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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nscribed by ThomasBruce, Earl of Ailsbury. The high road extends along the north-ern verge of this forest for several miles; amost delightful ride. After ascending a hill,and passing a handsome lodge at the extre-mity of it, we approach Marlborough, whichsuddenly presents itself to view, in descend-ing a hollow way, cut through a chalkprecipice. 24 SURVEY OF THE GREAT ROAD FROM SECT. Ill MARLBOROUGH. About sixty-five miles from the ca-pital, stands this ancient town, extendingalong a declivity on the northern bank ofthe Kennet, surrounded by ridges of chalkhills ; the spot where antiquaries place theCunetio of Antoninus.—Cunetio was the ori-ginal name of the Kennet; called by theSaxons Ceyntan. The history, as well as the name, of thisCunetio, with every memorial of its anti-quity, is lost, from the arrival of the Sax-ons, to the Normans. In the next century,John, surnamed Lackland, afterwards Kingof England, had a castle here, which, on hisrevolt from his brother Richard, was taken
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LONDON TO BATH AND BRISTOL. 9.5 by storm, by Hubert, Archbishop of Can-terbury ; and in this castle a parliamentwas held, in the reign of Henry III. This was a Roman station, and the sciteof the old Castrum, extended afterwards bythe Normans and Saxons, was by the Earlof Hertford converted into a house, whichis now an elegant inn, at the western ex-tremity of the town, and the keep is madeuse of as a mount for a summer-house. Anangle of the fortifications is still visiblenear the garden wall, and Roman coins havebeen found near this spot. Marlborough is a large town, principallycomprised in one broad street. Its build-ings are irregular ; a mixture of the styleand architecture of different centuries. Bothsides of the street are chiefly occupied byshops, supported in front by columns form-ing piazzas, with a neat pavement under-neath. In the middle of the high-street is themarket-house; an ancient building, of sin-gular construction. Near to this, stands 26 SURVEY OF THE GREAT ROAD FRO

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