Identifier: topographicalsur02robe (find matches)
Title: A topographical survey of the great road from London to Bath and Bristol. : With historical and descriptive accounts of the country, towns, villages, and gentlemen's seats on and adjacent to it...
Year: 1792 (1790s)
Authors: Robertson, Archibald
Subjects:
Publisher: London: : Printed for the author... and William Faden...
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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Countess 28 SURVEY OF THE GREAT ROAD FROM of Sunderland; Charles was the first Dukeof Marlborough of the Spencer family;from whom the title has lineally descendedto the present noble Duke of that name. Proceeding from Marlborough, and de-scending a hill, a short distance from thetown, a great number of stones, in rudeforms, vulgarly called the grey weathers,lie scattered irregularly, along the sides ofa valley to the right of the road: they areexceedingly hard, and appear to be a spe-cies of granate. Beyond this, the road con-tinues to sink towards the Kennet, leavingWest Overton, a small village, on the left,beyond the river. Before we arrive at the seventy-ninthmile stone, the road, by an ascent, entersthe Downs, whose various chalky ridges oc-cupy a considerable tract of country, onthe south, the west, and the north, Herewre pass between several clusters of hugestones, placed in semicircular forms, oneach side of the road; such as are frequentlyto be met with in this neighbourhood.
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LONDON TO BATH AND BRISTOL. 29 Hence, we descend, and pass throughWest Kennet, a small village, not far abovewhich, the river of that name has its source.Proceeding a little farther, we approachSilbury Hill, a remarkable barrow, placedon the right, close to the high road. SILBURT HILL. This is perhaps the largest monument ofthe kind in England. It is of a conicalform, one hundred and seventy feet per-pendicular, one hundred and, five feet dia-meter at the top, and more than five hun-dred at its base; having a trench of consi-derable width round it, out of which thesuperstructure was dug. In digging here in 1723, a human ske-leton was found, bedded in chalk; whichcrumbled to pieces on touching. Near it,lay an old horse-bit, deers* horns, and aniron knife, with a bone handle. Dr. Stukeley conjectures this to belongto some British King, probably named 30 SURVEY OF THE GREAT ROAD FROM Cunedha, or Conetodunus; who formed themagnificent Druidical temple at Abury. Major Drax, in digging perp

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