124 Swindon and its Neighbourhood. 



At tlio Reformation it was granted to Edward Seymour, the Pro- 

 tector, Duke of Somerset. From his descendants it passed, by 

 the marriage of one of the ladies, to the Wyndhams, Earls of 

 Egrcmont, from whoso family it was purchased by the father of its 

 presont owner, Mr. Goddard. 



The Camps. 



Of these there are four at no great distance, and they stand 

 nearly at four points of a square ; Swindon lying centrally among 

 them': two on the south, Badbury, alias Liddington Castle, and 

 Barbury : two on the north, Blunsdon, and Ringsbury, near 

 Purton. 



Of their history, when and by whom, made, attacked or defended, 

 nothing is known. Some Antiquaries, like Dr. Stukeley, have 

 amused themselves and misled us, by giving names to Wiltshire 

 camps, calling this " Vespasian's " and that " Chlorus's." There 

 is no real evidence for such nomenclature ; and without a great 

 deal of speculation, perhaps no one particular event can be identified 

 with any one of them. 



So far as an Antiquary could describe them, they have been 

 described in the great work on " Ancient Wiltshire " by Sir R. C. 

 Hoare; but the idea sometimes occurs to one that full justice will 

 not be done to these intrenchments until they have been surveyed 

 by an eye that has been trained to the subject of military fortifica- 

 tion. They may have been constructed in times inferior in many 

 ways to our own ; but a good deal more of professional skill than 

 we are apt to give those times credit for must have been required, 

 to choose throughout this whole country proper points for defence, 

 and then to defend each point properly. 



Roads. 



There are some very ancient roads in the neighbourhood, but 

 as none of them seem to have passed directly through Swindon, it 

 is probable that the town has come into existence since they were 

 formed. A Roman road or street runs nearly quite straight for 

 many miles, from Cirencester by Stratton (which takes its name, 



