344 



The Ancient Wiltshire "Dykes. 



might be given to the land-limits of charters, in which trees, 

 stones, and posts, were set up in Woden's name, apparently with the 

 view of giving a religious sanction to the divisions of land. The 

 name it will be observed is not Celtic, but Teutonic, imposed by 

 the English settlers in the days of their heathenism, and therefore 

 at the latest at the close of the sixth century. Did they give the 

 name to a work which they found already made, or did they them- 

 selves execute it, and, having done so, dedicate it to Woden as to a 

 tutelary deity ? 



Then next, it may be observed, that as regards the names of places, 

 or even the encampments along the course of Wansdyke, they too 

 are almost entirely Anglo-Saxon. With the sole exception of Mses- 

 Knoll (hill of battle) all the rest near this place, such as Hampton 

 Down, Stantonbury, Stokesleigh, Stanton Drew, Wellow, are English 

 names. So too in Wiltshire, nearly every place along its course 

 has an English name — Farleigh, Box, Neston, Shaw, Bromham, 

 Heddington, Cannings, By bury, Alton, Hewish, Overton. As it 

 enters Berkshire you have a British name or two, such as Savernake 

 and Bedwin, but these are decidedly the exception. So far then as 

 the names of places are concerned and have any weight, the Wans- 

 dyke might probably be an English work. 



And then further as to the three periods of its history, which, 

 according to the opinions I have quoted, are marked in Wansdyke, 

 viz. — (1) its Belgic origin— (2) its Roman adaptation— (3) itsEnglish 

 completion, — I own that I think a little play has been given to 

 fancy. I confess that I am somewhat sceptical as to the first- — 

 Stukeley's " rampire " tale seems to me but a lame story. The idea 

 of a Roman road running at the top of an embankment of any size 

 suggests engineering and other difficulties not easily to be overcome. 

 At most, the previous embankment, if there at all, must have been 

 but of small size, and corresponding more with the Grimsdykes 

 that I have already described than with the last frontier- wall of the 

 Belgic territory. Mr. Leman, it will have been noticed, observes 

 that at Neston " the Saxon bank and ditch are plainly visible, being 

 made on the foundation of the previous Roman road. }> Now Dr. 

 Guest tells us, that the distinction between a British and Roman 



