30G 



Chippenham, and the Neighbourhood, 



Henry VIII., with the stones of old Devizes Castle, described as 

 nearly as large as Whitehall Palace, and fit to entertain a King, 

 nothing was left standing but walls and chimneys. The merciless 

 demolition of this and of the mansions around the royalist quarters, 

 led the Governor of Malmesbury to issue a threat that if another 

 instance occurred, he would immediately fire Lord Berkshire's 

 house at Charlton — Draycot House certainly would have shared 

 the same fate. Bowood then belonged to the Audleys — but there 

 was no mansion there. The Parliamentary Committee disforested 

 the Park and presented the deer to Sir E. Baynton, who, as a 

 tradition runs, wishing to transfer these lively animals over 

 Lockswell Heath to Spye Park, with the help of the clothiers of 

 Calne and other towns, formed a road of double skirtings of broad 

 cloth, and thus drove them to their destination. 



In the summer of 1645, Waller's command expired : Major 

 Dowett, hitherto one of the most indefatigable of the parliamentary 

 officers, taking offence at the new regulations, sent his wife before 

 him into Devizes, presently himself followed with thirty troopers, 

 and owned King Charles his master for life or death. Skirmishing 

 and plundering in all directions, and making the King's name 

 odious, he soon fell foul of the Wiltshire clubmen, a body of land- 

 owners and farmers associated under Thomas Bennett, of Pyt 

 House, for mutual defence, who severely handled his men : " they 

 are neither for Parliament or King (says a print), but they smell 

 strong of malignancy." In later days grown formidable, and 

 assuming the character of an army, they were suppressed by 

 Fairfax. 



There is a little inn in the village of Clack, called "The 

 Trooper" — it took its name no doubt in these days — probably 

 from the following circumstance. Dowett was out on one of his 

 wild, marauding excursions, with a hundred and fifty troopers. 

 Devereux at Malmesbury heard he was prowling about, and des- 

 patched Capt. Sadler with three troops of horse to look out for 

 him. These took post before daybreak on the commanding ridge 

 near Bradenstoke Abbey. But before they were aware, Dowett 

 and his troopers had reached Christian Malford. One of Sadler's 



