244 Recent Wiltshire Boohs, Pamplilets, nnd Articles. 



Deveril. I have little doubt but what White Sheet Castle (foui- milea 

 south of Brixton, near Mere) is the true Aegbricht Stan. It is situated 

 near the junction of the three shires of Wilts, Dorset and Somerset, and, 

 like other ' stans ' throughout the country, marked the place where the 

 men of the shires assembled for public business." In confirmation of 

 this view two points on the hill on which the camp stands are called 

 " Kingston Down " and " Kings Hill." 



On this subject Mr. Thomas Thompson, of Castle Combe, writing to 

 the Standard, January 28th, 1901, enters the lists on behalf of Eaton 

 Down, two miles from Castle Combe, as the site of the battle, whence 

 also the neighbouring " Slaughterford." 



Folk-Lore Notes from South- West Wilts, by John u. 



Powell, is the title of an article in Folk Lore, March, 1901, vol. xii., 

 pp. 71 — 83. This is a very inteiesting collection of notes on Superstitions 

 — Traditions — Children's Rhymes— Proverbs and the like — gathered for 

 the most part at Hill Deveril and Longbridge Deveril. There are a few 

 ghosts or goblins, the most notable being that of " Old Coker," at the 

 Manor Farm, and a curious story of the laying of a ghost, as follows : — 



"The spirit of Lord appeared to his widow in a certain room; 



she had wrapped herself in a lamb's skin. The ' parsons went to 



conjure,' but Parson S was the only one who succeeded, ' the other 



parsons gied out, and if it had not been for Parson S they would 



have been torn in pieces.' After conversation the spirit asked ' What 

 is the simplest thing in the world ? ' The Parson said ' a Lamb.' Then 

 the ghost was laid. The Parson wanted to lay the ghost in the Red Sea, 



but the ghost begged not to be thei-e. Lady was dressed in a lamb's 



skin, because a spirit will tear you in pieces if you do not answer its 

 questions, but it will not hurt a lamb's .skin. ... On that night 

 there was a fearful storm ; my informant's house was ' unheled ' (thatch 

 blown ofJ), (when there was a great tempest people would say 'They're 

 conjuring.')" ' 



The spectral hunt, "Old Coker," driving his hounds round " Guns 

 Church," a barrow on Hill Deveril Down, was still to be heard of in 

 1889. 



The following is given as the origin of Cley Hill, near Warminster : — 

 " The folk of Devizes had offended the Devil, who swore he would serve 

 them out. So he went down the country {i.e. into Somerset) and found 

 a big ' hump ' and put it on his back, to carry' it and fling at them. On 

 his journey back he met a man and asked him the way to Devizes. The 



' This laying was supposed to have taken place about 1854, just about 

 the date that a somewhat similar occurrence was — -thiriy years ago — said 

 to have taken place at a farm in Hilmarton, at which a murder 

 was believed to have been committed — and in that case, too, the piety 

 and earnestness of the then Vicar, Mr. Fisher, was said to have won the 

 day with difficulty against the spirit. — Ed. 



