less than his
corn, but the production of both was combined in the traditional
sheep-and-corn husbandry of the Chalk country of Wiltshire. It has
already been shown that the dismemberment of the manor was not
accompanied by the enclosure of the common fields, and common
rights continued as before.'® In Robert Wansborough, then, we see
one of the capitalist farmers of the open fields of the sheep-and-corn
regions of the more southerly and easterly part of England who loomed
so large in the social history of the seventeenth century.
The course of cultivation cannot be wholly determined from these
notes, since Wansborough was only concerned to record the results
of certain sowings, not of all cultivation. He almost certainly was
srowing tares and very likely oats, but neither of these are mentioned
because they were presumably unaffected by any disease. Further-
more some of the field names do not recur in the notes, while other
recurrences are doubtful. Nor can we be certain that the names men-
tioned are exhaustive of all his farm lands. Nevertheless we may
abstract the field names that recur with more or less certainty and see
what the course of cultivation was in so far as it is shown by the notes.
Location 1633 1634 1635 1636 1637 1638 1639
2 ac. in Catsbrain W B W
4 ac. in Pessbrach Ww B
2 ac. Net field end W W
Shoull ac. in
Catsbrain W B W Ww
34s in Pessbrach W W WwW
d-acwat ‘the alses) + W W
Field rotations 419
Location 1633 1634 1635 1636 1637 1628 1639
Ac. by the wayside W
+ ac. bottom of Dean
2 ac. bottom of Dean
33 ac. in Dean
Homerside, Plot of Lain
Fieldermostside do.
2 ac. Gossopiand
2 ac, homeside Crook
Shoull ac. above Church W
3 ac. above Church W
2 ac. in Pecsall W?
Drove acre W
2 ac. above Crook
8 ac. Shrewton
Wheaten Hill
4 ac. upon New Way
3 long ac. New Way
2 ac. upon New Way
Butt upon New Way
Overside Pessbrach
Through 2 furlongs
2 ac. in Elston W
Pet acre
2 ac. above Windmill B W
2 ac. north of Morse Ww We?
Hex
B
B
B
=e
qa 5454" fees
Ww oo WWW <
~ v
: ) e = = Mo) 5 © > 3 n S =I
eee eae) Cbehie ae ica) | =
SoG Se pel Ue esr ee | ces
B | BM |e = 10 ©o |e 5 | N
Upper Silt,
Secondary
Occupation 2+3
Upper Silt
though Main
Occupation eZ. 3 4, 1-5 1 1 Me 2
Primary Silt 3 2 | | 1
Not clear A |
The third cup trom the Trundle occurred
in the very bottom silt
of the inner ditch : it must be as early as the camp itself. The other
two cups from this site were found at a slightly higher level, in the
middle ditch. The pottery associated with all three is essentially early
* In the term ‘ uncontaminated ’, the writer includes the making of necked
and bell beakers. The new European settlers in Britain which these vessels
imply did not greatly disrupt the existing Neolithiceconomy. It was the develop-
ment subsequently of the Irish school of bronze smiths that created the economic
phenomenon called, in Britain, the Wessex Culture and starts our true Bronze
Age.
Dating 461
Western Neolithic, although pots with carination (form G), plain
lugs and vertical or horizontal grooved decoration are commoner
than plain wares. Ebbesfleet pottery, found at Whitehawk, was absent
from the Trundle.
The second cup from Whitehawk seems to have occurred in the
bottom spit of the third ditch, and both the other cups were dis-
covered in the main occupation debris of a site whose life was probably
short. Ebbesfleet ware (called by the excavators ** hybrid wares ”’)
occurred in the two spits immediately above that containing the third
cup, but nowhere were they associated. Instead, the pottery found in
association closely resembles that from the Trundle. But the evidence
from this site as a whole seems to suggest that the Ebbesfleet ware-
makers were not so very secondary, and it is probable that they are
the progenitors of the Peterborough folk. That they were early here
is shown by the fabric of their pottery, which is much finer than
normal Peterborough ware, and a distinct period evidently elapsed
between their abandonment of the camp and its occupation by those
who used beakers and rusticated wares. And these latter, be it noted
(31), did not use either Ebbesfleet or Peterborough wares. So the
evidence from the Sussex causewayed camps, points to an early date
for our cups in the Western Neolithic occupation of this part of
England. The presence of Ebbesfleet wares low down in the ditches,
and the evident Secondary Neolithic occupation from the earliest
times of the camp on Coombe Hill, Jevington (32) may indicate, how-
ever, that in the relative chronology of British causewayed camps the
Sussex examples are subsequent to the construction of Hembury,
Windmill Hill, and Maiden Castle.
The four cups from Windmill Hill had different associations, one
of them (Cup 1) being an unstratified find. Cup 4 lay sufficiently low
down in the inner ditch (never more than four feet deep) to be con-
sidered as a relic of the main Western Neolithic occupation. Cups 2
and 3, lying in an altogether deeper ditch (it averaged eight feet) must
belong to the Secondary Neolithic phase of the site. Their associated
pottery included Peterborough ware and Beaker sherds. The chalk
phalli and figurines from the camp also belong to both periods of
habitation.
The dating evidence for the flint mines is less conclusive, but in
view of the trade in igneous rocks pursued by Secondary Neolithic
communities from the earliest times, it must presumably have been
VOL. LIV—CXCVII 2F
462 A Neolithic Chalk Cup from Wilsford
they who handled the flint trade as well. This work can be placed
within no finer limits than the later Neolithic/Beaker occupation. But
the Bluestones from South Wales, which may represent a religiously
inspired ** order in bulk ”’, were evidently still regarded with rever-
ence by the Wessex culture communities (themselves essentially
Neolithic in ancestry) who demanded their inclusion within the
Sarsen settings at Stonehenge. The cups from Woodhenge belong to
a sanctuary which must fall within the last half of the Neolithic period,
when Beaker folk were much in evidence. And the chalk axes from
Woodhenge, made by a similar gouging technique to the chalk cups,
are paralleled only at Stonehenge, in the hole of sarsen 57 (33).*
Presumably the cups from Maumbury Rings and Stonehenge I belong
to another group of Secondary Neolithic folk who are culturally
equated with Sites IV-VI at Dorchester-on-Thames (34), and are
pre-Beaker.
The other ritual objects which we have considered fall within the
same ill-defined spread of the Neolithic period. The Thickthorn
Down spoons were found, associated with plain Western Neolithic
pottery, in the primary silt of the barrow ditch which itself bears the
sort of wedge-marks in its walls (35) noted, for instance, by Pitt-
Rivers in the Cissbury flint mines (36).
We must conclude therefore that the chalk cups of Great Britain
are still as Neolithic as Clark and Piggott originally supposed them,
when surveying the date of the flint mines. But it now seems clear that
they can belong as much to Secondary Neolithic communities as to
the Western Neolithic farmers. And we prefer to consider them not
primarily as lamps but as belonging to the same class of votive or
ritualistic objects as the phallic carvings, the ladles and spoons,
fabricators, mace-heads, and those other unexplained things with
which Neolithic tribesmen attempted to make their corn grow, their
cattle multiply, and their trade thrive.
* But the writer is not convinced by Col. Hawley’s suggestion that this piece
of roughly worked chalk is, in fact, a model axe.
By Nicholas Thomas 463
REFERENCES
(1) Mrs. B. H. Cunnington ; Woodhenge. Devizes, 1929.
(2) tbid. p. 77. © Worked, chalk. ;...”’
(3) ibid. p. 36.
(4) ibid. p. 36.
(5) tbid. p. 31 and p. 77.
(6) W.A.M. XXXVII, 1911-12, p. 64 and Fig. 16.
(7) Pitt-Rivers ; Excavations in Cranborne Chase, Vol. I. 1887, p. 150 and
ple 53.11.
(8) For latest assessment of the building and development of Stonehenge,
see Aspects of Archaeology in Britain and Beyond (Essays to O. G. S. Crawford,
1951). S. Piggott. 274 ff.
(9) S. Piggott. Antiquity, June, 1939, p. 158.
(10) S.A.C. LXX, 1929, p. 61 and pl. XVI.
(11) Ibid. p. 63.
(12) Ibid. LXXII, 1931, 143 and Fig. 37, pl. XIII.
(13) S.A.C. LXXI, 1930, p. 78-9.
(14) Ant. J. XIV, April 1934, p. 131 and Fig. 86.
(5)aS.A.C. LXXVITI, 1936; p. 84.
(16) B. M. Stone Age Guide, 3rd ed., 1926, p. 86, Fig. 77.
(17) Willett. Arch. 45, 1880, p. 346.
(18) W. Greenwell. Journ. Ethn. Soc. of London, Ser. 2, Vol. II, p. 430.
Clark and Piggott. Antiquity, June, 1933, 173, Fig. 5.
(19) PPSEA IV 1924, p. 122 and Fig. 6.
(20) Willett op. cit., p. 345.
(21) Institute of Archaeology, 7th Ann. Rep., 1950, 25-6, pl. IV, 6.
(22) Clark and Piggott, op. cit., 172.
(23) S. Piggott. Antiquity, loc. cit.
(24) Gray. Proc. Dorset N. H. & Ant. F. C., XXXIV, 1913, 103 ; in Dor-
chester Museum.
(25) E.g., Thickthorn Long Barrow, P.P.S. II, 1936, p. 86, Figs. 3-4.
Windmill Hill, unpublished. Grimes Graves, Arch. 63, 1911-12, p. 118; and
Arch. J. CVI, 1949, p. 56.
(26) P.P.S., 1936, 143.
(27) Couchman, Proc. Soc. Ant. Lond. 2nd ser., XXXI, 1918-19, 109,
(28) Ant. J. VII, 1927, 61-2: pl. XVI, 1.
(29) Proc. 1.O.W. N.H. & Arch. Soc., 1932, 199.
(30) E.g., Maiden Castle Rep., 1943, p. 149, Fig. 29, No. 50 ; and Whitehawk
5S.A.C. LXXVII, 1936, p. 79, Fig. 28.
(31) Ant. J. XIV, April, 1934, 119 ff. ‘* The Early Bronze Age Pottery ’’.
(32) S.A. C. LXXRIX, 1950,-105 ff.
(33)' Ant. J. VI, 1926, p: 12.
(34) Excavations at Dorchester, Oxon. Ashmolean Museum, 1951, p. 35 ff,
(35) P.P.S., 1936, pl. XXI.
