252 



Notes, Archaeological and Historical. 



expression "a Daner," or " Dane," for a red-haired man ; and of 

 a mysterious past " when there was a king in every county." 

 Traditions of the Civil Wars, too, survive, as we have seen above. 



Lastly, there is a fair amount of folk-lore still remaining ; white 

 ladies and headless men ; appearances of dead inhabitants round 

 their old haunts ; buried treasure (the hiding of Church plate) ; the 

 appearance of the dead on Midsummer Eve ; of a coach with a 

 headless driver ; and the laying of spirits. Of spirit-laying, and 

 phantoms of the night, thrilling stories are still told in a 

 circumstantial and vivid way. A place with a lonely situation, 

 an old house and Church possessing every accessory of mystery and 

 romance, an old-established family, and a population of Teutonic 

 descent, are materials for creating an atmosphere of mystery. But 

 these stories cannot here be entered upon ; the spirit of romance 

 flies before the cold light of names, dates, and documents. 



This paper was written in September, and was revised by the late Rev. 

 John Powell. 



The Chalybeate Spas or Saline Springs at Whitehill 

 Farm, Wootton Bassett, and at Christian Malford. 



In the notes appended to the "Perambulation of the Park of Fasterne in 

 1602," which appeared in the last number of the Magazine, I omitted to mention 

 that about a hundred and fifty yards to the east of the site of the moated resi- 

 dence of the Ranger, mentioned therein, is the remarkable saline spring, which 

 is of such repute amongst the inhabitants of that part of Wilts. In the summer 

 months large quantities of the water are taken away by visitors from the towns 

 and villages within a radius of ten miles or more. On Sunday mornings, 

 especially, in May and June, there may sometimes be seen as many as thirty 

 persons at one time drinking the water or filling their various vessels. On one 

 occasion (in May, 1879) the present tenant of the farm (Mr. Hath way) had the 

 number who came during the day counted, and they amounted to near upon 

 four hundred. The public have full and free permission to visit the place and 

 take the water at all times. The well is enclosed with brick, and the water 

 comes up slowly through an iron pipe, the length of which is not known. The 

 field in which the spring is situated is usually reserved for the pasturage of 



