46 PAPERS, ETC. 
regard to Taunton ; but there is no reason why 
it should not refer to the ancient town which 
stood on the north side of the river Thone, at 
the distance of more than two miles from the modern 
town of Taunton. 
The last argument in favour of this theory 
which I shall now bring forward is this. Collin- 
son, following, I believe, Dr. Stukely, calls ancient 
Taunton, Theodunum, and speaks of a Roman 
road through it, though he says in a note, that 
Taunton was not a Roman town. Now, the 
word Theodunum, if such a place ever existed, 
is a Romano-british name, similar to Sorbio- 
dunum, Camalodunum, and many others, signi- 
fying the fortified post on the hill near the T'hone. 
Now, Taunton was founded by Ina, king of the 
West Saxons, in the beginning ofthe eighth century, 
about three hundred years after the final departure 
of the Romans from this island; and is certainly 
not situated upon a hill, but Norton is quite near 
enough to the Thone to have been called the town 
upon the TThone, before Taunton existed to deprive 
it ofits claim to be so distinguished ; and its ramparts 
remain to this day upon ground quite high enough 
to entitle it to be called the fortified town upon the 
hill. 
I before observed that on points of such high 
antiquity, and with the very slight data before us, 
our conclusions at the very best are little more than 
guesses; but for all this I cannot think that we 
