By the Rev. W. C. PUmderleath. 



23 



received him as was proper like one come to life again after so many 

 troubles, and were filled with excessive joy, and there they encamped 

 for one night. At dawn of the following day, he advanced his 

 standard to a place which is called ./Ecglea, where he encamped for 

 one night. At dawn of the following day he came to a place that 

 is called Ethandun, and fiercely warring against the whole army of 

 the Pagans with serried masses, and courageously persevering for a 

 long time, by Divine favour, at last gained the victory, overthrew the 

 Pagans with very great slaughter, and put them to flight, and 

 pursued them with deadly blows, even to their stronghold, and all 

 he found outside of it, men, horses and sheep he seized, immediately 

 killed the men, and boldly encamped before the entrance of the 

 Pagan stronghold with all his army/'' 



For fourteen days the siege lasted, after which time the enemy 

 surrendered, and then followed, according to the local tradition, the 

 cutting of the White Horse on Bratton Hill, to commemorate the 

 victory, which victory was, as Gough remarks, " much more con- 

 siderable than the other won by Alfred. In the former he only 

 acted as his brother Ethelred-'s lieutenant. In this he was not only 

 Commander-in-chief, but King of England : his affairs were in a 

 most critical situation, and the Danes masters of his kingdom/'' — 

 Gough's Camden, p. 146. 



But here the question arises as to whether it was really in the 

 neighbourhood of Westbury that this fight took place. There is 

 very little doubt but that the site of "the stone iEgbryhta/'' or 

 Ecbyrfs stone is Brixton Deverell. But where iEcglea was is 

 pure matter of conjecture, and for the representation of Ethandun 

 or Edderandum, pretty strong claims have been put in not only by 

 Edington, near "Westbury, but also by Heddington, near Calne, and 

 Yatton Down, near Chippenham; the first-named place being 

 supported by Camden and Sir R. C. Hoare, the second by Milner 

 and others, and the third by Whitaker and Beke. If Headington, 

 (called Edendone in Domesday Book) be the place, then the seat of 

 the Danish stronghold must have been what is now known as 

 Oldborough Camp, which is immediately above the Cherhill Horse. 

 If however, it be Edington, then no doubt the place in which the 



