Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of BritaineHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
The other is a naked arme or streame without anie branches. It riseth
aboue Colingburne Kingston in the hils, and thence it goeth to
Colingburne, the Tidworths (whereof the more southerlie is in Wiltshire)
Shipton, Cholterton, Newton, Toneie, Idmerson, Porton, the Winterburns,
Lauerstocke, and so into Auon east of Salisburie. And thus is the
confluence made of the aforesaid waters, with this our second Auon,
[Sidenote: Becquith brooke.]
whereinto another water falleth (called Becquithes brooke) a mile
beneath Harneham bridge, whose head is fiue miles from Sarum, and thrée
miles aboue Becquithes bridge, as Leland doth remember, who noteth the
[Sidenote: Chalkeburne.]
Chalkeburne water to haue his due recourse also at this place into the
aforesaid riuer. Certes it is a pretie brooke, and riseth six miles from
Shaftesburie, and in the waie toward Salisburie in a bottome on the
right hand, whence it commeth by Knighton and Fennistratford, to
Honington, that is about twelue miles from the head, and about two miles
and an halfe from Honington beneath Odstocke, goeth into the Auon, a
mile lower than Harnham bridge, except he forget himselfe. This Harnham,
whereof I now intreat, was sometime a pretie village before the erection
of new Salisburie, and had a church of S. Martine belonging vnto it, but
now in stéed of this church, there is onelie a barne standing in a verie
low mead on the northside of S. Michaels hospitall. The cause of the
relinquishing of it was the moistnesse of the soile, verie oft
ouerflowne. And whereas the kings high waie laie sometime through
Wilton, licence was obteined of the king and Richard bishop of
Salisburie, to remooue that passage vnto new Salisburie in like maner,
and vpon this occasion was the maine bridge made ouer Auon at Harneham.
[Sidenote: Thrée towns decaied by changing one waie.]
By this exchange of the waie also old Salisburie fell into vtter decaie,
& Wilton which was before the head towne of the shire, and furnished
with twelue parish churches, grew to be but a poore village, and of
small reputation. Howbeit, this was not the onelie cause of the ruine of
old Salisburie, sith I read of two other, whereof the first was a salue
vnto the latter, as I take it. For whereas it was giuen out, that the
townesmen wanted water in old Salisburie, it is flat otherwise; sith
that hill is verie plentifullie serued with springs and wels of verie
swéet water. The truth of the matter therefore is this.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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