Wednesday, August 8th. 145 
When they had gained the top the excursionists left the carriages 
to pursue their way leisurely by the road to Shepherd’s Shore, while 
they enjoyed a pleasant walk of near two miles on the springy 
flower-covered turf on the brink of Wans Dyke; stopping on the 
way to note the strange juncture of the Roman road with Wans 
Dyke, and the barrows and other earthworks which are sparingly 
distributed near its margin. On arriving near Shepherd’s Shore 
they were met by the Secretary, the Rev. A. C. Smitu, who called 
attention to the large dimensions of Wans Dyke, the breadth and 
depth of the ditch, and the size of the bank, and pointed out what 
a stupendous earthwork it must have been before, in course of 
ages, the ditch had been partially filled in and the bank gradually 
diminished. He bade them observe, too, how it meandered with 
many a bend and many a zigzag along the sides and over the tops 
of the hills, even up to the heights of Tan Hill, while the Roman 
road, whose junction with it they had noticed, was carried in the 
undeviating straight line affected by the nation who made it. Then 
he roughly described its course from near the Bristol Channel; by 
Bath ; entering Wiltshire at Neston Park ; still to be traced through 
_. Spye Park, Wans, and Heddington; assuming its greatest dimensions, 
at least as preserved to the present day, in the portion they had now 
traversed, from Blackland Hollow to Shepherd’s Shore ; crossing the 
highest downs, at Tan Hill, above Alton and Hewish ; partly dis- 
appearing in the Great West Woods, but fragments of it at least 
to be traced up to Savernake Forest, beyond which it is no longer 
to be found. Then came the great questions, who made it? when 
was it constructed? and for what purpose wasit thrownup? These 
were all difficult problems, about which anyone might speculate 
without fear of contradiction, for there is no evidence to lead to any 
certain conclusion. It has been generally believed by Wiltshire 
antiquaries that the Belgz were its originators, and that they formed 
it as a barrier of protection from the aboriginal tribes who lived be- 
_ yond it to the north; but after the discoveries which General Pitt- 
_ Rivers made at Bokerley Dyke, such origin, both as regards founders 
and date, and perhaps intention, seems extremely doubtful. Mr. 
_ Smith finished his observations by repeating his earnest hope that 
