PART II.-CHAPTER V. 



ARTS: LIBERALL AND MECHANICK. 



CRICKLAD, a market and borough town in tliis county, was an University before the Conquest, 

 where were taught the liberall arts and sciences, as may appeare by the learned notes of Mr. Jo. 

 Selden on Drayton's Poly-Olbion, and by a more convincing and undenyable argument out of Whee- 

 lock's translation of Bede's History. 



Tliis University was translated from hence to Oxford. But whereas writers swallow down the 

 old storie that this place takes its name from certain Greek philosophers, who, they say, began here 

 an university, it is a fond opinion. 



[Aubrey here quotes Fuller as to the etymology of the names of Cricklade and Lechlade. That 

 author, on the authority of Leland, had asserted in liis Church History that the one was originally 

 called Greek-lade, and the other Latin-lade, from " two schooles, famous both for eloquence and 

 learning," which existed there anterior to the Conquest. But, on the report of his " worthy friend 

 Dr. Peter Ileylin," he afterwards stated in his Worthies that "Cricklade was the place for the pro- 

 fessors of Greek ; Lechlade for physick (Leech being an old English word for a physitian), and 

 Latton, a small village hard by, the place where Latin was professed." It will be seen by the next 

 sentence that Aubrey disputes even the amended theory of Fuller, and, with more probability, derives 

 the names of the towns in question from words indicating the natural features of the localities. J. B.] 



But, as the saying is, Bernardus non vidit oinnia. Had the learned Dr. Heylin (that is Hoelin, 

 little Howell) had a little knowledge of his ancestors' Welsh, he would not have made such a 

 stumble, and so forced these etymologies ; but would easily have found that Cricklad comes from 

 Tcerig, stones ; and ylad, a country ; wliich two words give a true description of the nature of the 

 country on that side of Cricklad, which is, as wee term it, a stone-brash. Likewise Lechlade, from 

 llech, plank-stones, or tile-stones. As for Latton, it may very well come from laith, which signifies 

 a marsh, and is as much as to say Marshton, as there is a parish thereby called Marston. Hereabout 

 are some few other places wluch retain their British names with a little disguise. 



Without the close of Salisbury, as one comes to the town from Harnliam-bridge, opposite to the 

 hospitall, is a hop-yard, with a fair high stone wall about it, and the mines of an old pidgeon house. 

 I doe remember, 1642, and since, more mines there. This was Collegium de Voile Scholarum 

 (College de Vaux). It took its name from Vaux, a family. Here was likewise a magister scholarum, 

 and it was in the nature of an university. It was never an endowed college. (From Seth Ward, 

 Bishop of Sarum.) 



[Some historical particulars connected with this scholastic establishment or college will be found 

 in Hatcher's History of Salisbury, pp. 50, 92, 232, &c. The author gives a different etymology of 

 its name to the above. Quoting MosJteim, cent 13, p. ii. he states that the Professors of Divinity in 

 the University of Paris, in the year 1234, assembled their pupils and fixed their residence in a valley 



