270 History of the Priory of Monhton Farley. 



by the castles of Devizes, Malmesbury, Marlborough, and Trow- 

 bridge. The castle of Trowbridge belonged to Humphrey Bohun, 

 and he made it so strong that when, in 1135, King Stephen came 

 before it, the men of Trowbridge baffled him.^ The place was 

 fortified, and prepared for all extremities. Stephen constructed 

 engines and pressed the siege, but all in vain. Some of his barons 

 became weary, some treacherous ; so he abandoned it, leaving how- 

 ever in Devizes Castle a body of soldiers, with special orders to 

 annoy Trowbridge as much as they possibly could. Those orders 

 they executed faithfully, till at length, what with plundering ex- 

 cursions, first from the one garrison and then from the other, all 

 the quiet people of the neighbourhood presently cried out, " A 

 plague on both your garrisons." 



Trowbridge Castle stood in the centre of the town, on a rising 

 ground that still bears the name of Court Hill. Not a trace of it 

 is left, but the principal street, which forms a curve, is said to owe 

 that shape to its having followed the course of the Castle moat. 

 An old painting was found, some years ago, concealed in the walls 

 of a house, which is said to be a representation of the building when 

 entire, but how much of it is authentic, and how much imaginary, 

 I cannot say. The Castle, however, was the stronghold of the 

 founders of Farley Priory, and their acts and deeds, both military 

 and religious, were such as have been recited. It is only fitting 

 that both kinds should now be duly noticed, as this is one of many 

 similar cases showing that the disturbances by which the kingdom 

 was convulsed were apparently no hindrance to the piety and 

 charity of the nobles who were involved in them. Stephen himself 

 was a great Founder. During the eighteen years and nine months 

 of his reign, no less than 148 religious houses of various kinds were 

 established in England, being a larger number in proportion than in 

 the reign of any of his predecessors. How, amidst the passions of 

 war, men found leisure for works of peace and devotion it would 

 be strange to conceive, did we not remember that the devotion of 

 those days maintained such works to be, in a peculiar sense, meri- 

 torious to men's souls. 

 . ^ 



' Acts of Stei)hcn, p. 370. 



