Notes on the History of Great Somerford. 283 



Lord on the cross-shafts at Bewcastle and Ruthwell, the former 

 sculptured in the year 670 and the latter about 680. Those reliefs 

 are more beautiful than anything of that date in Italy ; and when 

 the earliest imported sculptors in stone in Northumbria died out, 

 the attempts to represent the human figure -fell off terribly, while 

 the skill in representing arabesques and interlacements of foliage 

 and dragons and bands was retained for many generations. 1 



Uate rat % Pisiwg d (Swat j^walki 



By the Kev. F. H. Manley. 

 [Read at the Malmesbury Meeting, July, 1900.] 



HE parish of Great Somerford is situated on the river Avon, 

 seven miles north from Chippenham and four miles south- 

 east from Malmesbury. The main portion of the village adjoins 

 the Church near the river, but the smaller portion lies about two 

 miles to the west and forms the hamlet of Startley. It is in the 

 hundred, union, and deanery of Malmesbury , and diocese of Bristol. 2 

 The area is 1544 acres, and the land chiefly pasture. The parish 

 of Little Somerford is contiguous on the east. 



The name Somerford seems to suggest the reason why at this 

 particular point of the Avon village communities settled on opposite 

 sides of the river ; Great Somerford on the right side where the 

 ground rises rather rapidly close to the river, and Little Somerford 

 on the left side at a distance of rather more than half a mile. The 

 river no doubt often during the winter, when in flood in old times, 

 would cover this space, but in the summer, when the water was 

 low, an easy passage could be made. The principal ford, we may 

 suppose, was near the present bridge, but various other fords, such 

 as Whitacre Ford, Eichtford, Neytheford, &c, were to be found 



1 See also Mr. Ponting's notes on Sherston Church, printed below. 

 2 In diocese of Sarum until 1836, from then until 1897 in diocese of 

 Gloucester and Bristol. 



