MAUD HEATH'S CAUSEWAY 213 



borrow a " bull " for the occasion) outside the town. 

 " Maud Heath's Causeway," a stone-pitched path 

 along the road that runs through the heavy clay 

 lands beside the Wiltshire Avon, extends for four 

 and a half miles, from Chippenham to the summit of 

 Bremhillwick Hill. It was made under the will of 

 Maud Heath, who died about 1474, for the benefit 

 of the market folk resorting to Chippenham, who 

 found the low-lying roads almost impassable in winter. 

 Little is known of this old-time benefactress, but 

 legend supplies the lack of knowledge, and the 

 popular belief is that she was a market- woman who, 

 finding the road from Langley Burrell into the town 

 in so dreadful a state, determined to leave the savings 

 of a lifetime for the provision of a stone causeway, so 

 that future generations might go dry-shod to market. 



This causeway goes from the north-east side of 

 the town, and continues through Langley Burrell to 

 Tytherton Kellaways, up the shoulder of Bremhill- 

 wick Hill. The portion between Chippenham and 

 Langley Burrell was, for some unexplained reason, 

 not constructed until 1852-3. 



According to the inscriptions on the stone posts 

 beside it, the Causeway is held to commence at the 

 Hill, and to end at Chippenham — 



" From this Wick Hill begins the praise 

 Of Maud Heath's gift to these highways." 



At the other end, next Chippenham, where the 

 road joins those from Malmesbury and Draycott, is 

 another stone, with the inscription — 



" Hither extendeth ]\Iaud Heath's gift, 

 For where I stand is Chippenham Clift." 



