The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-12-27


A BOUT six miles southeast of
~ the ancient town of Cirences-
~ ter, with its Roman memories
and, perhaps, the finest church
porch that England can show, and
some three miles north of the quaint
.Ownlet of Cricklade, redolent of An
glO-SaXon history, and Boosting cen
trail lantern tower to its church I'M
matched in all Wiltshire, lies the
charming village of Down AmpnCy-
one of four Ampney villages that clus-
ter to the east of Circncester. The viii
Iage is right away from the church and
the manor house. The trusting Strang-
err visiting it from either of the above
mentioned towns should be warned
that he is coming to an innrless 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 it in the
neighboring 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 ma
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 Il country of rich pasturclands, trout
streams and water meadows, where
"the willows by the brooks" are u IA
miliar feature; and far away stretch
out blue distances, ranges of hills,
copses and church spires a strangely
peaceful country, in which hardly
sound seems to break the Stiffness, and
In this wartime, bereft of its 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
quorers. They stretch out across the
fiat foreground into the dim perspec-
tive of the horiZon-the Ermine Way
and the Fosse Way crossing each 9th
or ut CircnccSter like the arms Of Il
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 its
name tells us, was Il Roman Castrum
of some Importance, and the town
ubounds in relics of the Roman Occu-
patton, which took place about the
year 80 A. D. At Chedworth. close to
the Fosse Way, some u miles north Of
Down Ampney, the remains of Ro-
man villa-one Of the four first-ratc
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 GlouceStershirc-
lends additional interest to this discov-
cry.
Cirencester, with the other Ro-
mano-British cities of Bath and Gl0u-
CpSter fell to the Saxon cOnquerors in
81, but it was the best part of n cen-a
fury later before Christianity, crushed
out by this Hun invasion of old time
was reintroduced under the auspices Of
Wulphere, king of Mercia. A later
wave of invasion-this time by the
Danes-took place in 903 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
a more gradual affair-more like the
peaceful penetration" Of our own
times. No doubt the Saxon thane and
eOrl gave place to intruding Normans,
but the bulk Of the population serfs
and freemen, were probably but little
disturbed by the new order.
One other event of more than local
Importance occurred in those far-ort
times, which must not be left Unre-
corded. At the northern end of the
bridge or ford Of the River Thames,
which takes its rise not far from here
at place called Aust, in G03 st. Au-
gustine of Canterbury held his celo-
bratcd conference with the bishops
ana doctors OF the BRUSH cnurcn.
The House and Church.
Down Ampncy is near enough to this
famous spot to be permitted to share
it's fame. Enough has been said to in
dicate the historical interest as well
rs the natural charms of the setting.
Let us turn to the house and church.
Doubtless beth occupy the sites Of
far older buildings. We may take it
that there was settlement here under
the Saxon sway, and probably during
the Roman occupation; how far earlier
it is useless to speculate. And though
the church has nothing to show of ear
ler date than the charming late
twelfth century arcades of its nave,
we may assume that these were pierced
through oldeS Norman or Saxon walls.