(36) Journ. Roy. Anthrop. Inst. V, p. 377.
464
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 1952
The Annual General Meeting of the Society was held in the Town Hall at
Devizes on August 16. Unfortunately the President, Mr. L. G. Peirson, was
unable to be present owing to illness, so Mr. H. C. Brentnall, one of the Vice-
presidents, was voted to the Chair. He delivered the President’s apologies and
expressed the general regret that the expected address was still in the form of
notes which no one else could expand. It had been Mr. Peirson’s wish to
speak of his sense of personal loss in the death last January of Mr. William
Rendell, a friend of thirty years’ standing and a most loyal supporter of the
Society. He had also wanted to mention the severing of Mr. Passmore’s long
association with the Society. How much Wiltshire archaeology owed to his
labours only those could appreciate who turned to the volumes of the Magazine
and read his communications over nearly fifty years.
Mr. E. A. Rendell desired that the family’s thanks should be conveyed to the
President for the kind reference to his brother which had been quoted.
The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting having been read and
confirmed, the Hon. Secretary, Mr. C. W. Pugh, presented the following report;
ANNUAL REPORT, 1951-52
Membership. A careful revision of the Register of Members which has
recently been made shows that the number of subscribers now on the list is 536.
Although fifty-six new members have joined during the year, this total is forty-
seven less than that reported last year. This diminution is largely to be ac-
counted for by the fact that last year’s list contained the names of a number of
members who had ceased to pay subscriptions for some time and were included
in the Register by error.
The Museum and Library. With regard to the Museum, the outstanding
event of the year is that, thanks to the Cunnington bequests, the Society has at
last been able to fulfil its most pressing need by the appointment of a qualified
professional Curator. Three candidates for the post were selected for interview,
and by a unanimous vote the Committee appointed Mr. Nicholas Thomas,
B.A., late Scholar of Exeter College, Oxford, who took up his duties on July 1.
So it is now possible to proceed with the long-deferred plans for reorganizing
and rearranging the Museum. This can, of course, only be done by degrees,
for the amount of money available for the purpose is limited. Negotiations for
a grant from the County Council to assist in the cost of this work are still pro-
ceeding, but at present the call for economy in public expenditure has prevented
anything being done. The future however is not without hope. It should be
added that Mr. Thomas is making good use of such resources as are available,
and has made an excellent start in the task which lies before him.
The number of visitors paying for admission to the Museum during the year
was 1,450. Conducted parties of school children, numbering in all about 100,
have also been admitted free; and a few weeks ago about twenty members of a
Swiss Archaeological Society, who are making a tour in England, spent an
afternoon in the Museum with evident interest and enjoyment.
Annual General Meeting 465
The Library continues to be extensively used by research workers, including
a number engaged on the preparation of articles for the Victoria County History
of Wiltshire.
Both the Museum and the Library have received several additions during the
year, and thanks are due to those who have contributed to the collections. All
gifts have been recorded in the Magazine.
The Magazine. The two half-yearly numbers have been published as usual
under the editorship of Mr. H. C. Brentnall with the assistance of Mr. O.
Meyrick. In these times of high printing costs the Society owes a debt of
gratitude to those contributors who have eased the burden by defraying the
cost of the blocks illustrating their articles.
The Records Branch. The Annual General Meeting was held at Marlborough
College on June 14. A report of the activities of the Branch during 1951 will
be printed in the Magazine.
Natural History Section. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Cyril Rice this
Section continues its vigorous life. There are now 211 members, of whom
eighty-six are full members of the Society. Between April and October 1951
nineteen field and two indoor meetings were held. Full reports of these were
published in the last number of the Magazine. Members made 102 counts for
the National Wildfowl enquiry and are taking part in a survey, organized by the
British Trust for Ornithology, of the breeding distribution of thirty species of
birds. A sub-committee has been formed to prepare a check-list of Wiltshire
birds.
The sub-committee which is dealing with the production of a new Flora for
Wiltshire expects the text to be in the printer’s hands very shortly.
Damage to earthworks. At the last Annual General Meeting it was reported
that the Society had called the attention of the Ancient Monuments department
of the Ministry of Works and of the military authorities to the serious damage
which was being done by armoured vehicles to important groups of barrows at
Snail Down and elsewhere on Salisbury Plain. It is satisfactory to report that
as a result of the Society’s representations instructions have been given that
tanks shall not be driven over these barrows, and that some of the barrows have
been protected by wire fencing. Again, when the autumn manoeuvres were
about to be held last October, the Committee, realizing the risk of damage to
prehistoric monuments in the area, sent telegrams to the War Office and to the
Southern Command urging that all possible care should be taken to avoid this.
Both these authorities promised their co-operation with the result that no
injury of importance occurred. The Committee has now arranged for periodical
inspections of the earthworks to be carried out, so that any future damage or
risk of damage may be reported.
Excursions. Two very successful and enjoyable whole day excursions have
been held this summer, both attended by a large number of members and their
friends.
The report was followed by a statement on the financial position of the
Society, read by the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. R. S. Child. He said that for the last
four years receipts and expenditure had practically balanced one another, with
466 Election of Officers and Committee
a small credit balance of about £6 each year. But the scheme of expansion and
development upon which the Society has embarked will obviously require a
total revenue much larger than that which has hitherto been available. A
considerable part of this, but by no means all, will be provided from the
Cunnington bequests. We still hope for a grant from the County Council: but
we must look to an increase in the number of members as the most probable
source of revenue. He therefore appealed to those present to help by persuad-
ing their friends to join the Society, and he also pointed out the desirability of
subscribing under a covenant agreement, by which means the value of the
subscription is considerably increased.
A short discussion followed, in which some suggestions for increasing the
Society’s income were made and noted for consideration by the Committee.
The next business was the election of a President for the ensuing year. The
Chairman proposed the name of Mr. James Oram, who had been nominated by
the Committee, and this having been seconded by Miss E. Crittall, Mr. Oram
was unanimously elected.
The Honorary officers of the Society were then elected :—Editor of the
Magazine, Mr. H. C. Brentnall; Assistant Editor and Meetings Secretary,
Mr. O. Meyrick; Secretary and Librarian, Mr. C. W. Pugh; Assistant
Secretary, Vir. P. W. Tanner; Treasurer, Mr. R. S. Child.
Thirteen nominations for twelve members to serve on the Committee having
been received, a ballot vote was taken which resulted in the election of Mrs.
E. C. Barnes, Prof. Stuart Piggott, Dr. T. R. Thomson, Messrs. L. V. Grinsell,
R. A. U. Jennings, R. B. Pugh, A. Shaw-Mellor, L. G. Peirson, M. G. Rath-
bone, G. M. Young, H. de S. Shortt, and H. Ross.
Mir. N. Thomas, the newly-appointed Curator, then, gave a clear and inter-
esting description of what is already being done towards the reorganization of
the Museum, and of the plans which it is hoped to carry out in the future. He
mentioned with gratitude the great assistance he had received in his work from
Mr. and irs. A. Cole.
Mir. E. H. Fitch then proposed that the Society’s gratitude to Mr. Owen
Meyrick should be recorded for the excellent arrangements which had been
made for the summer excursions, a proposal which was carried by acclamation.
The meeting closed with tea which was served in the anteroom of the hall.
SUMMER EXCURSIONS, 1952
On June 7 over a hundred members of the Society and their friends took
part in a whole-day excursion in the south of the county—so far south, indeed,
that it took them over the borders of Wiltshire into Dorset. A motor-coach from
Devizes and a large number of private cars assembled first at Lake House,
where they were kindly received by the owner, Lady Janet Bailey, who accom-
panied the visitors on a tour of the whole building, and gave an excellent and
interesting account of its history. Although the interior was completely des-
troyed by fire some years ago, the shell of the house still remains as it was built
—a fine example of the flint and stone chequered work of the early seventeenth
century, standing amid beautiful lawns and gardens on the banks of the Avon.
Summer Excursions 467
After leaving Lake, a visit was paid to Great Durnford Church. Here Mr.
Randall Blacking, the Diocesan Architect, kindly acted as guide and pointed out
the many interesting features of this ancient building, of which the north and
south porches, the chancel arch and the font are good examples of Norman
work of the early twelfth century. The chancel and tower date respectively
from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. There are faint traces of frescoes
on the south wall of the nave.
The next halt was at Heale House, which was described by Mr. M. O’Regan.
This is a red brick building of the seventeenth century, but was largely rebuilt
in its original style after a fire some fifty years ago. It is chiefly notable as
having been one of the places where Charles II hid for some days on his way to
the coast after the battle of Worcester,
Lunch was provided at the Old Mill at West Harnham, an ancient building
which is now used as a restaurant but has been little altered from its original
form ; the mill-race still flows beneath its floors, andthe dining room on the
top floor has an interesting queen-post roof.
In the afternoon a journey of a few miles along the Blandford road brought
the party to Bokerley Dyke. Here Mrs. C. M. Piggott described the earthwork,
which she stated was originally a structure of the Roman period, forming the
boundary of an imperial stud-farm or ranch, analogous to others in Gaul.
Afterwards, about the fourth century A.D., it was adapted to form a defensive
work cutting the road from Sarum to Dorchester. A short distance further
along the road a halt was made at the Oakley Down barrows, a remarkable
group containing examples of all types of these burial mounds, including a
long barrow. These were admirably described by Dr. J. F. S. Stone.
The party then made its way to Farnham, and spent a most interesting time
at the well-known Museum built by General Pitt-Rivers to contain the collec-
tion of prehistoric relics found in his archaeological excavations in the Cran-
borne Chase area. The Museum is admirably arranged, and has an excellent
series of models, made to scale, of the barrows and other earthworks which the
General excavated.
After tea, which was served on the Museum lawn, the church at Tollard Royal
was visited under the guidance of Mr. J. Smith, one of the churchwardens.
The most interesting thing here is a fourteenth century tomb of a knight,
remarkable as being one of the few examples in which the banded mail of the
period is represented. Near the church is a building known as King John’s
House, and by invitation of the occupant, Colonel Wright, the visitors were
enabled to see parts of this. Although the house as it now stands is chiefly of
Elizabethan date, some of the original thirteenth century work still remains.
This visit brought to an end a very successful day, the enjoyment of which
was enhanced by perfect summer weather.
