180 



Stvindon, its History and Antiquities, 



have given their name to it, the ford would be a superfluity. 

 A suggestion has been made to me that it is possibly, y nedd 

 ford (=the ford in the dingle or hollow). 

 Frith. *| We have Freeth Farm in Compton Basset, and Middle 

 Freeth. J Frith near Melksham. These names are, it is conceived, 

 forms of the Welsh ffridd, which means a forest or plantation, 

 sometimes an inclosed tract on the side of hills to turn cattle 

 into. Ffr i^-Celyddon means the " forest of Caledonia." 

 [To be Continued.'] 



^Jarairon, its Ptstot'g anb ^nttpitm 



By Mr. Richard Jefferies. 



(Read before the Society at Swindon, September 16th, 1873.) 



jN the following remarks I shall confine my attention almost 

 [entirely to the town and parish of Swindon, and I shall en- 

 deavour, as far as possible, to avoid repetition of what has already 

 appeared upon the subject. The first reliable relics of antiquity 

 with which I am acquainted are some Roman coins, found at 

 Westlecote, in the cornfields, and now in the possession of T. Hatt, 

 Esq. They are much corroded, but four of them bear the following 

 inscriptions, as far as I can read : — No. I. is very small, apparently 

 copper. Head of a monarch, with rayed crown. On the reverse, 

 an indistinguishable figure and the letters S. P. Q. No. II„ a head 

 crowned or wreathed, with the words Tacitus Avg. No. III., head 

 wreathed and the words Constantinvs Avg. The reverse appears 

 to be a trophy. No. IV., head with fillet and Constantinvs Avg. 

 Reverse, a wreath enclosing three illegible letters. Round the 

 wreath the inscription Constantini Max Avg. The inscription 

 " Constantine," on the best preserved of these coins, lends some 

 slight countenance to a theory which I beg to suggest, that Swindon 

 first came into existence as a small outlying settlement from the 



