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THE SAXON LAND CHARTERS OF WILTSHIRE. I ~J\ Charter of the lands of Ham, 4 m. S. of Hungerford. B.677. K.353. RD. A.D. 931. Granted by King Aethelstan to the thegn Wulfgar. Hides. 9. Name : Aet Hamme. Ident. K. ? ; B. Ham, Wilts. There are two forms of the survey, one in B.677 anc ^ other in B.679. They are both of them of the AS. age ; and may be of the date of the charter. Survey. Only when the survey of B.679 differs from that of B.677 in some essential point is its reading here quoted in brackets. 1. Aerast on easteweardan on Lin Leage Geat·. ' First on the east side to Flax Lea Gate.' This was at the NE. corner of the parish, a long \ m. E. of Lower Spray (OMi). 2. And thonne on Lin Leage middewearde : 'Then through the middle of Flax Lea.' Flax Lea must have been on the N. part of the E. by. and on both sides of it. 3. And thonon suthrihte with thara Stan Ceastla : ' And then due south over against the Small Enclosures surrounded by a stone (or brick) wall.' 1 Other examples of the use of the term Stan-Ceastel in the AS. charters would suggest that this referred to the remains of a Roman villa. Dead reckoning from the neighbouring landmark shows that it stood near the middle of the E. by. near Inwood Copse (OM6), nearly i m. ESE. of Hamspray House (OMi). 2 4. Thonne of, etc. to Pyddes Geat: ' Then from the Small Stone Enclosures to Pidd's Gate.' 1 1 have had to paraphrase the meaning of Stan Ceastel in order to convey its true meaning. Stated briefly, it is arrived at as follows : Just as the Saxons used Ceasier, borrowed from the Latin ' castra,' to denote a fort or camp of the Roman age surrounded by a wall of masonry, so they seem to have borrowed from the Latin diminutive ' castellum' the word Ceastel to denote a small enclosure of the same kind, e.g. such as would be formed by the walls of a room of a Roman villa. For further discussion of this term see English Essays and Studies, 1922, ' On the Meanings of certain terms in the Anglo-Saxon charters.' 2 Since I determined this site Mr. O. G. S. Crawford of the Ordnance Survey has told me that the farmer of this land turns up the remains of wall foundations at this point.
THE SAXON LAND CHARTERS OF WILTSHIRE. I ~J\ The gate must have been on the E. by. just S. of Inwood Copse (see above). 5. Thonon to Oswaldes Berghe (Beorge) : ' Then to Oswald's Barrow.' This is the barrow close to the SE. corner of the parish (OMi). 6. Thonon ondlong Herpothes on Burghardes Anstigo : ' Then along the Highway to Burghard's Path (up the hill ?).' The herepath is part of the great ridgeway over Inkpen Hill. 1 The path was somewhere on the S. by. possibly on the line of the roadway running S. to Town Farm (OMi) in Buttermere. 7. Thonne forth to Bares Anstigon : ' Then on to Bar's Path.' This path is mentioned in the Buttermere charter, B.508. It must have been somewhere on the line of the footpath which runs to Town Farm (OMi) in Buttermere from the W. 8. Thonon on Heardanleage middewearde: ' Then through the middle of Hard Lea.' The next landmark shows that this lea must have been on the by. about due W. of Buttermere village. 9. Thonne suth on ge rihte ondlong Henna Dene oth hit eimeth to thaere Die : ' Then south straight along Birds' Dean till it comes to the Dyke.' The name of this dean survives partly in that of Henley (OMi) in the extreme S. of the parish. At the next landmark the by. turns W. ; so the dyke must have been at the extreme SE. corner of the parish, % m. S. of Henley. The by. runs along the bottom of Henna Dene for more than ii m. 10. Thonne west ut thurh Henna Leah : ' Then west out through Birds' Lea.' The name of the lea survives in that of Henley (see last point). The survey is here passing along the short piece of the S. by. of the parish, as the orientation of the landmark shows. 11. Oth hit eimeth to thaere Efese : ' Till it comes to the Eaves (overhanging edge of a wood).' 1 For further details of this great highway see Arcb. Journ. voL lxxv, 1918, 'Ancient Highways of Wilts.,' road 28, p. 87.
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