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WILTSHIRE is a south-western inland shire to the south of bury, Wilbury, Bury Hill, near Purton, Strawbury, Sid· the Thames, bounded on the north and north-west by Glou- bury, Fosbury, Row bury, Bury Court, Banbury, Clitsbury, -cestershire, on the north-east by Berkshire, on the south- Busbury, Bluebury, Chiselbury, Upperbury, Charlbury, east by Hampshire, on the south by Hampshire and Dorset- Buryscroft, Long Barrow near Tilshead, Long Barrow near shire, and on the west by Somersetshire: its shape is that Tidcombe, Long Barrow near Edington, Silver Barrow, <>f an oblong, with irregular curves outwards on the White Barrow, Kill Barrow, Handbarrow, Ellbarrow, east and west; it lies between 50° 55' and sro 43' north Twinbarrow, Kingbarrow, Bowles Barrow, Heytesbury and 1atitude, and I 0 30' and 2° 22' west longitude; the area Knook Barrow ; Knighton Long Barrow, Durrington; Gods· <>f the county is now reduced from 880,248 acres burv, near Easton. to 866,962, caused by the transfer (under the Lo':!al The Roman settlements include Marlborough, Malmes Uovernment Board Confirmation Acts, 1895-6) of the bury, Heytesbury, Amesbury, Westbury, Wanborough, parishes of Kemble, Poole Heynes and Somerford Heynes, Goldborough, Brokenborou~h, Woodborough, Spittle with a total of 6,144 acres, to Gloucestershire, and those of borou..!h, Oldborou~h, Rowborou!!'h, Bradford, Codford, Plaitford, West Wellow, Whitshnr!!, Damerham, Martin, Enriford, Wilsford, Manningford, Woodford, Durnford, Bul· Toyd Farm, Melchett Park and part of Bramshaw, with a ford, Ford, Wivelsford, Endford, Stoford, Dunsford, Wish total of 16,133 acres, to Hampshire, whtle the parishes of ford, Stapleford, Lan~ford, Barford, Ugford, Deptford, Axford, Gasper, Kilmingt.on and Yarnneld, with combined area of Dodford, Malford, Somerford, Slauzhterford, Quemerford, 5,266 acres, were assigned to this county from Somersetshire, Clatford, Ilford, Britford, Blackford, .Milford, Warneford, and the parts of the parish of Shalbourne (consisting of the Maidford, Landford, StratFord, Plaitford, Allenford, Bourton, tithings of Oxenwood and Bagshot), formerly in Berkshire, Burcombe, Overton, Overtown, Idover, Over Street, Oare was also tranoferred to this county. The greatest and Stoneover. length from north to south is 54 miles, and the greatest There are remains of the feudal castles of Devizes, Old 'breadth from east to west is 37 miles. The popula- 3arum, Castle Coombe, Farley, Ludgershall and Malmes· tion at various periods has been as follows :-r80I, bury; of the abbeys of Malmesbury, Laycock and Kings :~83,820; 18n, rgr,853; 1821, 219.574; r83r, 237,2+4; wood; of the priory of Bradenstoke and the nunnary of I84r, 256,280; 185r, 254,221; 186r, 249,311; 1871, Kina-ton St. Michael. The finest building is Salisbury 257.177; r88r, 258,965; and in r8gr, 264,997 viz.: Cathedral. Bowood, Longleat, Wilton, Charlton House, -males, 130,662, and females, 134·335· Number of houses: Stourhend, Clarendon Park, Tottenham Park, Longford inhabited 57,464, uninhabited 4,0-J-7 and buildin~ 270. Castle, Corsham House and Trafalgar House are among the Wiltshire seems to takes its name from Wilton, the town seats of the nobility. Qn the Wiley : it was first held by the Britons. The Romans, The line of north downs from Ink pen Beacon running under Vespa<>ian, took the country and built many towns, westward forms the northern boundary of Salisbury Plain : and laid out roads. Sorbiodunnm (Old Sarum) seems to in the south another line of downs runs across through nave been of some note. The West Saxons fought with the Salisbury, and the eastern boundary of the Plain is formed Britons many battles and in 501 Cerdic beat the1r king by some low hills in the west of Hampshire and the Nathan-leod; it was not, however, till about 577 that they western bv a similar ridge m Somerset and along the -drove the Britons from South Wilts. In 591 there was a great vale of Blackmore. The great cluster of Marlborough -slaughter of the Welsh at Wodensbury, or Wanborough, Downs lies in the north-east to the south of Swindon. The near Swindon. In 715, Ina. King of the West Saxons, climate on the downs is healthy, but the air is cold and and Cholred, King of the Mid-English, fought at the same sharp: in the north-west it is milder. North-east Wilts is -place. In 871 Kin~ Alfred fought with the Danes at Wilton, drained by the feeders of the Thames, North-west Wilts by and was beaten; in 878 they burned Chippenham, but he those of the Serern, and South Wilts by the heads of the -afterwards beat them at Eddington. In 995 the Danes from Salisbury Avon. East Em~land overran North Wilts, and ag-ain in 1003, Salisbi1ry Plain, which extends from the north of Salisbury ,;oo6, 1010, 1015 and 1016. In the Parliamentary war there for about 16 miles or a little south of Pewsey and from east was a battle in 1643 on Round way Down, and the castles to WPst for some 20 miles from Ludgershall on the east to -and towns of Salisbury, Marlborough, Devizes, :Malmesbury, Westbury on the west; it is b mnded on all sides by ridges Ludgershall, Wnrminster and Wardour were besieged. of hills, and consists chietiy of chalk downs about 4-00 feet There are a great many antiqmties in Wilts, whereof some above sea level : the river Avon intersects it from north to are British, some Roman and some Saxon. Stonehenge is south, and on its banks is the town of Amesbury. and a circle of rough stones on Salisbury Plain, and there is almost the only villages which can be said to be situated on -another at Avebury, or Abury. the plain; the War Department, acting under powers con- Wansdyke is a great earthern wall, with a ditch on ferred on them by the Military Lands Act, 1892, 55 & 56 the north side, stretching across Wiltshire for nearly 20 Vict., c. 43· have made arrangements to acquire the pro miles from B