336 Rood Ashton, §e. 7 
Of Semington all I have now to mention is, that in the wall of 
the porch of the church is an old stone with an inscription much 
obliterated. It is in old French, and very difficult to decypher, but 
after careful examination, and by the light of similar inscriptions of 
the same period (especially one at Hungerford) the words seem to 
be as follows :— 
“je KY PATER NOSTER E AVE MARIA PUR LE ALME PUR FELEPPUR 
DE SALCEST [5] CRESTIENS DIRRA QUARANTE JURS DE PARDUN 
AVERA. AMEN.” 7.¢., “ Whoso shall say « Paternoster and an Ave 
Maria for the souls of Philippa de Salcest and [all] Christians shall 
have 40 days of pardon. Amen.” We have here the family name of 
Salcet, which (as just now mentioned) was corrupted into Saucere 
at Ashton. 
There is in the British Museum (Addit. Charters 5691) a curious 
Latin document, dated A.D. 1470, relating to the chapel of St. 
George, at Semington: by which Robert Beauchamp, Bishop of 
Sarum, makes arrangements fcr the proper serving thereof by the 
Vicar of Steeple Ashton. 
I have now reached the end of the history of the original manor 
of Ashton as it belonged before the Dissolution of monasteries, to 
the Abbess of Romsey. 
The Abbey of Romsey, Abbesses, Nuns and all, have vanished 
hundreds of years ago; and their property has passed through 
various changes since that time. Part has gone one way, part 
another, but I shall not be far wrong, in saying that a very con- 
siderable share has been for many years held by the family, whose 
name is so familiar here, the House of Lona. 
Here you must all see the awkwardness of my position. If the 
House of Long had also become extinct, and had vanished away, it 
might, like the Abbess of Romsey, have been dealt with as a thing 
of the past. But so far from having vanished away, it is, on the 
contrary, in full vigour, still occupying an important place in the 
county of Wilts: and what is more, sitting at this very moment 
before me, face to face, in the person of one of its leading represent- 
atives. Notwithstanding this, I am compelled to speak of it 
historically : for though Rood Ashton and the other Ashtons are old 
