Barrow, a Hebrew word for grave Mounds. Literally, the “thrown-up pit of lamentation.”
DERIVATION OF WILTSHIRE.
Wiltshire, in the Saxon Chronicles Wiltunseir, in Doomesday Wiltescire, derives its name from the town of Wilton, from the Wit-saetas (saetan = settlers or inhabitants), the West Saxon tribe who made it their home.
MENTION OF AMESBURY IN MALORY’S “MORTE D’ARTHUR.”
“And thus upon a night there came a vision unto Sir Launcelot, and charged him, in remission of all his sins, to haste him towards Almesbury. ‘And by that time thou come, there thou shalt find Queen Guenever dead; and therefore take thy fellows with thee, and also purvey thee a horse bier, and bring you the corpse of her, and bury it by her lord and husband.’ Then Sir Launcelot took his seven fellows with him, and on foot they went from Glastonbury, which is little more than thirty miles. And when Sir Launcelot was come to Almesbury, within the nunnery, Queen Guenever died but half an hour before.”
Timbs, in his “Abbeys and Castles in England,” says: “At Amesbury, says Bishop Tanner, quoting from Geoffrey of Monmouth, there is said to have been an ancient British monastery for 300 monks, founded, as some say, by the famous Prince Ambrosius who lived at the time of the Saxon invasion, and who was therein buried, destroyed by that cruel pagan, Gurmendus, who overran all this country in the sixth century.” This alludes to a monastery prior to the one founded by Elfrida, with which I begin my account of Amesbury Abbey.
THE AVENUE OR VIÂ SACRA
is orientated to the midsummer sunrise, and points 50° east of north point. It leads uninterruptedly to the circular space formed by the earth circle in which Stonehenge stands, the enclosing bank being discontinued in this direction. It is noteworthy that the sun stone, as well as the slaughter stone, are not placed in the centre of the avenue or approach, but lie towards the eastern side of it. The avenue is made by two parallel lines confining ditches, the earth having been thrown inwards so as to slightly raise the roadway. These ditches, though shallow, are distinct. The avenue thus formed descends the gradual incline of the Down, until at about one thousand five hundred feet from the sun stone the ditches become indistinguishable. Here the descent is more rapid and leads to a gentle valley in the Down, where the avenue divided into two branches. It is now impossible to trace this point of division with any certainty.
THE CURSUS AVENUE.
This is now completely obliterated.