The second excursion, on July 16, began at South Wraxall Manor, visited
by permission of the Hon. Lady Glyn. The number taking part was again over
a hundred, and they were shown the hall, the drawing room and other parts of
the house in parties of about twenty at a time, while those waiting their turn
occupied themselves in the gardens. The Manor, which is certainly one of the
finest, if not the finest, of its period in Wiltshire, dates from the first part of the
468 South Wraxall and Hinton Charterhouse
fifteenth century, and was probably built by Robert Long, a member of Parlia-
ment for the county. The carved oak screen and the chimney piece in the hall
are, however, of a later date (1598). The great drawing room, altered and en-
larged by Sir Walter Long about the same time, is a noble chamber, having a
beautiful decorated plaster ceiling, a richly panelled stone pier supporting the
roof and a great stone fireplace embellished with symbolical figures represent-
ing Prudence, Justice, Arithmetic and Geometry, with a figure of Pan in the
central panel.
It had not been found possible to discover a caterer in the neighbourhood able
to provide lunch for so large a party, so the visitors made their own arrangements,
time for this refreshment being allowed in the programme. Fortunately the
weather was fine, and picnic lunches were not only possible, but enjoyable. In
the afternoon the party reassembled at Farleigh Hungerford Castle, meeting in
the chapel of St. Leonard, where the custodian appointed by the Ministry of
Works (the owner of the site) described the history of the building. It was built
by Sir Walter Hungerford early in the fifteenth century and consisted of an
outer courtyard entered by a gatehouse and an inner rectangular court, de-
fended at each corner by a tower and by a moat on the side not protected by
the natural slope of the hill on which the castle was built.
The chapel is the most interesting and the least ruinous part of the remains.
There is a large wall-painting of St. George on the east wall, and a small side-
chapel on the north of the building contains some fine tombs and monuments
to members of the Hungerford family. There is much good stained glass of
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in the windows, and the walls are covered
with blazoned coats of arms. The walls of the main chapel are now hung with
a collection of weapons and armour, chiefly of the period of the Civil War, when
the castle was held for the King—although its owner commanded the Parlia-
mentary forces in Wiltshire.
After an hour spent in exploring the ruins, a move was made to the Priory of
Hinton Charterhouse. Here the company was most cordially welcomed by the
owner, Major P. C. Fletcher, and Mrs. Fletcher. both of whom spared no pains
to make the visit agreeable and interesting. Although the remains of the Priory
are scanty, the owner and his sons have recently excavated a considerable
portion of the site, with the result that the positions of the cloisters and of the
church have been discovered. The lines of the foundations thus revealed have
been marked in white chalk, so that the visitors could trace the original plan
with little difficulty. Major and Mrs. Fletcher also conducted parties through
the present dwelling-house, which was almost certainly the guest-house of the
Priory. The preparation of a short history and description of the buildings by
Major Fletcher, of which typewritten copies were distributed to everyone, was
a thoughtful action which was greatly appreciated.
After tea, which the owner very kindly allowed to be served on the beautiful
lawns in front of the house, one of the most delightful of the Society’s excursions
came to an end, with many expressions of gratitude to the host and hostess who
had contributed so much towards the enjoyment of the day.
The arrangements for both excursions were in the capable hands of Mr. O.
Meyrick.
469
WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
RECORDS BRANCH
Honorary Secretary’s Report for 1951
Membership. The Branch now numbers 113 individual and 60 institutional
members—a total of 173,
Finances. At the end of 1951 the Branch had a credit balance of approxi-
mately £690, out of which the costs of the volume for 1951 must be met. All
individual members have been invited to covenant to pay their subscriptions,
and fifty have so far done so.
Volume for 1949. Owing to delays in the preparation of the Calendar of
Civil Pleas for Wiltshire (1249) the Committee decided at its meeting in
July 1951 to substitute the List of Records of Wiltshire Boroughs before 1836 as
the publication to be distributed in return for 1949 subscriptions. This volume
has now been issued.
Volume for 1950. The Trowbridge Woollen Industry as illustrated by the
Stock Books of John and Thomas Clark 1804-1824, has now been issued. A
thousand circulars advertising the volume have been distributed to textile
manufacturers and to public libraries in Gloucestershire, Somerset and York-
shire.
Volume for 1951. The whole text of Mr. E. Kerridge’s abstract of the Surveys
of the Manors of Philip, First Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, 1631-2, is in
page proof and the introduction is in galley proof. The index has been compiled
but is still being edited.
Volume for 1952. The text and index of Mr. Mabbs’ edition of the Book of
the Guild Stewards of Calne, 1561-1688, are in page proof, and the introduction
is ready for the press.
Volumes for future years. Mr. G. D. Ramsay expects to have his edition of
Two Sixteenth Century Taxation Lists (1545 and 1576) ready for press in July-
He has compiled the introduction.
There is little new to report about Mr. Meekings’ edition of the Crown Pleas
of the Wiltshire Eyre, 1249. The greater part of its lengthy and valuable
introduction is finished.
Miss Gibbs continues to make progress with her edition of the charters of
Lacock Abbey; Miss Brenda Tidman, Assistant Archivist to the County of
Stafford, has started to transcribe the rolls of the hundred of Highworth 1275-—
1285; Mr. Fowle has nearly completed his edition of the proceedings at Wilt-
shire Quarter Sessions in 1736. Material is slowly being gathered together for
a volume of collectanea.
Membership circular. A new circular for distribution to prospective members
has been printed.
May, 1952. R. B. PUGH
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471
ACCESSIONS TO THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE SINCE
THE LIST OF JUNE, 1952
About 1 ,380 documents, records of the ecclesiastical and civil parish of St.
Mary’s, Devizes: churchwardens’ accounts 1499-1734, nineteenth-century
vestry minutes, and inventories of church goods, 1607-23 ; overseers’ accounts
1614-72, indentures of apprenticeship, removal orders, settlement certificates
and bastardy orders, 1617-1833 ; title deeds and leases of church property in
Devizes and Bishops Cannings 13th-19th cents. (Deposit).
Account book of personal expenditure of Sir James Long, 1773-76.
Exemplification of proceedings in Chancery of Ludlow v. Figgins of Trow-
bridge, 1772.
About 200 documents, mainly medieval court rolls and accounts relating to
the Seymour estates in Wiltshire : court rolls and books, 1327-1651, including
plea rolls of the forest courtof Savernake, 1371-81, and court book of the sheriff’s
tourns 1511-12 ; compotus rolls and rentals 1317-1758 ; surveys, mainly 16th—
17th cent.; and other records including a charter roll of Farleigh Priory showing
copies of charters mainly of the 12th cent.
Policy of guarantee between William Percy Kirby, Clerk to the Guardians in
the Swindon and Highworth Union, the Poor Law and Local Government
Officers Mutual Guarantee Association Limited, and the said Guardians.
No. 25077 [1919].
Fifty-two documents, mainly titles to houses and land in Warminster,
Corsley, Tilshead and Upton Scudamore, and to Lyde Mill in Newnham,
1648-1825.. (Deposit)
Certificate of good conduct issued to Pte. Robert Smith of Clyffe Pypard
on his discharge from the Army, 1861.
Copy of declaration of trust by Ann Elizabeth Cunningham of Basset Down
House, 1851.
About 300 documents, mainly title deeds and leases (1681-1840), manorial
records (1706-1851), and estate papers of the manor of Highway and families
of Hedges and Tonge. (Deposit)
Sixty-four documents, mainly deeds relating to the families of Edwards,
Avenall, Smith, Goodinge and Pithouse, and an estate in Wanborough, 1641-
slow
Large scale map of the manor of Codford St. Mary, 1814.
Documents of the ecclesiastical and civil parish of Stockton: registers of
baptisms, 1589-1945, marriages, 1589-1837, burials, 1589-1815; overseers’
accounts, 1661-1763 ; churchwardens’ accounts, 1670-1882, surveyors’ accounts,
1837-50 ; vestry minutes ,1882-1932. (Deposit)
About 250 documents, parish records of Gt. Cheverell : churchwardens and
charity accounts, 1799-1908, charity, clothing club and school records, 1844—
1924, and records of overseers of the poor, 1668-1843. (Deposit)
Large scale plan of Cutteridge, Overcourt and Broker’s Wood farms, North
Bradley, 1876.
Eight volumes of accounts of surveyors of highways for the parishes of
Bremhill, 1832-43, 1854-61 and Box, 1866-76.
M. G. RATHBONE
472.
ADDITIONS TO THE SOCIETY’S MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
Museum
Presented by Mr. H. J. CARPENTER : Marlborough farthing, 1668.
a9
9?
THE HON. GEOFFREY PARSONS : Medieval pottery sherds from the
Bowden Hill estate. 2
PROF. STUART PiGGoTT : Neolithic pottery sherds from Whitesheet
Hill.
Miss G. F. CLARK: Brass standard Winchester pint measure,
inscribed ‘* Whorwellsdown Hundred, 1820’; model of hand-
loom used in the cloth factory of Messrs. J. and T. Clark, Trow-
bridge (about 1850).
Miss PouNnpD : Thirteen cases of stuffed birds ; a stuffed squirrel ;
two cases of mounted butterflies.
Library
Presented by Mr. R. N. Quick: Friends of Salisbury Cathedral Report with
ad
+9
+9
+9
7
23
a?
7?
article on Bishop Robert Hallum and the Council of Constance
(Bishop of Salisbury 1407-17).
Miss I, M. Bratpwoop : Mediaeval Latin Word-list (Baxter and
Johnson, 1934).
EXORS OF THE LATE Mrs. M. F. BECKETT : Eight Wiltshire sketches
made by the late J. H. Beckett.
Mirs. R. S. CHILD: Copy of The Sphere containing illustrated
article on Devizes.
THE AUTHOR, MR. J. B. JoNES: Words from High Swindon.
Mr. J. H. P. PaFForD: Randall my Son; photostat copy of
broadsheet on the Holt Mineral Waters (published about 1731).
Miss G, F. CLARK : Stock-books, list of cloths, etc. of the firm of
J. and T. Clark, and several deeds relating to the firm (1801-1858 ;)
‘ Tyburn ticket ’ in favour of John Rawlings, assigned to Thomas
Clark ; copy of The Works of the very Learned and Reverend John
Jewell... newly set forth... 1609; Copy of The Trowbridge
Woollen Industry, (Beckinsale).
