By the Rev. J. E. Jackson. 



125 



Street-town, from that circumstance) to a place called Nythe 

 Bridge, somewhere near the line of the railway, and then onwards 

 past Wanborough to the Ogbournes and Newbury. At Nythe 

 Bridge, a second Roman road forked off towards Marlborough. 

 The name of Nythe is the present form of the Latin word Nidum, 

 and Sir R. C. Hoare considers that there was a station there, at 

 what is now called Covenham Farm. 



Of " Nidum " Sir R. C. Hoare says : " Mr. Carpenter, an intel- 

 ligent old farmer, fifty years at Covenham, eighty-five years of 

 age, had found every mark of Roman residence, in coins, figured 

 bricks, tiles, &c, but unfortunately had not preserved them. 

 Every heap of earth, every new-made ditch, and every adjoining 

 road, teemed with Roman pottery of various descriptions, from the 

 fine red glazed Samian and thin black, to that of a coarser manu- 

 facture. 



"There are no regularly raised earthen-works or enclosed camp to 

 be seen here, but in several of the fields there are great irregu- 

 larities of ground and excavations which indicate the site of ancient 

 buildings, and which, if properly examined, would doubtless produce 

 much novelty and information. In a meadow on the eastern side 

 of this farm there was formerly a deep cavity, which is now filled 

 up. The farmer informed me that he had traced a road, paved 

 with large flat stones, leading directly from the Roman road up to 

 it, but not extending beyond it. This was probably the site of a 

 temple. On the western side of the old Causeway, and in a field 

 belonging to Mr. Goddard, of Swindon, there are some great 

 irregularities in its surface, from which many large stones have 

 been extracted, and which evidently denoted the substructure of 

 ancient buildings. In the modern road which intersects the station 

 (of Nidum), I noticed half a quern ; and in a heap of dirt, I picked 

 up a piece of coral or (Samian) pottery, elegantly ornamented with 

 vine leaves, and in no one Roman Station have I ever found so 

 many fine specimens of Roman pottery, without the assistance of 

 the spade, as at this place." 



There is another very ancient road, called the Ridgeway, that 

 runs along the top of the Chalk Downs, over Hackpen, and by 



