By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson. 



287 



Beginning at Lacock Bridge, the forest boundary was the River 

 Avon, all the way past Chippenham, round by Monkton, to where 

 the little stream called the Marden falls into the Avon. The 

 bound then went along the little stream Marden past Stanley 

 Abbey, through Studley, to the park paling of Bowood. It then 

 (as I believe) skirted Bowood Park, all the way to a point some- 

 where about "The George" at Sandy Lane. Then it struck off 

 along an old road towards Lacock, and so back to Lacock Bridge. 



Bowood at that time was also all forest : so that as in the 

 opposite direction beyond Lacock, Melksham Forest joined on to 

 that of Chippenham, the King had a considerable run for chasing 

 the deer, all the way, one may say, from Calne to Melksham. 

 This does not perhaps represent a very extensive hunting country, 

 according to present notions: but the manner of hunting was 

 different in former days. In parks, chases and forests, the deer 

 were generally enclosed with a fence-work of wood or netting, and 

 could only run to and fro, within a certain space: for people 

 hunted with bows and cross bows, and shot at the game over and 

 over again. The King and his company would take up a station ; 

 and the deer were driven by hounds and men backwards and for- 

 wards, so as to give his Majesty the chance of another shot if the 

 first missed. 



Such in very old times was the state of the country on that side 

 the town — all hunting ground belonging to the Crown. The 

 King's villa stood somewhere a little above the Angel Inn, in 

 High Street. Town, originally, there was none, except perhaps 

 some few houses and cottages, necessary near the King's lodging. 

 By degrees, as the Crown parted with forest rights, the few houses 

 and cottages increased and became a small town. The King's 

 favour made it a Borough, with privileges, markets and fairs. 



In very ancient chronicles, we read that in the stormy period 

 before the Conquest, when the Danes invaded England and tried 

 to oust its Anglo-Saxon owners, in the time of King Alfred, the 

 Danish army once took up its winter quarters at Chippenham. 

 Now they would not have done so unless Chippenham had been 

 a fair military position, safe against surprize. And such, 



