261 



§OTt §Afa])ll, 



By the Rev. John "Wabd, M.A., Rector of Wath, Co. York. 



1. Account of the Parish and Church. 



">*'* r gjjHE small market town of Great Bedwyn is situated in the 

 <f| Hundred of Kinwardstone, about two miles south of the 

 great road from London to Bath, between the towns of Hungerford 

 and Marlborough. By an Act of Her Majesty in Council, a.d. 

 1847, it is now comprised in the Deanery of Marlborough, the 

 Archdeaconry of Wilts, and the Diocese of Salisbury : but formerly 

 the archidiaconal jurisdiction was vested in the Prebendaries of 

 Bedwyn, and the episcopal jurisdiction in the Deans of Salisbury. 



The Anglo Saxon name was " Bedan-heafod," sc. Graves' Head. 

 Aubrey's and Stukeley's suggestions, the one that it is derived from 

 the Celtic, bed, grave, and gwyn, white : the other, that it was the 

 Leucomagus of the Romans, are not sustained by any authority. 



The indications of a Roman station are still visible to the south 

 of the town in a wood now called Bedwyn Brail, but in former 

 times " Bruell' de Bedwynde," Bruell' being a contraction of Bruel- 

 letus, a small coppice or little wood. A small castrametation sur- 

 rounding about two acres of land was the centre of the station, 

 and still contains a large quantity of bricks, tesserae, and many 

 other evidences of Roman habitation. It was situated about half 

 a mile east of the Roman road, which connected Winchester with 

 Marlborough, Cirencester, and other large towns to the north; and 

 between the station and the road were discovered, about 80 years 

 ago, the remains of a villa, with valuable specimens of tessellated 

 pavement, foundations of brick-work, and a massive lead cistern, 

 which were all unfortunately destroyed. In 1853 several pavements 

 were discovered near the same spot ; one was of coarse tessera in 

 a chequered pattern of red and white, and the others were of more 

 elaborate designs. Drawings 1 of them were fortunately taken at 



1 Tbcy are in tho pOMOtrioil of the Rev. W. ('. I.ukis. 



