The Tomahawk., 1917-12-27


~ ter, with its Roman memories
and, perhaps, the finest church
porch that England can show, and
some three miles north of the quaint
townlet of Cricklade, redOlent of An
glo-Saxon history, and Boosting CEN
trail lantern tower to it's church un-
matched in all Wiltshire, lies the
charming village of Down Ampney-
one of four Ampney villages that clus'
ter to the east of Cirencester. The VII
lage is right away from the church and
the manor house. The trusting strang-
er visiting it from either of the above
mentioned towns should be warned
that he is coming to an inn-less Eden,
where the "good entertainment for
man and beast" that used to be the
boast of our village hostelries Is not
to be had; nor will he find 1t IN the
neighborlng village of Latton, just
across the Wiltshire border. 1t Is fair
to say that both villages seem to get
along very comfortably without inns;
only the stranger within their gates
suffers for the austere virtue Of the na-
tives, writes Henry Martin Gibbs In
Country Life.
The beauty Of the surrounding coun-
try, the limestone SOLVE are here on
the border Of the COtsWolds-and the
keenly bracing air must be taken as
compensating natural advantages. 1t
is q country of rich pasturclands, trout
streams and water meadows, where
"the willows by the brooks" are fa-
miliar feature; and far away stretch
out blue distances, ranges or hills,
copses and church spires strangely
peaceful country, in which hardly Il
sound seems to break the stiffness, and
in this wartime, bereft Of it's male
population, it seems doubly deserted.
Yet the broad high roads are there, the
roads that were made near two thou
sand years ago by the Roman con-
querors. They stretch out across the
flat foreground into the dim perspec'
tive of the horizOn-the Ermine Way
and the Fosse Way crossing each 9TH
er ut Cirencester like the arms or
st. Andrews cross.
Where the Romans Camped.
Naturally, such country Is rich In
legends Of titanic conflicts between Ro-
man and Briton, Briton and Saxon,
Saxon and Dane. Cirencester, as It's
name tells us, was a Roman castrum
of some Importance, and the town
abounds in relics Of the Roman occu-
patton, which took place about the
year 80 A. D. At Chedworth, close to
the Fosse Way, some II miles north of
Down Ampney, the remains of Ro'
man villa-One Of the four first-rnte
ones found in this country-were dis
covered in 1864. The fact that four
crosses were found here-One of the
few positive evidences Of ROmano-Brit'
ish Christianity in Gloucestershire-
lends additional interest to this discov'
cry.
Cirencester, with the other Ro'
mano- British cities Of Bath and Glou'
cester, fell to the Saxon conquerors IN
577, but it was the best part of CEN
fury later before Christianity, crushed
out by this Hun invasion of old time
was relntroduced under the auspices OF
| Wulphere, king Of Mercia. A later
wave of invasion-this time by the
Danes-took place In 9O5, when Crick'
lade was pillaged, and the same town
was taken and plundered by the fol-
lowers Of Cnut century later. The
Norman invasion seems to have been
more gradual affair-more like the
"peaceful penetration" OF our own
times. No doubt the Saxon thane anu
eorl gave place to intruling Normans
but the bulk of the population, serfs
and freemcn, were probably but little
disturbed by the new order.
One other event of more than local
importance occurred in those far-on
times, which must not be left unre'
corded. At the northern end Of the
bridge or ford Of the River Thames,
which takes it's rise not far from here
at a place called Aust, in 6O3 st. Au'
justine of Canterbury held his cele'
brated conference with the bishops
and doctors of the British church.
The House and Church.
Down Ampney is near enough to this
famous spot to be permitted to share
It's fame. Enough has been said to In
dictate the historical interest as we'll
rs the natural charms Of the setting.
Let US turn to the house and church.
Doubtless both occupy the sites of
far older buildings. We may take 1t
that thete was settlement here under
the Saxon sway, and probably during
The Noman occupation how far earlier
r. is ,selcss TO sDeculate. And though
the c.:urch hns nvthin. to show Of ear
lier date than the charming late
twelfth century arcades of its nave,
we may assume that these were pierced
tn, .us, r!jsr n, uari "r Saxon walls.