Civilisation in Oorset* 



By ELLEN E. WOODHOUSE. 



(BEING THE MANSEL-PLEYDELL PRIZE ESSAY FOR 1915-16.) 



county of Dorset is a pleasant land. It is 

 famous for its rolling downs ; well-wooded 

 valleys and rich pastures ; its wide moorlands, 

 and fretted sea-coast. It has a climate that 

 suits all manner of people ; its hill tops being 

 so breezy, its combes so sheltered and sunny. 

 It is not to be wondered that many races have 

 made their homes there, mercilessly dispossessing 

 each other as they have coveted the goodly 

 land. 



Its county name and many of the names of the hills, valleys, 

 and fortresses bear witness that the Ibers were early possess- 

 ors of the soil. The river names, too, retain their Celtic 

 origin. It is sometimes found that the name of a hill has 

 become changed in the course of time, but the names of 

 rivers remain unchanged. The name of a hill affects but 

 comparatively few people, speaking generally, those only 

 who live near it. Any fresh name, therefore, soon becomes 

 circulated and known. A river belongs to all the districts 