Mr. W. H. HALLAM: Swindon Public Library Report, 1951-52.;
Two pamphlets: A New View on Ermin Street, and Mysticism and
Richard Jefferies, by J. B. Jones.
Cart. F. N. L. OLIVER: Copy of The Trowbridge Woollen In-
dustry (Beckinsale).
THE PUBLISHERS (Phoenix House Ltd.) Beginning in Archaeology
by K. M. Kenyon.
THE PUBLISHERS: (Routledge & Kegan Paul) The Life and
Loyalties of Thomas Bruce by the Earl of Cardigan.
Miss E. Foxon: Seven photograph negatives of 17th and 18th
century houses in Devizes.
Mr. F. C. Pitt: Engraved portrait of Thomas Bucknall Estcourt,
P.M.: large engraving of the Chapter House, Salisbury Cathe-
dral ; booklet, Youth Service in Warminster, 1947.
473
INDEX TO VOL. LIV.
(June, 1951, to December, 1952)
Abercromby, Hon. J., quoted, 435
Abingdon, Earl of, 294, 299
Acceslegle (Holt), 213-4
Adam de Stokke, 356 f
Addison, Joseph, M.P., 297
Aethelred, King, 36 ff; tomb, 40
Agricultural History Society, 440
Ailesbury, Earl of, 293 f
Alanbrooke, Lord, bird films, 41
Aldbourne font, 193
Alderton font, 32
Alfred, King, 36 f
All Cannings font, 192
Allanson, H. L., gift, 377
Alston, W. H. G., on prehistoric
grain, 165
Alvediston font, 32
Amesbury in DB., 265; font, 29
Amiens patera, 361
Ammonites, 5; Aspidoceras, 5; Car-
dioceras, 5; Goliathiceras, 6; Peri-
sphinctes, 6, 12; Ringsteadia, 14
Analysis of Parliamentary Re-
presentation of Wilts, 1688-
1714, by R. G. Stuckey, 289-301
Ancient Britain, Map of, noticed, 229
Anderson, Mrs. B., gift, 252
Andrews’ and Dury’s Map of Wilt-
shire, 1773, Reduced facsimile of,
noticed, 447
Andrews, John, 177
Anglo-Saxon Chron. on Meretune,
37
Antler picks, Durrington, 384 f
Application of Steam Power to
the Wiltshire Textile Industry
in the early 19th century
(illus.) by R. A. Pilham, 92-103
** Archaeology in Wessex’”’ by Stuart
Piggott, noticed, 443
Arkell: Dr. W. J., Geology of the
Corallian Ridge near Wootton
Bassett and Lyneham (illus.),
1-18; on a palzolith, quoted, 437;
family, of Stratton, 182
Arnold-Foster: J. A., 413, gift, 252;
Mrs. M., obit., 118
Arrowhead, petit tranchet derivative,
from Durrington, 387
Arundell: fam., 389 f; Sir Thomas,
390
Ashe fam., 294 f
Ashley, Maurice, M.P., 294
Ashmole, Elias, 443
Ashton Keynes font, 19
Ashurst, Sir H., M.P., 301
Athelstane, laws of, 261, 269, 273
Atkins, Martin, at Uffington Castle
(Berks), 443
Atkinson, R. J. C., on Aubrey Holes,
Sf, 3605
atte Mill, J., Chaplain of Marl—
borough Castle, 208, 432
atte Mulne, Rich., of Marlborough,
S59
Atworth, 176, 211, 218
Aubrey, J., 443; quoted, 37, 205, 412
Autumn Migration of Passe-
rines, by L. G. Peirson, 73 f
Avebury, N. H. S. at, 306
Avon Gorge, N.H.S. at, 305; River
(Bristol), 1 f
Axes, stone, petrology of, 162-4,
227-8, 447
Bade in DB., 265
Bailey, Lt.-Col. F. G. G., obit. 239
Baldwin, Alex., of Salisbury, 186
Balfour-Browne, Mrs. F. L., on
fossil charcoal, 165
Barford St. Martin font, 32
Barnes: fam., of Dinton, 401 f; Mrs.
R. G. Wiltshire Bird Notes,
1950, 44-67; 1951, 308-26;
N.H.S. leader, 305
Bartlett, Hugh, of Lavington, 422
Barton of Marlborough, 267
Basing, battle, A.D. 871, 39
Bath, Abbot of, 217
Battle of Meretune, 871, by E. H.
Lane Poole, 36—40
Batscroft Wood, N.H.S. at, 306
Bayntun: Sir Ch., 279, 283; Sir Ed.,
107
Becher, Ch., 292
Beckett, Exors of Mrs. M. F., gifts,
472
Beckhampton Farm, 439
Bedwyn in DB., 264 f; mint,
Great, M.P’s, 296, 298 f
Beginning in Archaeology by Miss
Kenyon, noticed, 367
Belfou, Wm. de, 267 f
Benett: J., M.P., of Pythouse,
fam. at Quidhampton, 413
Bertie; Rob., M.P., 292, 294,
Peregrine, M.P., 296
Berwick Bassett, font, 35
Berwick St. James, font, 32
274;
398;
297;
474. INDEX TO VOL. LIV
Betjeman, John, on Swindon, quot—
ed, 233
Biconical faience beads, 115
Bidcombe Hill, N.H.S. at, 42
Biggs, Canon J. (1536), 390
Birds, rare, protection of, 307
Birley, E. B., on Samian pottery, 153
Bishop, Leonard, of Easterton, 421 f
Bishopstone (N. Wilts), N.H.S. at,
42, 307
Bishopstrow crop returns, 1801, 86
Biss, River, 213-6
Black Prince, 434
Blackwell Hall (woollen market), 295
Blackwell, Sir Lambert, M.P., 298
Blewbury (Berks), 268
Blondin at Cumberwell, 285
Bluestones, Stonehenge, 462
Blunsdon (geol.), 2, 6; St. Andrew,
font, 32; Chartist meeting, 182
Bodman, V. W., gifts, 252
Bokerley Dyke, 39; J. Aubrey on,
quoted, 37; visited, 467
Bolwell, Charles, 170
Book-rests for fonts, 35
Booth, A. St. J., Trial Flint mines
at Durrington, part author,
381-8
Boscombe Down West, The
Excavation of Iron Age Vil-
lages on (illus.), by Miss K. M.
Richardson, F.S.A. 123-68; axe,
stone, 159, 162-4; bone imple-
ments, 158-9, 164; bones, animal,
165-6; raven, 129, 166; bronze
brooches, 133, 135, 154; pins,
154-8; cemetery, 133, 139; char-
coal, 165; coins, 139, 165; grain,
165; hone stones, 164
iron objects, 154, 164; loom-
weights, 164; oven daub, 161-2;
pits, 127-139; pottery, Belgic,
136, 138, 149-52; Iron Age A,
136-48; Iron Age B, 136-8, 142-
149; Roman, 136, 138-9, 149-53;
pottery crucible, 159; tile, 159
querns: rotary, 135, 138, 159-61;
saddle, 131, 161; skeletons, human
131-5, 166-8; slags, 165; sling-
stone, 164; spindle-whorls, 159,
164; working hollows, 127
Boscombe, Roman, 110 f
Bos longifrons, 114
Boulton and Watt engines, 100
Bourguetia (gastropod), 12
Bouverie, Sir Edward Des, 197
Bower Chalke font, 32
Bower, Joshua, obit., 119
Bradford-on-Avon, Chartist meet-
ings, 171-2; decline in cloth
trade, 183; 10th Hussars at, 177;
Working Men’s Associations, 170,
174; crops in 1801, 90; woollen
mills, 101; N.H.S.:at, 42
Bradford-on-Avon: The Saxon
boundaries in Ethelred’s char-
ter of A.D. 1001, by J. H. P.
Pafford, 210-18; corrections, 372
Bradley, North, Chartists at, 177;
font, 193
Braidwood, Wiss I. M., gift, 472
Brakspear, Sir, H. quoted, 205
Bratton Woollen Mills, 98
Braybeof, Hugh de, of Wolfhall, 357
Braydon: Forest (geol.), 1; Pond,
N.H.S. at, 306
Bremhill crops in 1801, 89
rentnall, H. C. quoted, 206-7
Briggs, Adm. Sir C. J., obit., 237
Brinkworth Brook, 2, 12, 16
Britford Church visited, 223; font,
202
Britton, J., Beauties of Wiltshire,
bibliography, 441
Brixton Deverill font, 202
Broad Hinton font, 32
Broctune, see Broughton
Bromham, Chartists at, 180
Broughton Gifford, 214, 218, 234;
font, 32
Brown, S. S., gift, 252; W. E., gift,
252
Bruce: Charles Ld., M.P., 290, 292,
293 n; family, 294
Bruning, J., of Marlborough, 354,
360 n
Buck, A. G. R. Some Wiltshire
Fonts (illus.), Pt. II, 19-35;
Pt. TI, 192-209; Pt. IV, 429-34
Burbache, Ed., vicar of Dinton
(1536), 390
Burcombe font, 32
Burdett, Francis, 109; Sir Francis,
obit., 118
Burgesses in DB., 259, 262 f
Burhwara, 263, 269
Burne, Lt. Col. A. H., on Battle of
Mertune, 362 f; More Battlefields
of England, noticed, 446
Burt, Joseph, of Devizes, 175
Buttery Accounts, 1302, 353 f
Bydemill Brook (Highworth), 2
Calcareous Grit, Lower, 3, 6 ff, 17;
Upper, 13
Calley fam. at Quidhampton, 413
Calne: in DB., 265; St. Dunstan at,
265; size, 271; Kingsbury St.,
274; geology, 1, 3, 5, 7; freestone,
12; M.P’s, 295, 299
Calonne black marble, 430
Camden quoted, 205 f, 434
INDEX TO VOL. LIV. 475
Cambering (erosion), 17
Camerman, Charles, Belgian geolo-
gist, 429 f
Capon, al. Saicot, Bp., 107
Care, Prof. A. J. E., on skeletons,
167-8
Carentham fam. at Dinton, 391
Carpenter, H. J., gift, 472
Carrier, W., of Trowbridge, Chartist,
170-9
Castle Combe font, 35, 209; visited,
224
Castle Eaton font, 23, 25
Catcomb Woods, N.H.S. at, 41;
quarry, 8, li
Causewayed camps, 404, 462
Chaderton, see Chatterton
Chalfield, 211, 214, 218; Little, Ch.
of St. John, 287
Chalford, Chartist meeting, 177
Chaplin, W. A., N.H.S. leader, 41
Chapman, S., of Hoit, 173
Chartism in Wiltshire (illus.), by
R. B. Pugh, 169-184
Chatterton fam. of Bradfield, 412;
Edmund, 412
Chettle, H. F., Dinton and Little
Clarendon, 389-403; on St.
