WILTSHIRE. 



made familiar with the contents of thefe facred depofitories. 

 See Barrow, and Tumuli. 



The Roman Itations mentioned in the Itinerary of An- 

 toninus, as being fituated within the county, are three in 

 number, Sorbiodunum, Verliicto, and Cunetlo. The firil of 

 thefe is placed by all antiquaries at Old Sarum ; but the 

 fituatioH of the other two has been much difputed. Camden 

 fixes Verlucio at Weftbury ; Horfley, at Lackham ; and 

 Stukeley, whofe opinion is the moft probable, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Heddington. Cunetio was formerly fuppofed 

 by fome writers to be at the village of Kennet, and by 

 others at the prefent town of Marlborough ; but it is now 

 generally allowed to have been fituated at a (hort diftance 

 eaft from the latter place, near the north-ealtern boundary 

 of Savernake foreft. Befides thefe, the Romans had feveral 

 other fettlements in this county ; particularly at Eafton- 

 Grey, at Wanborough, at Pitmead near Heyteftury, 

 and at Littlecot, at each of which places teffellated pave- 

 ments and other Roman remains have been found. Of the 

 Roman roads which pafTed through Wiltlhire, the principal 

 was a continuation of the Julia Strata, which entering the 

 county from Bath, left it near Hungerford on the eaft. 

 The Fofle road branched off from the Julia Strata at Bath- 

 ford, at the north-weft corner of the county, where in many 

 places it is ftill confpicuous. Several other roads connefted 

 Sorbiodunum with neighbouring ftations ; and of thefe, 

 three are traced with confiderable certainty : firft, one 

 which led to Durnovaria, or Dorchefter ; fecondly, that to 

 yenta-Belgarum, Winchefter ; and thirdly, another to Vin- 

 donum, or Silchefter. 



The numerous encampments and other intrenched earthen 

 works with which Wiltfhire abounds vary not only in fize 

 and fliape, but in method of conftruftion and pecuUarity of 

 fituation. Some of thefe are doubtlefs the works of the 

 BritOHS, others of the Belgae, of the Romans, of the 

 Saxons, the Danes, and the Normans. Many of them, 

 however, have been in all probability fucceffively occupied 

 and altered by the armies of one or more of thefe nations, at 

 different periods fubfequent to their original formation. 

 The immenfe fortifications of Old Sarum, Chidbury-hill, 

 near Warminfter, and Vefpafian's camp, near Amefbury, 

 conftitute the moft diftinguifhed monuments in this clafs of 

 antiquities. 



Cajiles. — That this county, at an early period, contained 

 a number of thofe baronial fortified ftruftures, which are 

 ufually defignated by the term caftles, and which are fup- 

 pofed by feveral writers to have been firft introduced by the 

 Normans, is undoubted. Moft of them, however, are now 

 totally demolifhed, fo that it is even difficult to afcertain 

 their aftual fcites ; and the reft have been fo much altered 

 in later times, as almoft to efface every veftige of the ori- 

 ginal building. The more celebrated of thefe edifices, and 

 thofe which moft frequently occur in the ancient hiftorians, 

 are the caftles of Marlborough, Devizes, Ludgerftiall, 

 Wardour, Combe, and Malmftury. 



General AJped.. — In a geographical arrangement, Wilt- 

 fhire may be faid to be naturally divided into two portions, 

 by an irregular range of hills, which extends tranfverfely 

 through the greater part of the county in a direftion in- 

 clining from the north-eaft to the fouth-weft. Thefe dif- 

 trifts are ufually denominated South and North Wiltfhire, 

 and differ very materially from each other, not only in ap- 

 pearance, but in almoft every diftinguifhing quality. 



