10 The History of the Parish of All Cannings. 



when the great fair on the downs was first established, the day 

 dedicated in the calendar to the supposed saint to whom the hill 

 was sacred should be chosen. In due time, the old dedication-feast 

 of the village would be merged in this large annual gathering, 

 and then the Sunday nearest to the great fair was chosen as the 

 especial day for this annual rejoicing.' It was no difiBcult step then 

 in course of time to assign to the Church the same patron saint as 

 the hill, and to speak of All Cannings as dedicated to St. Anne. It 

 may be so ; — but, beyond mere tradition, there is no proof of such 

 a fact. Our explanation disperses at once the halo of romance with 

 which the old " hoar hill " and the " rugged down," have been so 

 repeatedly encircled by successive writers. How far we may have 

 grounds for our opinion, we leave to the candid judgment of our 

 readers. 



Before we leave the consideration of " St. Anne's hill," it may be 

 mentioned that in the autumn of 1844, a labouring man of AUing- 

 ton, digging for flints, found a gold torque of singular grace and 

 beauty. It passed, first of all, into the hands of R. Falkner, Esq., 

 of Devizes, but was afterwards claimed as treasure trove by Lord 

 Ilchester, the Lord of the Manor of Allington, within the limits 

 of which it was found. Mr. Falkner writes respecting it, " It may 

 be said to be only a single coil of such a torque as was found entire 

 in Cheshire, which weighed 4/65. and was of the sort called Bra- 

 chialis. The Allington torque was of fine gold, and weighed 2\oz. 

 It appeared to have been severed from a larger portion, and after- 

 wards bent into an irregular form. It had not sufiered in the least 

 from oxidation, but retained all its original beauty." Mr. Falkner 

 showed it to a goldsmith, who remarked " that the person who 

 made such an ornament must have known how to produce the 

 greatest efiect possible, and by the most simple means. It may 

 have been a torque for the neck or for the body, — it being only a 



1 lu Bradford on Avon there is an exact parallel to the case we are supposing. 

 About a csntury ago it was determined for public convenience to establish a 

 cattle fair. Following the precedent of dedication feasts, it was determined to 

 have it on or near some festival, and so the Monday next after the feast of 

 St. Bartholomew was selected. 