Ouen’s Chapel, S. Wraxall, 110
Cheverell, N.H.S. at, 42
Child, Sir Francis, M.P., 301, 303;
Mrs. R. S., gift, 472
Children in miils, 103
Chilmark font, 32
Chilton Foliat, font from, 192
Chilton, Geoffrey, quoted, 438
Chippenham in DB., 266; Chartists,
179, 182; M.P’s, 293 n., 297:
woollen mill, 98
Chirton font, 25
Chiseldon font, 32
Chivers, H., M.P., 290
Cholderton font, 24
Christian Malford font, 205
Churches, Decay of, 440
Cild, moneyer, 274
Cissbury (Sussex), chalk cup, 458
Clack plateau, 6
Clarendon: Ist Earl of, 403; Chapel
of All Saints, 207; visited, 222;
Palace, 431
** Clarendon House” (‘ Steps ’’),
Dinton, 402
Clark: John, 182, 235;-J..and T.,
Ltd, 234, 283; Mrs. Dorcas, 284;
Miss G. F., 235; gifts, 472; Rev.
John, Memoirs, 234; Thos., 234
Clatford Down, N.H.S. at, 43
Coate Water, N.H.S. at, 41, 305
:St. Mary font, 32; St. Peter
font, 29; four-course rotation, 87
Cole fam. at Dinton, 389, 392
Cole River, 2
Colerne, N.H.S. at, 306
Collett, G. W., N.H.S. leader, 305 f
Collingbourne: Ducis, font, 32;
Kingston, font, 32
Collingbourne fam., 413; Wm., 412
Collins, V., on Roman Boscombe,
110 f
Colthurst, Matt. of Dinton, 390, 394
Combe Bissett font, 33
Combe fam. at Dinton, 398 f
Common fields in 1801, 86
Convention Parliament (1688), 290
Conygre Farm quarry, 5
Coombe Hill camp (Sussex), 461
Cooper, John, of Cumberwell, 279,
283
Copigray, Thos. de, of Marl-
borough, 353, 357
Coral Rag, 1 £, 6 £,.10 ff, 16
Corallian Ridge, 1, 3
Cordatus zone (geol.), 5, 8
Cornbunting Enquiry, 305 f
Cornbury, Ed., Viscount, M.P., 293,
302
Corston font, 32 .
Coseham (Corsham), 218
Cotsetlers in DB., 259
Cottrelis, Dinton, 400
Coulston Hill, N.H.S. at, 42
Coulter, Archd., gift, 122
Council for British Archaeology,
440; Report noticed, 235
Country Fair, noticed, 229
County Record Office, accessions,
120, 225, 375 f, 471
Cowards’ yard land, Dinton, 402
Crawley, Rev. Rich., 203
Cricklade, Materials for History,
noticed, 116, 368, 441; Chartist
meeting, 182; Leighfield Lodge,
252; ramparts, 269; M.P’s, 298;
St. Mary’s font, 33; St. Sampson’s
font, 194
Crockerton, font, 199; Green, 173
Crompton’s mule, 95
Crudwell, crops in 1801, 90
Cumberwell: House, 279 f; chapel,
280; Quaker burial ground at
Frankleigh Lodge and Pottick’s
House, 286
Cunnington: bequests, 112, 220,
464; B. H., Collection, 452, on
All Hallow Eve, 442; M. E., 454,
In Memoriam, 104-6; Wm., 443,
as woolstapler, 92 n, at White-
sheet Hill, 404
Curwen, Dr. E. C., gift, 122
476 INDEX TO VOL. LIV.
Davenant, Ch., M.P., 291, 297
Davis, Thos., sen. and jun., Agri—
cultural publications (1794, 1813),
85, 88ff
de la Pole fam. at Dinton, 393, 396
Dalwood (Dinton), 391
Daniell: fam. of Dinton, 393; Wm.,
M.P., 301
Delaval, Sir Ralph, M.P., 296
Derry Hill (geol.), 5
Devizes, N.H.S. at, 41; King’s sons
at (1302), 357; M.P’s, 296
Devizes: Castle Inn, 174; Chartist
meetings, 174; Curriers’ Arms,
170, 174-5; Fox and Hounds,
175; New Park, 175; White
Lion, 175; Working Men’s Assn.,
170; Yeomanry called out, 177,
179
Dilton Marsh font, 199
Dimont, Chancellor C. T., 107
Dinton and Little Clarendon
(illus.) by H. F. Chettle, 389-403
Dinton font, 30; House, 396; Manor
fm, 399; Mauduytt’s Wyke, 392,
396; Mawdittes fm., 396; Rectory,
394 f
Diston, Josiah, M.P., 301
Dodsdown (Gt. Bedwyn), axe-ham-
mer from, 228
Domesday Boroughs of Wiltshire
(illus.), by W. M. Hughes, 257-
278
Donhead St. Andrew font, 32
Donington = Diriton, 389
Donne, Wm. of Dinton, 396
Dorchester (Oxon), ** henge’
462
Doulton and Co., gift, 122
Downton: M.P’s, 299; font, 30, 209
Dragonesque fibulae, 115
Duckett, Geo., M.P., 294; fam.,
294 f
Dulce, Rev. C. R., obit., 237; Rev.
E., 435
Duncombe, Sir Ch., M.P., 295 f, 303
Dunham, Prof. K.C., on hone
stones, 164
Dunstan, St., at Calne, 265
Durnford, Great, Church visited,
467; font, 20
Durrington: flint-mines, 381-8;
Walls, grooved ware in 388
y
sites,
Earth fam. of Dinton, 397
East Anglia woollen industry, 92
Easton: Down (S. Wilts), flint
mines, 381; Grey, N.H.S. at, 306;
Royal, Trinitarians; Sturmy- Sey-
mour Memorial, 109
Ebbesborne Wake font, 29
Ebbesfleet pottery, 461
Eden, R., gift, 377
Edington, Chartists at, 177; Imber
monuments at, 437
Edward I, baptism, 431
Edwards, Job, of Amesbury, 204
Eltringham, G. J., Salisbury Com-
panies and their Ordinances,
185-91
Elwell, W. E., gift, 252
Engleheart fam. at Dinton, 396;
George, 402
Entomological Reports, 1950,
1951, by B. W. Weddell, 80-3,
344-7
Etchilhampton font, 24
Everett, Maj.-Gen. Sir H. J., obit.,
238
Everleigh font, 24
Ewyas Harold (Heref.), castle, 275
Faringdon (Berks), 2
Farleigh Hungerford Castle (Som),
visited, 468
Farleigh Priory, 287
Farley font, 195
‘“* Farm ’’: in DB., 260 f; *‘ of one
night,’”’ 265 f
Farnham Museum visited, 467
Farquharson, Mrs. P. R., N.H.S;
leader, 42
Farrington, Thos., M.P., 303
Ferseforth (Freshford, Som.), 217
Fifield Bavant axe-hammer, 114;
font, 24
Figheldean font, 32
Filleul, Rev. P. W. G., obit., 371
Fitzroy-Jones, bequest, 377
Flemming, Dr. C. E. S., obit., 237
Flint mines: at Easton Down,
(S. Wilts), Liddington, Wallop
(Hants), 381
Floyd, C., on Robinson Moth Trap,
347
Foliage design on fonts, 20, 21, 25,
26, 31
Fonthill Bishop font, 32
Foster, Miss M. C., N.H.S. leader,
41
Fox, Ch., M.P., 292
Foxon, Miss E., gifts, 472
Free, D. W., on Lower Greensand
sarsens, 363 f
Frowde, Miss M., N.H.S. leader,
306 )
Fyfield (Marlborough), font, 201
Gabriel, C. H., architect, 201
Gault Clay, 1
INDEX TO. VOL; LIV. 477
Gauntlett, J., M.P., 298
Gee, T. R., gifts, 252
Geology of the Corallian Ridge
near Wootton Bassett and
Lyneham (illus.), by W. J.
