239 



Fii-Bolg, the Irish or Gaelic form of the name Belgie, means the men 

 of the Bolg tribe. Fir, plural of Fear-Men (or say it was an Irish form 

 of the Latin Vir which would be pronounced Fear) the meaning is the 

 same. He thinks that the Roman Bithulcus comes from Bolg, or 

 Biiilc, againa Gaelic form of the word, and hederives it from the Sanscrit 

 Palah, or Palakah, protector ; Go-Palah, or Palakah, being cow-herd ; 

 Greek Bou-woXof, Latin Bu-Bulc-iis. Supposing this conjecture to 

 be correct, the name admirably fits the character aad occupation of 

 the Belgfe who invaded Britain 200 years before the Christian era. 

 And what does Cwsar tell us of them ? Caesar says that the southern 

 coasts of Britain were occupied by these tribes, who had crossed over 

 from Belgium for the purposes of plunder and war, and who had 

 fiaally settled there and begun to cultivate the land. Dr. Guest 

 follows up this by saying that they probably landed near Christ 

 Church, iu Hamsphire ; and thus possessed themselves of the fine 

 grazing lauds on the banks of the Stour and Avon ; and that they fixed 

 their first boundary line by a Dyke — called Bokerley Dyke and Combe 

 Bank — which included Cranborne Chase and part of the new Forest. 

 They next pushed on beyond Old Sarum and Amesbury to the Downs 

 of Hants and South Wiltshire. Their third line was the Wansdyke, 

 which has been traced from the Berkshire Downs through Savernake 

 Forest to near Portbury Lane and the Bristol Channel. It is plainly 

 visible near Warleigh on the opposite side of the Avon. The ditch in 

 every instance faces the N. to keep back the British tribes, of whose 

 land they had taken possession. There were numerous forts along the 

 Wansdyke, many of which must have been within sight of Hampton 

 Down ; English Combe, Maes Knoll, Dundry and Stantonbury camp 

 on the W., or Bathford Hill, which appears to have been scarped, 

 though no certain traces of a camp have, so far as I am aware, 

 been discovered. Many of the forts on the Marlborough Down 

 from Roundway eastwards would also be in communication, and the 

 Wansdyke itself was utilised by the Romans as their own road to 

 Marlborough. 



These observations will, I think, have shown the strategic import- 

 ance of the Hampton Camp. It was the great frontier fortress 

 settlement of the Belgaj ; and, as observed before, no doubt permanently 

 occupied by them. Now assuming Dr. Guest's conjecture to be correct 

 aa to their name and origin, we shall see that their migrations may hava 



