108 History of the Parish of Stockton, Wilts. 



little on the right enters Great Ridge wood, where it is at times 

 visible. The elevated ridge over which this causeway is conducted, 

 is thickly beset on each side by British settlements. The 'via' 

 emerges from the wood at the 15th milestone from old Sarum, and 

 continues along the line of the road from Warminster to Shaftes- 

 bury, which it traverses at milestone 6 from the former place. It 

 then crosses an open down to Lower Pertwood, where all traces of 

 it are lost close to a tumulus ; but it is supposed to have passed on 

 near Kingston Deveril to Maiden Bradley, and from thence thro' 

 some woods and a deep valley to Gaer Hill, from thence to the 

 Mendip Hills, and so on to Severn." There are only four barrows 

 on Stockton Down. Two of them on Mr. Bi:?gs' property are 

 square ones. There is a small round one in Rokeham Bottom, a 

 part of the glebe, and another by the green road to Hindon. 

 Some of these barrows were opened by Sir Richard Hoare, The 

 south side of Stockton down joins an extensive tract of woodland 

 called Great Ridge, which covers 2000 acres. A portion of this 

 woodland called Stockton wood, is within the bounds of the parish, 

 and adjoining it towards the west is a down farm of about 200 

 acres, sheltered by extensive plantations; one of them named High. 

 Grove, may be considered a small wood. These plantations were 

 all made by Harry Biggs, Esq., since he succeeded to the property. 

 In the dip below High Grove, are the farm buildings and two 

 labourer's cottages erected, partly with the materials of a game- 

 keeper's lodge, which stood at the edge of Stockton wood by the 

 gate which opens into the private road towards Chilmark. To 

 this cluster of buildings we may give the name of Biggsthorpe. 

 The village of Stockton stands in a very low situation near the 

 river Wyly, which bounds the parish towards the north. The 

 Wyly, though an inconsiderable stream, is noticed by Spenser in 

 his "Fairy Queen," book iv,, chap. 11. 



" Next him went Wylebourne with passage sly, 

 That of his wyliness his name doth take, 

 And of himself doth name the Shire thereby." 



The vicinity of this " sly " river does not increase the beauty of the 

 village, which is separated from it by meadov^s irrigated through a 



