By the Rev. W. II. Aw dry. 



327 



well-known school-boys' copy, " If thou art ignorant, be not ashamed 

 . . . " but he never finishes the copy or practises the moral it is 

 intended to convey. 



Ludgershall would seem to have had its tales of romance in later 

 years. I remember a nephew of mine who was staying with me 

 for his holidays getting hold of a then very popular novel, in which 

 he appeared deeply interested. I asked him how he liked his book. 

 " Awfully/' was the reply, " it's all about love and murder." It 

 was his idea of romance, you see, and I suppose the author's. If 

 it be a correct idea Ludgershall has had its share, for I read that a 

 son of a former occupier of the Castle Farm (1789) being crossed 

 in love, first destroyed the object of his affections and then died by 

 his own hand. He was buried as a suicide at the foot of Windmill 

 Hill. A tradition also exists of a maiden who drowned herself for 

 love (1729) in the village pond. It must have been a hard matter, 

 one would think, but the register tells me that by that time she had 

 reached the somewhat mature age of 39 years, and had, no doubt, 

 become a very determined character. 



A few years ago there was found among the rubbish in a loft at 

 Crawlboys Farm a diary, written on parchment, kept by a certain 

 John Capps — who by his own showing was a servant to Mr. Borlase 

 Webb (the achievement hanging up in Ludgershall Church shews 

 that General Webb was twice married, (1) to one of the Borlase 

 family of Cornwall; (2) to a Vilett, of Swindon), which contains 

 many curious allusions to events which happened in his time. It 

 begins thus : — 



" 1713. Dyed my grandfather, James Capps." 

 "1714. Dyed that great Princess Queen Anne." 



It goes on to tell of eclipses, meteors, and the prices of provisions, 

 meat being very dear at 2>\d. a lb. in 1759; it had risen to hd. and 

 6d. in 1771. His accounts of the struggles of party politics in his 

 time are very interesting, but too long to re-produce here to-night. 

 I shall be happy to show the diary to anyone who is curious on the 

 subject. I must, however, read you the account of how there was a 



