The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1917-12-22

| ~ the ancient town of Cirences-
~ ter, with it's 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 I'M
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-
| err 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 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 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 country of rich pasturelands, trout
streams and water meadows, where
"the willows by the brooks" are fa-
millar feature; and far away stretch
out blue distances, ranges Of hills,
copses and church spires strangely
peaceful country, in which hardly a
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-
Querors. 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
er at Cirencester like the arms of q
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 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-rate
| 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
lends additional interest to this discov-
cry.
Clrencester, with the other RO-
mano-British cities of Bath and GlOu-
cester, fell to the Saxon conquerors in
CIT, but 1t was the best part Of CEN
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 005, when Crick-
lade was pillaged, and the same town
was taken and plundered by the fol-
lowers Of Cnut q century later. The
| Norman invasion seems to have been
| q 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, scrfs
and freemen, were probably but little
disturbed by the new order.
| One other event Of more than local
importance occurred In those far-of
| 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
ut a place called Aust in COS st. Au-
gustine 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,
its fame. Enough has been said to-
dictate the historical interest as-saen
as the natural charms Of the setting.
Let us turn to the house 2n&chH8H!
Doubtless both ocSppy she s1fS
far older buildingse Nsmay l&SH3k
that there wss $s&talant her
the Saxon sNSsy ID Probably as
the Ro&sf sssSSaSoS; how far Sltss
X q. &e&sf tSsneSlate. And a9Hs
EtNS. S6&cS us 1Qsliing to show &Say7
[SeF da& 3h&h S'he charming ~
daR&s$ arSldes OF if@lW.
k&SSWs aHf Norman or saxoh Ty4
gSkI< : .A,