260 



Ancient IJidory of Shaftesbury. 



Sherborne, to which See the lcarnod and pious Asser the friend 

 and instructor of Alfred's riper years had been appointed three 

 years before, 1 who doubtless performed the Consecration Service. 

 And since Alfred's own daughter the Lady Ethelgiva, was to be 

 the first Abbess, and many noble maidens Nuns in her Convent, 

 we may presume that the King himself and many a noble Earl and 

 valiant Thane, would be present at the solemn ceremony. Asser, 

 who certainly knew the town well, places the Abbey near the East 

 gate. Roger of Wendover seems to follow Asser. Dr. Pauli 

 however in his recent " Life of King Alfred," places the Abbey at 

 the South gate. He apparently quotes from Dugdale. Hutchins 

 says "in the time of Asser, Shaftesbury consisted of one street." 

 I have not myself been able to find this statement in Asser. If 

 correct, it must have been Bim-port Street, which extended very 

 probably from the Bim-port or Gate, to St. Mary Magdalene 

 Church, at the West end of the town. The Bim-port or Gate, 

 was no doubt the chief entrance. A little to the South of the 

 Bim-port, at the East end of what is now called Church Lane, 

 there seems to have been another Gate, giving admission to the 

 Abbey Church-yard and Grounds. This Gate having no special 

 designation, might by one historian be called the Eastern Gate, as 

 being to the East of the Abbey and Town ; and by another, the 

 South Gate, as being South of the chief entrance or Bim-port. 



The most important part of the Town- wall at this early period 

 seems to have run round from the bottom of Tout Hill, to the 

 bottom of Gold Hill. The town properly so called, that is to say, 

 the stone houses, were chiefly within the walls to the West ; and 

 outside the walls to the East " the Commons," more or less covered 

 with the huts and cots of the peasantry. As the fame of the Abbey 

 increased, the town extended beyond the walls, more especially on 

 the East side. This must have been the case at a very early period 

 as St. Peter's parish and the parishes of St. Martin's and St. 

 Andrew, to the East of St. Peter's, as well as the parish of St. 

 Laurence with the chapelry of St. Michael to the East of St. Trinity, 

 and St. Mary Magdalene to the West, all now united to St. Trinity ; 



1 Dodsworth's Cathedral of Sarum. 



