292 South Wilts in Romano- British Times. 



Stevenson's view places it in what, if we follow Leland, was then 

 the forest. A band of robbers might have a trysting-place in 

 the woodland, but not the armed men from three shires. The 

 words " in orientali parte saltus " (Asser, s. 55) would hardly admit 

 of being translated " in the eastern portion of the wood " ; ^ but if 

 the one example quoted in the note could justify this, it would 

 support Mr. Stevenson's view ; but he translates " east of Selwood " 

 (p. 269). This is the objection to Mr. Stevenson's view. I hope 

 to show that another site is possible. 



There is a piece of local evidence which Mr. Stevenson does 

 not give. The " Tin road " which bears the name of Hardway as 

 it comes up from Somerset, for a part of its course in the parish 

 of Kilmington bears the name of Harepath lane, in the six-inch 

 Ordnance Map. 



The name Herepa'6 is common, and we find it again in North 

 Wilts near Burbage. It is instructive to quote the words of Mr. 

 Stevenson and Prof. Napier.- They are discussing the meaning 

 " militaris via," " army path," which some give to it, and decide 

 that, as " a large body of men {here) like an army could not con- 

 veniently march across country by the roads that sufficed for local 

 communication, therefore an army naturally used the Koman 

 roads in the first place, and when they did not exist, other im- 

 portant roads, whose origin we cannot ascertain. Hence it is 

 probable that ' Herepa'6 ' means a broad well established road, 

 not necessarily Roman, upon which troops could march con- 

 veniently." We find the name " Harepath " at Bishops Cannings^ 

 where, it may be observed, it extended to Rybury Camp.* We 

 find, then, that the road from Somerset is the road to Hampshire 

 passing through at White Sheet Castle, and we can see even now 



' Asser, ch. Hi., Cippenham, villam regiam quae est sita in sinistrali parte 

 Wiltuascire," lueaaa, as sita shows, "in the north part of." But on the 

 other hand, " in occideatali parte Selwada" (Asser, xii.) describes Somerset, 

 Devon, and Cornwall; and " a dextrali parti regiae villae," on the south of" 

 (xxxv.). 



^ Crawford Collection uf Charters, Anecdota O.voniensia, vii., 46 — 47. 

 ^ The derivation given by A. C. Smith, British and Roman Antiquities of 

 North Wilts, 75, from hoar-path, boundary path, is etymologically impossible. 



