CALNE, a town of England in Wiltshire, situated on the banks of the river Maslen, which supplies it with water, and gives motion to several fulling and corn mills.. The town is clean and well built, and is supposed to Save risen out of the ruins of a Roman colony near Stud ley, whore several Roman coins have been found. The church dedicated to St Mary is a large building, and has a handsome square tower at the north-east end. The Presbyterians, Quakers, and Anabaptists, have each a meeting-house in this place. Under the patronage of the Marquis of Landsdowne, whose seat is at Bowood, about two miles from the town, the market-house has been greatly improved. In this place was one of the palaces of the West Saxon kings; and, from the names of Castle-street and Castle-field, it is supposed that there had formerly been a castle in the neighbourhood, though no traces of it have yet been discovered. There was also here an hospital of black canons, dedicated to St John. Broad cloth, serges, and other articles in the cloth trade, are manufactured here to a considerable extent, and are sent to every part of England by means of the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal, which runs close to the town. Caine sends two members to parliament, who are elected by its burgesses. The corporation con
sists of two guild stewards, who are elected every year, and an unlimited number of burgesses.
It was here that St Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury, performed his famous miracle, in the reign of Edward the Alartyr. At the great synod which had assembled to determine the controversy between the monks and the sectilar priests, the floor of the hall suddenly gave way, while Bishop Beornhiln was pleading for the priests ; and a great number of the members were either killed or bruised by the fall, while the seat of St Dunstan alone remained firm. This artful prelate had ordered some of the beams of the floor to he sawn asunder, and had' induced the king to abandon his intention of attending. the synod.
On the London road, about three miles east of Caine, is the figure of a huge white in a trotting attitude, which is formed by paring the turf front the side of a chalk hill. It measures about 157 feet from the head to the tail. Number of houses 755. Population in 1801, 3767, of whom 1977 were returned as employed in trade and manufactures. Population in 1811, 5062. (70