Arkell, 1-18
George, —, Chartist of Warminster,
180
Gifford fam. of Dinton, 393; Thos.,
400 f
Gig mills, 95
Gilbert fam. of Shrewton, 425
Gliddon, Miss E. M., N.H.S. leader,
305
Goatacre (geol.), 6, 11 f, 18
Goddard, Canon E. H., quoted, 21;
Rev. C. V. of Maddington, 202;
Mary, of Beckhampton, 439
Godhyne, J., of Marlborough, 354 f,
300 n
Godwin, E. of Wessex, 275
Gold, J., of Marlborough, 353 f
Gore, C. H., F.G.S., obit., 449
Gramori, Rich., of Marlborough, 355
Grant Meek, Mrs. 201
Gray, H. St. G., 456
Green’s Cleeve quarry, 11
Greenwell, Canon W., 458
Grimes Graves (Norfolk), chalk
cups, 458
Grinsell, ‘Li. V.,.- 228, 233, --field
research, 235; at Whitesheet Hill,
404; on Heytisbury hand-axe, 436
Grittenham Hill, 5, 8, 12, 18
Grooved Ware, Late Neolithic, 387 f
Grose, J. D., N.H.S. leader, 42, 306;
Wiltshire Plant Notes (12),
75-9; (13) 339-43
Grundy, Dr. G. B. on Marten,
quoted, 38; on Bradford Charter,
211
Gwyer’s Cottages, Dinton, finds
at, 393 n
Hacche, Ld. Eustace de, Const. of
Marlborough Castle, 354 f, 360 n
Hadrian’s Wall stations, 361
Hakewill, J. H., architect, 201
Hallam, W. H., gifts, 377, 472
Halle, Nich., rector of Marlborough,
208, 432
Halliday, J. H., N.H.S. leader, 42 f,
305 ff
Hardenhuish Church, font, 195
Harding, S., of Trowbridge, 177
Harley, Rob., M.P., 290
Harris, Thos., of Shrewton, 427 f;
Wm., of Imber, 422
Hartham, N.H.S at, 42
Harvey, Wm., M.P., 301
VOL. LIV—CXCVII
Hatfield Barrow (Beechingstoke), 36
Hawking in Wiltshire, 337
Hawles, J., M.P., 304
Hawley, Col., at Stonehenge, 457
Hayter fam. at Dinton, 399 ff, 403
Hayward, B., Common Place Book,
1791-1886, 332
Hazelbury, 211, 217
Hazeldine, Dr., of Dinton, 395
Heahmund, Bp., 37, 39
Heale House visited, 467
Heddington font, 201
Hedges, Sir Ch., M.P., 297, 301
Henderson, H,. C. K., 1801 Crop
Returns for Wiltshire (illus.),
85-91
Henry III, at Marlborough, 207, 431
Herbert, Sir Wm. (1597), 391
Hernest, Roger, of Marlborough,
353, 355 f, 360 n
Hertford, Earl of (1550), 287
Heved (Head), WNich., of Marl-
borough, 354
Heytesbury: M.P’s, 293, 295, 299,
303; woollen mills, 92 n, 98; hand-
axe from (illus.), 436
Highway font, 24
Highworth, 1 f, 13; Clay, 6f, 10;
Grit, 10; Limestones, 8, 12;
Chartists at, 182; font, 194
Hilmarton (geol.), 1, 11, 13
Hilperton: font, 20; Chartists at, 171,
117
Hindon M.P’s, 298 f
Hinton Charterhouse (Som), Priory
visited, 468
Hinton Parva, font, 21
Hinton, FE. Hi, iobit.,’ 1183 Wvirs.;
gift, 252
Historical Association, W. Wilts
branch, 111
Hoare, Sir R. C., on Whitesheet
Hill, 404; 443
Holloway, Sir H. T., obit., 238;
W. G., gift, 377
Holt: Blackacre fm., 214, Bradley’s
im. 214° @hartists at. L70,, h73;
Hunt’s Hall, 214 f; Oxenleaze
fm., 214; Working Men’s Assoc.,
170
Home-weaving, 102
Hosier, A. J., of Wexcombe, 229
Hound Wood, N.H.S. at, 42
Howe, Sir Rich., M.P., 292, 301
Hsia dynasty, Calendar of, 435
Hughes: C. W. quoted, 438; Miss
H. M., N.H.S. leader, 42; Penne-
thorne, 444; W. M., Domesday
Boroughs of Wiltshire, 257-78
Huish fonts, 197
as
478 INDEX TO. VOL. LIV.
Hungerford fam., 294
Hunt, H., Mary, of Holt, 215
Hunt-Grubbe, Cdr. B., obit., 239
Hunt’s Hall (Holt), 215
Huxley, J., of Oaksey, 227
Hyde fam. at Dinton, 393 ff, 403;
Nich., Ld. Chief Justice, 394;
Edward, E. of Clarendon, 394;
Alexander Bp. of Sarum, 394;
Rob., M.P., 292
Hyde Parker, Adm. E., obit., 237
Hyde’s House, Dinton, 394, 398
Hyweye, Rich. de, 413
Idmiston font, 32
Imber Church dismantled, 437
Incense cups, 459
Indiction, 211
Isewyn de Gandavo, Rector of
Preshute, 432
Ivychurch Priory visited, 223
Jackson, J. W., on ox skull, 409 f
Jacob fam. of Vasterne, 411
Jacobs, C. J., gift, 377
Jelly, E. H., N.H.S. leader, 42
Jesse fam., of Dinton, 391, 393;
** Jesses ’” (house), 391
John, King, at Marlborough, 207
Johnson, Jas., M.P., 298
Jones: Canon W. H., 210; J. B.,
gift, 472; Words from High
Swindon, noticed, 444; writings,
450; obit., 450
Jope, E. M., on St. Remy ware, 153
Keevil, Chartists at, 177
Kennet and Avon Canal, 94
Kent, Rich., M.P., 296
Kerridge, Eric, Note Book of a
Wiltshire farmer in the 17th
cent., 416-28
Kettlety, —, of Woolley, 284, 286
Kidston, G. J., More about Cum-
berwell (illus.), 279-88
Kimeridge Clay, 1, 13 f
King, Albert, of Dinton, 402; Miss
J. E., on animal bones, 165-6
King John’s House, Tollard, visited,
467
** Kingsbury ”, 274
King’s thanes in DB., 258
Kingston Deverill: Chartists, 180-1;
font, 194, 200
Kitchin, Dean, on Tournai fonts,
quoted, 434
Kite, Edward, 204
Knap Hill chalk cup, 457
Knight-Bruce, Maj. J. H. W., obit.,
238
Lackham, N.H.S. at, 306
La Hones Alnova, of Marlborough,
353
Lake House visited, 466
Lambard (Lambert) fam. at Din-
ton, 391
Langley Burrell font, 202
Late Norman fonts in Wilts, 19-32
Latton, crops (1801), 86
Laverstock open fields, 86
Lawes fam., of Dinton, 395 f;
Henry, composer, 395; Cottage,
395 f, 401; Mrs., gift, 122
Layng, Rev. T. M., gifts, 252
Leap-—gate, 215
Leech, Dr. J. F. W., obit., 239
Leigh (N. Wilts), font, 34
le Rouse, J., of Marlborough, 357,
360 n
le Wyte, Wm., of Marlborough, 353
Liddington crops in 1801, 91;
reported flint mines, 381
Life and Loyalties of Thomas Bruce,
by the Earl of Cardigan, noticed,
369
List of Wiltshire Borough Records
(pre-1836), ed. by M. G. Rath-
bone, noticed, 367 f
Little Clarendon, Dinton, 391;
House, 400, 403
Little Hinton, font, 21
Long, John, 195; Walter, 172
Longbridge Deverill, Chartists at,
173, 178; font, 24
Longfield, Miss C., N.H.S. leader,
42
Longford Castle, N.H.S. at, 41;
font, 196 f; visited, 223
Longleat, N.H.S. at, 42
Lovett, Rt. Rev. E. N., obit., 238
Luce, Maj.-Gen. Sir R. H., obit.,
371; bequest, 377
Ludgershall: Castle, 207; Edward I
at (1302), 350; M.P’s, 296, 298 £
Lunt, Rev. T. R. W., obit, 118
Lydiard: Millicent font, 20; Tregoze
(geol.), 16; font, 32
Lyneham, Chartists at, 182; geology,
3, 7, 10-18
Mackay, A. R., obit., 449
Mackerell, Michael, of Salisbury,
187
Maddington font, 202
‘* Maggot Castle ’’, Lavington, 448
Maiden Bradley font, 30, 209.
Malmesbury: in DB., 258 f, 261,
263; Hundred, 261; size, 271;
M.P’s, 296 f, 298 f; woollen
trade, 94, 98, 100; visited, 224;
Abbey font, 195
INDEX TO VOL. LIV. 479
Manningford: Bohune Down,
bronze implement, 228; Bruce,
font, 201
Marden: font, 32; not Meretune, 36
Marlborough: in DB., 259, 264 f;
Alfred of, 262, 275; Barton of,
267; boundaries, 270; dual mean-
ing, 207; Kingsbury, 274; New-
lands 27 lots mint, 273 43 St;
Martin’s, 272; Silver St., 274;
status, 266; Port Hill, 274; Town
ditch, 270; Saxon burh, 268
Marlborough Castle chapel, 206,
431; chaplain, 432
Marlborough, 197; Castle, 206-8;
Castle Mound, 257, 271; Chapel
of St. Nicholas, 206-8; Hen. III at,
207; K. John at, 207; St. Peter’s
font, 193 Edward I at (1302),
350; purveyors in 1302, 353-8;
M.P’s, 292, 293 n, 294, 296, 298
Marshall, W., rural economist, 85
Marshwood, Dinton, 393, 398, 402
Marten, as site of battle, 38, 40
Martin (Hants), battle, 871 A.D., 39 f
Maskelyne: Anthony Story, 414 f;
fam., 413; Neville, of Purton, 420
Mason, J., of Maddington, 416
Mather, Miss L. J., gift, 122
Mauduyt fam., at Dinton, 389, 392,
396
Maumbury Rings (Dorset), chalk
cups, 457, 462
Mayhew (Mahu), fam., at Dinton,
389, 392 f, 396
Mealing, R., Chartist, 173
Melksham font, 32; Yeomanry, 177;
Chartists of, 180
Mellowes, Wm., of Dinton, 392, 396,
400
Mere, 180
Merleberge, churches of, 267
Merriman, Edward and Martha, 197
Merton (Mertune), battle, 362 f,
alternative sites for, 36
Methuen, J., M.P., 295, 297, 301;
Paul, M.P., 297
Meyrick, Canon C. H., obit., 371;
Rev. Edwin, 204; Thomas, 203 f
Midford (Som.), 217
Mildenhall font, 195
Miller, Wm., of Ramsbury, 354, 356
Millington, Thos., M.P., 294
Mints in boroughs, 261, 267, 269,
273
Mitchell, W. N., of Cumberwell, 285
Mompesson, Ch., M.P., 301
Monkton Deverill, 178, 180; font, 32
Monkton Farleigh, 217
Mordaunt, J. Ld.,- IM.P.;. 293° n,
294, 303; Harry, M.P., 296
More about Cumberwell (illus.),
by G. J. Kidston, 279-88
More Battlefields of England, by
Lt.-Col. A. H. Burne, noticed, 446
Moredon (geol.), 2
Morgan’s Hill, N.H.S. at, 307
Morteyne, Earl of, 207
Mountague, Ed., 294; Sir Jas., M.P.,
304
Munday, Jas., of Shrewton, 427 f
Murray, Prof. Margaret, quoted, 445
Naish, Ed., of Easterton, 426
Narcissus, double, at Dinton, signifi-
cance of, 396
Nationa! Trust houses at Dinton,
394, 396
Nativus (neif), 263
Neale, Thos., M.P., 298
Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet
Hill, Kilmington (illus.), by
Stuart Piggott, 404-10
Neolithic Chalk Cup from Wils-
ford (illus.), by N. Thomas,
452-63; uses, 458; age, 460
Nether Swell (Glos), spoon, 459
Newall, R. S., on Stonehenge:
Solstices, 435; Stone 66, 365
Nicholas fam., of Dinton, 394
Nicholson, E. M., N.H.S. lecturer,
41
Nineteenth Century Bird
Watcher, ed. C. J. Jacobs, 332-8
Niton (I. 0. W.), spoon, 459
Norman castles, early, 269
North Tidworth, font, 28
Norton, font, 24
Norton Ferrers (Som), 399
Norwood Castle, Oaksey, 227
Norwood, Lady, obit., 237
Note Book of a Wiltshire farmer
in the early 17th century, ed.
