WILTSHIRE, an inland county of England. It is bounded on the north by the county of Glouces ter, on the east by Berkshire and Hampshire, on the south by Dorsetshire, and on the west by Somersetshire and Gloucestershire. It is about 54 miles long and 34 broad, and contains 1379 square statute miles, and 882,560 square statute acres. It is the 14th county of England in point of size. Its rental and tithe is £810,627 + £88,496, and the annual value of a square mile is £652. It contains 1 city, 29 hundreds, 23 market towns, 304 parishes, and sends 32 members to parliament.
The southern and eastern parts of the county con sist of a broken mass of chalk hills entering the county from Berkshire, Hampshire and Dorsetshire, and terminating in an irregular range of rugged banks and insulated masses, intersected by deep valleys excavated by the brooks and streams. The north and west portions resemble at a distance an elevated plain, but it consists of a continual series of fertile eminences, rising occasionally into sand knolls, and descending into smoothsided hollows, and sometimes even extensive valleys. This dis trict is divided into Marlborough Downs and Salis bury Plain, the most remarkable plain in England. Between these two divisions there is a tract of rich land, and to the north of these downs the county is well inclosed, abounding in rich pasture, and pro ducing the excellent Wiltshire cheese. Salisbury Plain is uninclosed, and the land, though chiefly in pasture, produces excellent crops of wheat, barley and turnips, when brought under tillage. Vast flocks of sheep are fed on this uncultivated waste, which is said to produce wild burnet and fine grasses, which yield a superior herbage for sheep. Including the whole summer stock, 500,000 sheep are said to be bred here annually. They consisted formerly of the Wiltshire horned sheep, but the South Down are now generally introduced. Sain foin is cultivated to a great extent, and it is a general practice with farmers to soil their teams upon vetches. The horses are unusually fine, but are kept at an enormous expense. Hogs are reared in great quantities.
The principal rivers of Wiltshire are the Thames, the Lower Avon, and the Rennet, all of which are navigable; the Upper Avon, the Willey, the Nad der, the Bourne, the Stour and the Brue. The canals are already described in our Article NAVIGA TION Inland, Vol. XIV. p. 280.
Wiltshire has long been celebrated for its man ufactures; those of Salisbury, Wilton Devizes, and Chippenham, have been already mentioned under their respective articles. At Mere and its vicinity a great deal of linen, chiefly dowlas and bed-ticks, is made. Broad cloths, kerseymere and fancy cloths are made at Bradford, Trowbridge, War minster, Westbury, Melksham and Caine, and in all the adjacent towns, &c. from Chippenham to
Ileytesbury. Fustians, thicksets, and other cotton goods are made at Albourn, and gloves at Swindon.
This county abounds in Roman, Saxon, and Danish antiquities. The most remarkable of these are the monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury. Stonehenge is at present a ruin, and apparently a confused heap of standing and fallen stones. The whole consisted of two circular rows of huge stones, and two elliptical rows of circular stones, with horizontal stones lying on the outer circle in a con tinued order all round, and five imposts or horizon tal stones on ten uprights of the third row. The whole are surrounded by a ditch and vallum of earth, which is about 15 feet high and within the ditch. There appear to be three entrances through this vallum, that on the N.E. distinguished by a bank and ditch being called the avenue. The up right stones of the outer circle dilier in form and size. Their general height is from 13 to 15 feet, and their circumference about 28 feet. Each impost has two mortises in it, corresponding with two tenons on the tops of the vertical stones. The cir cumference of this circle is about 300 feet, and the original number of stones SO, of which 27, are still standing, but there are now only 6 imposts. At the distance of 8 feet s inches within this row is the second row, which seems to have consisted of 40 upright stones. The stones are smaller and more irregular than those in the first row; only 8 are standing, but the remains of 8 are lying on the ground. Within these two circles are the two elliptical rows, the outermost of which is the grandest portion of Stonehenge. It was formed by 5 distinct pairs of trilithons, or two large upright stones with a third laid over them as an impost. The largest trilithon, in the centre opposite to the entrance, measured when standing, exclusive of the impost, 21 feet 6 inches high, the one next to it on each side was about 17 feet 2 inches, but the ex tremes only 16 feet 3 inches. The inner oval row is supposed to have consisted of 19 uprights. The stones ai e taller and better shaped than those in the corresponding circle, and incline to a pyra midal form. The most perfect is 71 feet high, 23 inches wide at the base, and 12 inches at top. The altar stone, as it is called, is placed within this oval, forming the centre of the whole. It is 16 feet long, and almost covered by the two side stones of the Great Ttilithon. The total number of stones is thus estimated:— The prevailing opinion is that Stonehenge is a Druidical monument.