South Wihjhire, which claims priority of notice on account 

 of its fuperior extent, forms the weftem divifion of a vaft 

 traft of chalk-hills, which extends into Hampfhire, and 

 having for its boundaries the rich lands of Berkfhire, and 



the extreme verge of the Marlborough hills on the north ; 

 the broken ground of Somerfetfhire on the weft ; the new 

 foreft of Hampfhire on the fouth ; and the heaths of Surrey 

 and SufTex, together with the Weft Downs of the latter 

 county, on the eaft. The furface of the higher downs, to 

 ufe the words of Gilpin, is " fpread out like the ocean, but 

 it is like the ocean after a ftorm ; it is continually heaving 

 in large fwells." In fome parts, the hills alfume the form of 

 rotund knolls, and are feparated by fmoothly-fided hollows, 

 which vary confiderably both in depth and extent. At 

 other places they range along for a fliort diftance in con- 

 neftcd ridges, fhewing on one fide of the range rather a 

 rapid declivity, from the top of which, on the other fide, 

 the hills fink in irregular gradation, till at length they fre- 

 quently fhelve into a perfeA flat. This effeft, fays Mar- 

 fhall in his " Obfervations on" what he terms " the Weftem 

 Diftrift" of chalk hills, is of courfe more particularly dif- 

 tinguifhable, " where the range of hills is narrow. Jingle, 

 than where a congeries of fuch ranges are crowded to- 

 gether diforderly." The whole of this diftrift, generally 

 fpeaking, is feparated into two divifions, the one called 

 Marlborough-Downs, and the other Salifbury-Downs or 

 Plain. 



The principal valleys in this divifion of the county lie 

 along the banks of the rivers, the moft remarkable of which 

 diverge like irregular radii from the country around Salif- 

 bury and Wilton. Thefe difplay rich meadow and corn 

 lands, interfperfed with feats and villages, and finely covered 

 in various parts with plantations of wood. 



North Wiltjhire differs entirely from the fouthern divifion 

 of the county in its general appearance. Inftead of a con- 

 ftant feries of " chalky waves," the afpeft of this diflrift, 

 which extends from the verge of the Downs to the hills of 

 Gloucefterfhire, is nearly that of a perfeA flat ; the few 

 deviations from the ordinary level being fo gradual as 

 fcarcely to be perceptible, on a curfory view. The country 

 here is fo clofe and well wooded, that when viewed from 

 any of the furrounding hills, it appears like one vaft plant- 

 ation of trees. If examined in detail, however, it is found 

 alfo to contain many extenfive trafts of rich pafture land, 

 fituated on the banks of the Lower Avon and the Thames, 

 and of fmaller ftreams which flow into both of thofe rivers. 



Rivers. — Wiltfhire abounds with rivers, which either 

 take their rife within the county, or on its immediate con- 

 fines. Two of thefe, the Thames and the Lower Avon, 

 are unqueftionably important ftreams. All the others are 

 much inferior both in extent and confequence ; but feveral 

 of them deferve to be particularly noticed, -viz. the Upper 

 or Salifbury Avon, the Nadder, the Willey, the Bourne, 

 and the Kennet. See Thames. 



The Lower Avon rifes in the hilly diftrift of North 

 Wiltfhire, at a fhort diftance from the town of Wootton- 

 Ban"et. 



The Upper Avon is formed by the confluence of feveral 

 fmaller ftreams, which take their rife among the hills near 

 the centre of the county. The Kennet rifes near Avebury, 

 and running in an eafterly direftion, unites with the Thames 

 at Reading. The Willey and the Nadder join their ftreams 

 at Wilton, and unite with the Avon at Salifbury. 



The cheefe of North Wiltfhire has long been defervedly 

 celebrated ; though for fome time after it became the ftaple i 

 commodity here, it was fold in the London market as the 

 manufafture of Gloucefterfhire. See Cheese. 



JVaJle Lands. — It is a common idea that the Wiltfhire ., 

 downs confift entirely of " wafte land." This notion, ' 

 however, is completely erroneous ; for if the correft appro- 

 priation of land is to be eftimated by its comparative utility 



