436 Notes on the Allington Gold Tore. 



Records of the Allington find appear to be very few. The 

 Salisbury vol. of the Archaeological Institute Proceedings, 1849, p. Ill, 

 mentions it thus 1 : — "Portion of a gold torque found in digging flints 

 on Allington Down, near the highest point of the hills bounding 

 the north side of Pewsey Vale ; weight 2£ozs. Troy. The original is 

 in the possession of the Earl of Ilchester, who claimed it as treasure 

 trove, being lord of the manor." The illustration accompanying 

 that description (fig. 31) is far from a correct representation of the 

 tore. The general outline is inaccurate ; the thickest part of the 

 twisted portion is -given as 125mm., whereas it is 9mm. ; the 

 terminal, instead of having straight sides, with a maximum thick- 

 ness of 6mm., is represented as having decidedly convex sides 

 with a maximum thickness of llinm. The drawing, moreover, 

 gives the impression that the tore was solid, or tubular, bound 

 round by a spiral wire some 2mm. in diameter. The supposition 

 that this tore had been inaccurately drawn prompted me to ask 

 the Earl of Ilchester to lend me the original, and to my letter he 

 replied: — "I shall be delighted to lend you the tore for examination 

 and illustration." I take this opportunity of thanking Lord 

 Ilchester for his readiness in complying with my request. Without 

 his kindness these notes would have been impossible. 



The tore appears to have been found on Allington Down, on 

 the slopes of Tan Hill, on the north side of the Vale of Pewsey, on 

 October 11th, 1844, by a labourer digging for flints, at a depth of 

 18ins. 2 



From the Wilts Arch. Mag., xi., 10, we learn that the tore was 

 found on Tan Hill, (or St. Ann's Hill), and that it first passed 

 into the hands of Mr. R. Falkner, being afterwards claimed as 

 treasure trove by Lord Ilchester, lord of the manor of Allington, 

 within the limits of which it was fouud. 



Prom the Oxford University City and County Herald, November 

 16th, 1844, we learn that at a meeting of the Ashmolean Society 



1 It is also mentioned in the Wilts Arch. Mag., xi., 10 ; Archceologia, 

 XXXIX., 507 ; and Proc. Soc. Antiq., Lond., I., ser. i., 226. 



2 Rybury Camp, just below the highest part of Tan Hill, and near Alling- 

 ton Down is in the parish of All Cannings. 