by Eric Kerridge, 416-28
Notes, 107-12, 226-8, 361-6, 435-
442
Nurse, Mrs. M. E., N.H.S. Report,
41, 305; leader, 42; Redwing
and Fieldfare Enquiry (illus.),
68-72
Nutcracker, old, 441
Oakley Down barrows, visited, 467
Oaksey, medieval pottery, Wood-
folds Farm, 227
Oare, font, 200
Odstock, font, 32
Ogbourne St. Andrew, font, 32
Oldfield, Major H. P., obit., 118
Old Sarum, 265; status in DB., 266;
M.P’s, 293, 298
Oliver, F. N. L., gift, 472
480 INDEX TO 7VOE. ING
Oram, Jas., President of the Society,
466
Origin of Lower Greensand sarsens,
363 f
Osberne Pentecost, 269, 275
Osborne fam., Dukes of Leeds, at
Dinton, 403
Ostrea delta, 13
Overton (West), pottery found, 439
Owen, Col. J. W., obit., 239; R. D.,
gifts, 252
Oxford Clay, 1, 6
Padecanstan, Edington, 366
Pafford, J. H. P., Bradford-on-
Avon (Saxon bounds ina.p. 1001),
210-18; Britton bibliography, 441 ;
gift, 472
Paige, John, of Salisbury, 187
Palaeolith from Heytesbury (illus.),
436
Palstave, bronze, from Manningford
Down, 228
Parallel for the Rudge Cup, 361
Parsons, Hon. G., gift, 472
Passmore, A. D., 464
Patney, font, 24
Pearson, J. L., architect, 201
Peirson, L. G., N.H.S. leader, 43;
Wiltshire Bird Notes (1950),
44-67; (1951) 308-26; Autumn
Migration of Passerines, 73 f
Pelate, Rev. H., of Longford, 195
Pelham, R. A., Application of
Steam power to the Wilts
Textile Industry, early 19th
cent., 92-103;
Provisioning of Edward Is
Journey through Wiltshire in
1302, 350-60; Thos., Lord, Sec.
of State, 85
Pembroke Survey, 392
Penn, Wm., at Cumberwell, 280 f
Penruddocke, Thos., M.P., 290
Pertwood, N.H.S. at, 307
Peskett, N., N.H.S. leader, 41
Peterborough wares, 461
Pewsey: font, 35; Vale, crops in
1801, 88 f
Philipps, Bertram, of Dinton, 394
Philp, R. K., Chartist, 180
Phoenix House Ltd., books, 377, 472
Pictonia baylei Zone (geol.), 14
Pierce, B. W., on Roman coins, 165
Piggott, Prof. Stuart: ‘* Archeology
in Wessex ’’, noticed, 443; Aubrey
Holes, 365; gifts, 252, 472;
Neolithic Camp on Whitesheet
Hill, Kilmington (illus.),
404-10, 457, 459, 462
Pinckney, Capt. C. E., of Duckmead,
279, 284
pisolite, 6 f, 11 f
Pitt, Fo C., eitts;<253,.-472; Whos:,
M.P., 290, 295 f; Rob., M.P., 296
Pitt-Rivers, General, 443, 457, 462
Pitton, N.H.S at, 42, 305
Place-Names, lost, 440
Plague-victims at Easterton (1644),
338 n
Platt, Miss M. I., on bird bones, 166
Pleydell-Bouverie, Canon, 28, 35
Plicatilis Zone, 8, 12
Ponting, C. E., architect, 192;
quoted, 21, 34
Poole, E. H. L., The Battle of
Meretune, 871, 36—40
“Port ”’, in Saxon, 274
Portland Bill, N.H.S. at, 306
Poticary, —, clothier of Stockton,
427
Potterne, old churchyard, 209;
Porch House, visited, 222
Pottery, medieval, at W. Overton,
439
Potts, Wm., Chartist, 177
Pound, Miss, gifts, 472
** Poussineers ”’, 291
Preselite axe-hammer, 114
Preshute, 267, 273; font, 205-9,
429-34
Preston (N. Wilts), geol., 11, 15
Pritchard, H., gift, 252
Provisioning of Edward [Ts
Journey through Wiltshire in
1302, by R. A. Pelham, 350-60
Pugh, C. W., 209; gifts, 253, 377;
R. B., Chartism in Wiltshire,
169-84; gift, 377
Pumberig (Pomeroy Fm. Wingfield),
216
Purbeck, Misses J. and E., at
Cumberwell, 280 f é
Purton, geology, 2, 6; crops in 1801,
89
Pythouse (W. Tisbury), 398
Quaker Burial Ground, Cumberwell,
285 £; Meeting Houses, 286
Quick, R. N., gift, 472
Quidhampton in N. Wilts, by
June Wilson, 411-15; landslide,
413; Lower, 413 f; ‘* Bowling
Green ’’, 414
Radio-carbon test for age, Stone-
henge, 365
Radnor, Helen, Countess of, quoted,
197
Radstock coal, 98
INDEX TO ‘VOL. LIV. 481
Ramsbury, 107 ff; Bishop’s palace,
203; font, 203 f£; Manor, 107 204;
Edward I at (1302), 350; swannery,
107; Chase, 108
Ramsclift, Lavington, 333 f
Ravenhill, John, of Warminster, 173
Rawlins, Job, of Trowbridge, Char-
tist, 181
Ray River, 2
Red Down: Clay, 13 f; Iron sand,
13; EE
Redstart in Wiltshire (illus.), by
Cyril Rice, 327-31
Redwing and Fieldfare Enquiry
in Wiltshire (illus.), by Mrs.
M. E. Nurse, 68-72
Rendall, W. J., obit., 449, 464
Rhynconella thurmanni, 8
Rice, Cyril, The Redstart in Wilt-
shire (illus.), 327-31; N.H.S.
leader, 43, 305
Richard I, 207
Richard, the Queen’s Marshal, 354,
360 n
Richardson, Miss K. M., The Exca-
vation of Iron Age Viliages on
Boscombe Down West (illus.),
123-68; cultural sequence, 136-
140; finds, 140-68. See Bos-
combe Down
Ridout, A. H., 233
Roberts, Henry, of Salisbury, 186;
W. P., Chartist, 170-9
Robinson Light Trap for Moths,
by C. Floyd, 347 f
Rockley, 234
Rodbourne Cheney, font, 201
Rous monuments from Imber, 438
Routledge, Messrs. book, 472
Rushall, font, 31
Rushmore chalk cup, 457
Russel, J., of Knowle (?), 357
Russell fam., at Quidhampton, 413
Rybury Camp, 404 n
Rygley Wood, Dinton, 393
Sacheverell, Dr. H., 291 f; Will.,
297, 301, 303
St. Audoen’s Chapel, S. Wraxall,
110, 287
St. Joan 4 Gore Farm, (W. Laving—
ton), 332
St. John fam., 295; Henry, M.P.,
297, 301
St. Margaret’s Priory, Marlborough,
357 f, 431
St. Ouen’s, see St. Audoen’s
St. Tewen’s, see St. Audoen’s
Salcot, al. Capon, Bp, 107
Salisbury Companies and their
Ordinances, with particular
reference to the Woodworking
Crafts, by J. G. Eltringham,
185-91
Salisbury, Charter Coffee House,
181; City Council, 186, 188;
Corporation archives, 185; Dio-
cesan Church Building Assn.,
199; Gardiner’s Charity, 186;
Joiners’ company feast day, 191;
oath, 190; officers, 186; ordi-
nances, 186; Working Men’s
Assn., 170
Salisbury in DB., 265 f; status, 266;
Guide by R. L. P. Jowitt, noticed,
116; M.P’s, 292, 296, 298 f;
N.H.S. at, 41; Old Deanery, 115;
Plain, N.H.S. on, 305; purveyors
(1302), 353 ff; St. Edmund’s
font, 33; St. Martin’s font, 33
Sarsens, Lower Greensand, 363
Sarum grant of 16th cent., 107
Savernake Forest, N.H.S. in, 307
Scarburgense Zone, 8
Schofield, H. E. A., gift, 252
Sealland Cross (Edington), 365 f
Seend Cleeve, geol., 5 f
Selley, Alfred, diary quoted, 437
Seth Smith, Miss D. U., on a linen
road guide, 111, 438
Sevenhampton (Highworth), 2
Seymour, Algernon E., of Hertford,
M.P., 293 n; Lord Webb, 283
Sheriff’s Accounts, 1302, 352-8
Shortt, H. de S., 123; on bronze
tool, 228; gift, 252
Shrewton, 416 ff; field names, 418,
421-6; Church, 199; font, 200
Shaftesbury Abbey, 210, 287, 389,
396; cell at Dinton, 390
Shearing frame, 95
Shorland, Dr. E. T., obit., 118
Silk mills, 103
Simon of Ghent, Bp., 390, 432
Smith, Sir J., M.P., 297
Snail Down (Collingbourne), bar-
rows damaged, 221-2
Some Wiltshire Fonts (illus.), by
A. G. Randle Buck, Part I,
19-35; Part III, 192-209; Part
IV, 429-34
Somerford, Great, crops in 1801, 86
Somerset, Duke of, 294
Soothill, Prof. W. E., on China,
quoted, 435
Sopworth, font, 33
Sorley, C. H., poet, 438, 444
South fam., of Dinton, 392 ff, 397;
