204 Presidential Address by Dr. J. Beddoe, LL.D., F.R.S. 



a distinct ethnological frontier, north-eastern Somerset, a rough 

 hilly, difficult country, having retained a larger share of the 

 pre-Saxon element ; but Somerset itself might be divided into 

 several ethnological districts. Whether racial differences have 

 had anything to do with the facts, I will not undertake to 

 say ; but Somerset has a more military history than Wiltshire. 

 The manly old game of backsword used to be played in both 

 counties ; and sometimes, I believe, contests took place between 

 representatives of the two, as nowadays happens with cricket; 

 but I have never, heard whether either county could fairly claim 

 superiority. But the small and abortive rising of Penruddocke 

 and Grove and their cavaliers, and the insurrection of the) 

 Commons which led to the murder of Bishop Ayscough, are the only 

 indications of combativeness in the Wiltshiremen that I recollect.; 

 King Arthur seems to have been born, like Homer, in a good many 

 places ; but his connection with Somerset is hardly deniable, ancU 

 something of his fighting spirit seems to have remained there.' 

 They of Wilts ran away when the Danes seized Chippenham, and! 

 it was the men of Somerset who, when Alfred found his cake was! 

 ready, followed him to his victory over Guthrum. 



Wiltshire seems to have acted like Issacbar during the Norman 

 Conquest ; and perhaps that was the cause of so many Saxon 

 proprietors retaining their lands at the time of the Domesday, 

 Survey. But Somerset men struggled manfully against the in-l 

 vaders at Montacute, and also, it would almost seem, against the 

 Irish invasion led by the sons of Harold. They were active op i 

 both sides, and against both sides as clubmen, in the war of the 

 Commonwealth ; there was some stiff fighting at that time all 

 Eoundway Down and elsewere, but it is not clear to me that thi\ 

 natives took much part in it. I have mentioned Penruddocke anai 

 Grove, Wiltshiremen who died bravely for their King ; but lateij < 

 and on the other side, we come to the last sanguinary episode ill 

 Southern England, in which Somerset and the west country dre\ 

 the sword, and paid the horrible penalty, and curiously enougl 

 at Philip's Norton, touched but did not transgress the count 

 boundary. 



