Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, and Articles. 243 



built by him. Here also is the tomb of his son, Christopher, and his 

 wife, Ann Carewe. 



The paper is completed with a list of the patrons and incumbents of 

 Great and Little Chalfield — pedigrees of Tropenell,of Sopworth, Sherston, 

 and Whaddon — Percy of Great Chalfield — and Tropenell and Eyre, of 

 Great Chalfield. 



Bcittle Of EtllctlldlUie. A valuable paper on this much controverted 

 subject, by the Eev. Charles W. Whistler, appeared in The Antiquary 

 for June and July, 1901, pp. 170—175, and ^00— 205. 



After a slight sketch of the events which led up to the battle, the author 

 gives us a very useful "catena" of the statements made by all the 

 different chroniclers, so that it is no trouble at a glance to see what is 

 the authority for any particular statement. He then sums up this in- 

 formation and specifies the points to be dwelt on in the identification of 

 the various sites. He next takes each of those which have been set 

 forward as answering toEthandune, viz., Edington (Wilts) — Heddington 

 (Wilts) — Eaton Down, near Castle Combe — Edington, near Hungerford 

 (Hants) — and Edington, on the Polden Hills, near Bridgewater ; and 

 fixing the gathering-place at " Ecgbright's Stane " as being by common 

 consent at or near Brixton Deveril, proceeds to examine the credentials 

 of the rival Ethandunes. He dismisses the Hampshire Edington as 

 being too far for the marches from any gathering-place on the eastern 

 fringe of Selwood. Eaton Down he thinks has only the local tradition 

 of a defeat of the Danes to recommend it, and this he gets over by saying 

 that it is very possible that this, as well as Edington (Wilts), may really 

 be sites of some other victories of Alfred. He thinks that Heddington 

 and Oliver's Castle Camp agree in some requirements much more closely 

 with the account of the chroniclers than do Edington and Bratton — but he 

 makes as against either of the Wiltshire sites a great deal of their distance 

 from Athelney — whence Alfred is said constantly to have harassed the 

 Danes, and from Aller and Wedmore, the scenes of the baptism of 

 Guthrum and the signing of the treaty. In short, he concludes entirely 

 in favour of the Somersetshire site — Edington on Poldens — following 

 therein Bishop Clifford's lead, and certainly seems to make out a strong 

 case, identifying Iglea with Edgarley, near Glastonbury — twenty miles 

 from Brixton, and eight from Edington, which is itself six miles from 

 Althelney across the fen. 



In the same July number, p. 224, is printed a letter from Mr. J. U. 

 Powell objecting to the identification of " Ecbryhtes Stane " with Brixton 

 Deveril, saying that this derivation of its name rests on the statement of 

 Sir Eichard Hoare only — an unsafe guide in matters of etymology — and 

 that the name is really a contraction of " Brictrics-tun." 



To this Mr. Whistler replies that he holds no brief for Brixton itself 

 as the place of meeting — but only regards some place in its immediate 

 neighbourhood as best suiting the requirements. He then quotes the 

 following MS. note of Bishop Clifford's on the subject : — " Thus it appears 

 that there is no connection between the " Eock of ^Egbert " and Brixton 