** Souths manor ”’, 396
South Marston (geol.), 14
S. W. Naturalists’ Union meeting, 41
Southrop (Glos), font, 27
482 INDEX TO VOL. LIV.
Southwick, baptismal tank, 192;
font, 192
South Wraxall: Berlegh Chapel;
Abbess of Shaftesbury; Earl of
Hertford; Thynnes, 110; Manor
visited, 467
Spencer, A. G., N.H.S. leader, 42
Spenser fam., at Quidhampton, 413
Spirt Hill (geol.), 7 ff
Spoons, Neolithic, 459
Spring action (erosion), 18
Spring loom, 95
Spye Park, N.H.S. at, 306
Stacey, Rev. A. M., obit., 119
Stanlegh Abbey, 413
Stanton Fitzwarren, font, 26; geo-
logy, 2 f
Stapledon, Sir R. G., N.H.S. leader,
307
Steeple Ashton, Chartists at, 176;
font, 203
Steeple Langford, font, 29
“Steps ”’, Dinton, 402
Stert: font, 201; Valley, N.H.S. in,
307
Stockton, font, 24
Stone, Dr. J. F. S., 123 f, 139; on
Aubrey Holes, 365; on axe-ham-
mer, 114; on faience beads, 115;
on stone axes, 162-4, 228, 447;
Trial Flint Mine at Durrington
(illus.), 381-8; on Whitesheet
Hill, 404
Stonehenge and the Druids, noticed,
231
Stonehenge and the Winter Solstice,
435; Aubrey Holes explored,
364 f; radio-carbon test, 365;
Stone 66, 365; Inn (Durrington),
flint-mines near, 382; chalk cup,
457, 461; chalk axes, 462
Stonehouse, Francis, M.P., 301
Story of our Cattle, by E. J. Roberts,
noticed, 114
Stourton crops in 1801, 91
Strahan, O., gifts, 252
Stratton St. Margaret, Chartists at,
182
Street, G. E., architect, 192, 202-3
Strong, Mrs. A. F., gift, 442
Stroudwater Canal, 98
Stuckey, R. G., Analysis of Parlia-
mentary Representation of
Wilts, 1688-1714, 289-304
Studies in the History of Swindon,
noticed, 232
Stukeley, Wm., 406
Sturmy fam., commemorated, 109
** Suicide’s grave ’’, 438
Summerham Brook, N.H.S. at, 41
Sun Hole Cave (Cheddar), spoon,
459
Sutton Benger, font, 24
Swanneries, 107
Swinbroch (Bradford), 213, 216
Swindon: Chartists, 182-3; geology,
3,15
Symbolism, Christian, on fonts, 23
** Tacking ’’ in 1705, 291
Tallamy, H. S., 233
Tan Hill, disc-barrow, 236; skeleton,
228
Tarots, 445
Taunton, Rev. Rob., of Cumberwell,
279; W. L. T. P. (son), 282
Teffont Magna, font, 32
Tellisford (Som.), 216
Tenants-in-chief in DB., 258
Terra Regis in DB., 258
Thames valley, 1 f
The 1801 Crop Returns for
Wiltshire (illus.), by H. C. K.
Henderson, 85-91
Thickthorn Down, spoons, 462
‘* Third penny ”’, in DB., 259, 260,
261, 264, 267
Thomas, Nicholas, curator, 464;
Neolithic chalk cups fromWils-
ford (illus.), 452-63; J. O.,
N.H.S. leader, 306
Thomson, T. R., gift, 377
** Three Graves ’’, Easterton, 338
Thynne, Sir J., 287
Tilshead in DB., 266
Timperley, H. W., N.H.S. leader,
42, 307
Tinhead, Chartism at, 171
Tockenham (geol.), 13, 18; Wick
(geol.), 3, 7, 10 f, 16 f
Tollard Royal Church visited, 467
Tollenaere, Mile, of Louvain, 433
Toot Hill (Swindon), 15
Tournai fonts in Hants, 429;
sculpture, 433; stone, 430
Traveller’s Guide on linen, 111
Trial Flint Mine at Durrington,
by A. St. J. Booth and J. F. S.
Stone, 381-8
Trowbridge Woollen Industry, by
R. P. Beckinsale, noticed, 233;
mills, 98, 101; weavers’ riots, 172,
cloth trade, 183, 233-5
Trowbridge, R. Biss at, 215;
barracks, 172; Charter House,
180; Chartist ‘‘ Chapels ”, 180;
St. James’s font, 194; Tabernacle
Church, 234; Working Men’s
Assoc., 170, 179 f
Trowle Common, Chartists at, 171,
178
Trundle (Sussex), chalk cups, 457,
460 f
INDEX TO VOL. LIV. 483
Tucker, Wm., of Westbury, Char-
tist, 177
Upavon, font, 31
Upper Noremarsh (geol.), 16
Upton Lovell, N.H.S. at, 307
Urchfort Manor, N.H.S. at, 305
Urus, 114
Usher, Miss I., N.H.S. leader, 41
Vastern (geol.), 6 f, 11, 16 f
Vertebriceras (Ammonite), 8
Via Iceniana, 39
** Villate ’’=parish, 262
Vincent, H., Chartist, 170-9
Virtues and vices, figured on fonts,
26 ff
Wadman fam., of Imber, 327
Wallis, Dr. S. F., on querns, 161;
stone axes, 447
Wallop (Hants), flint-mines, 381
Walraund, W., of Ramsbury (?), 356
Walter the Reeve, of Marlborough,
354
Wanborovu zh, Chartists at, 182
Wansborough fam., at Shrewton,
416-28; Rob., 416-18; Farm
Notes, 421-8
Wardrobe Accounts (1302), 352-8
Wardour, N.H.S. at, 42
Warleigh (Som.) 217
Warminster, in DB., 266; Chartists,
173; cloth trade, 183
Warne, C., on Martin (Hants), 38
Water power for mills, 94
Weavern Valley, N.H.S. at, 305
Weaving mills, 102
Webb, E. Doran, architect, 204, 402
Weddell, W. B., N.H.S. leader, 42,
307, 407; Entomological Report
1950, 80-3; 1951, 344-7
Welch, Mrs. B., N.H.S. leader, 42,
306
Wells, H. B., 233
Wentworth, Seymour, of Uffington,
439
Were River (Wret), 216
West Ashton Woods, N.H.S. at, 42
West Grove, Dinton, 394
West of England clothiers, 296, 302;
woollen industry, 92, 94
West Woods, N.H.S. at, 42
Westbury, Chartists at, 176; cloth
trade, 183; woollen mills, 98, 302;
Working Men’s Assoc., 170;
M.P’s, 292 ff, 296, 299, 303
Westwood, 211; font, 32
Wharton, Goodwyn, M.P., 289, 291,
297, 302
White, Walter, M.P., 290 f, 301
Whitehawk Camp (Sussex), chalk
cups, 458, 461
Whitesheet Hill camp, 404-10;
barrow, 406
Whitlock, R., N.H.S. leader, 42, 305
Wigewen brook, 213, 210 f
Wildman, Maj. J., M.P., 297, 299,
301, 303
Williams, Miss H. M., poet and
Revolutionist, 282
Williams-Freeman, Dr. J. P., 443
Willoughby fam., at Dinton, 398
Wilsford (S. Wilts), chalk cup, 452 ff;
(N. Wilts), font, 32
Wilson, Miss J., Quidhampton in
N. Wilts, 411-15
Wilton: Abbess of, 389; battle,
A.D. 871, 139; in DB., 264; status,
267; size, 271; font, 204; Kings-
bury Sq., 274; M.P’s, 296, 298
Wilts and Berks canal, 94
Wilts County M.P.’s, 292, 293 n, 303
“Wiltshire ’’, by Edith Olivier,
noticed, 113
Wiltshire Archaeological and
Natural History Society:
Accounts (1950), 254; (1951), 378;
Additions to Museum and Library,
1222252, 253i, Ate. annual
General Meeting (1951), 219;
(1952), 464; Curator appointed,
464; Excursions, 222, 466; List
of Members (1951), 240-51;
Report, (1950-1), 219; (1951-2),
464
Records Branch: Report (1950),
373; (1951), 469; Accounts (1950),
374; (1951), 470; Publications,
373, 447
Natural History Section: Report
(1950), 41; (1951), 349; Accounts
(1950), 84; (1951), 349; Field
Meetings and Lectures (1950),
41-3; (1951), 305-7; Entomolo-
gical Report (1950), 80-3; (1951),
344-7
Wiltshire: Bird Notes, by Mrs.
Ruth Barnes and Guy Peirson,
1950, 41-67; 1951, 308-26 Books,
etc., 113-17, 229-36; 367-70,
443-8
Plant Notes, by J. D. Grose, (12)
75-9, (13),339-43 ; Redwing and
Fieldfare Enquiry (illus), by
Mrs. Nurse, 68-72;
County Archives, accessions, 120,
225, 375, 471; Obituaries, 118,
237, 371, 449
484 INDEX TO VOL. LIV.
Wiltshire Borough Records, ed.
M. G. Rathbone, noticed, 367
** Wiltshire Flora ’’, 307
Wiltshire Obituaries, 118, 237,
371, 449
Wiltshire spas, list of, 364
Pere (Dorset), 38ff; Minster,
39
Winchester, Saxon base, 38 ff
Windmill Hill, chalk cups, 456;
pottery, 408
Wingfield, 211; Pomeroy Fm.,
Swansbrook Fm., 216
Winterbourne Bassett, font, 35
Witchcraft, by Pennethorne Hughes,
noticed, 444
Witlege (Whitley), 214
Wittenham al. Rowley (Som.) 216
Wolfhall, Edward I at (1302), 350
Wood, John, architect, 195
Woodhenge, chalk axes, 462; chalk
cups, 454
Wootton Bassett: Chartists at, 182;
fault, 16; font, 203; geology, 1 ff,
6; monocline, 17; M.P’s, 295,
299
Wootton Rivers, N.H.S. at, 305;
font, 192
Worlidge, J., author, 420
Workham, Humphrey and John, of
Salisbury, 187 n
Wright, R. P., on the Amiens patera,
361
Wrindesholt, 213, 215
Wroughton’s Folly, Lavington, 448
Wyatt, Jas., architect, 198; T. H.,
do., 199 f, 204, 208; Jeffery
(Wyattville), do., 398
Wyndham, W., M.P., 294; fam., at
Dinton, 397 f
Yard, Rob., M.P., 298
Yatesbury, font, 25
Yeatman-Biggs, W. H., gifts, 253:
obit., 451
Yorkshire woollen mills, 96
Younge, J. of Salisbury, 197 n
Yring, J., of Marlborough, 353 f, 357
Zoche, Ed., bailiff of Dinton, 390
2 7 JA AY 1053
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Publications to be obtained from the Librarian, The Museum, Devizes
THE BRITISH AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTH
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All members of the Society are asked to give an annual
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Museum contains many objects of especial interest, and the
Library is the only one in Wiltshire devoted to material for the
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