Diritions for Ecclesiastical and Legal Perposes.—Abont three-fourths of the county are included in the diocese of Salisbury and archdeacon ries of Sarum and Wilts. The other fourth is in the diocese of Glou cester and Bristol, and erchdeaconry of BristoL By the Poor-Law Commissioners the county is divided into IS Poor-Law Unions :— Alderbury, Amesbury, Bradford, Caine, Chippenbam, Cricklade and Wootton-Basset, Devizes, Highworth and Swindon, 3Ielmesbury, Marl. borough, Melksham, Mere, Pewsey, Salisbury, Tisbury, Warminster, Westbury and Whorwelsdown, and Wilton. These Unions contain 307 parishes and townships, with an area of 773,713 acres, and a population in 1351 of 240,460. Wiltshire is in the western circuit : the spring assizes are held at Salisbury, the summer assizes at Devizes. The Epiphany quarter sessions for the county are held at Devizes; the Easter cessions at Salisbury ; the Midsummer sessions at War minster; and the Michaelmas sessions at Devizes. County courts are held at Bradford, Caine, Chippenham, Devizes, Malmeabury, Marl borough, Melksham, Swindon, Trowbridge, Warminster, and Westbury. Before the Reform Act 31 members of Parliament were returned from Wiltshire—namely, two for the county, two for the city of Salisbury, and two each for the boroughs of Great Bedwyn, Calue, Cbippenham, Cricklade, Devizes, Downton, Ileytesbury, Hindoo, Ludgershall, 31ahnes bury, Marlborough, Old Sarum, Westbury, Wilton, and Wootton Basset. By the Reform Act Great Bedwyn, Downton, Heytesbury, }linden, Ludgershall, Old Sarum, and Wootton-Basset were altogether disfranchised ; and Caine, Mahneebury, Westbury, and Wilton reduced to one member each. The county was formed into two divisions, each returning two members ; so that the number of members is now 18.
Iliatory and elatigaitia.—Wiltshire is probably the richest of all the English counties in memorials of the earliest historic period, and also of the antehistorio period of our country. This pre-eminence it owes to the wide estent of its chalk down., nnbroken by inclosures, and untouched Ly the plough, on which the earthen or rude stone memorials of the remotest ages have remained uninjured, except by the mouldering touch of time, or by rare and occasional interventions of the caprice and violence of man ; exempt In a great degree from the more systematic and complete destruction which the extension of building or cultivation has caused.
It 14 difficult to determine exactly to which of the ancient British nations the various parts of the county belonged. A large portion, there can be no doubt, belonged to the nation or nations mentioned by Ptolemsens under the generic name of Belgte. Ptolemmus assigns to them the cities of handle and Aqum Cable, now Del:meter and Bath In Somerretshire, on the one hand, and Vents, now Winchester In Harnpehire, on the other, We may therefore assign to the Beiges that pint of the county which lies between these places. Other parts of the county may probably have been occupied by the Durotriges, the Atrebatil, the Dobunl, and the Medal It is likely that the county was included In the scene of Verpasian's operations in the reign of Claudia,. IV the Roman division of Britain, Wiltshire was included in the province of Britannia Prima.
After the departure of the Romans Wiltshire was the scone of contest between the Britons and the Saxon's. The site of the asserted
massacre of the British noble. by I lengist is placed on Salisbury Plain, but the event itself and its locality are alike doubtfuL The great victory which Cerdio, fonuder of the kingdom of Wessex, obtained in 509 over the British king Is'atandeod, or Nazaleod, brought the con querors to the south-eastern border. Chardford, the Cerdiee's-ford of the 'Saxon Chronicle,' on the Salisbury Avon, above Fording bridge, in Hampshire, but close on the Wiltshire border, was the limit of the territory • Natanleassa; to which Natandeod gave name. In 552 we find Cynric, son of Cerdic, in successful conflict with the Britons at Searobyrig, or Old Sarum. The West Saxons, of whose kingdom Hampshire formed the nucleus, appear to have sought to extend their power northward, to and even beyond the Thames, rather than west ward. However, before or in 577, they must have overrun Wiltshire, as we find them in thatyear, under their king Ceawlin, figbtiug with the Britons in the north Somereetshire and in Gloucestershire, to reach which they must have crossed Wiltshire. In 591, according to the *Saxon Chronicle,' " there was a great slaughter of the Britons" at itiodnesdeorge, or Wanborougb, near Swindon. In 652 Cenwalh, king of the West Saxons, " fought at Braslateforda by Afene," obviously Itrad ford-on-the-Avon. In 715 Ins, or Ina, king of Wessex, and Ceolred, king of Mercies, fought at Wodnesbeorhe, or Wanborongh, near Swindon. In 823 the bottle which gave to Wessex the permanent superiority smoug the Anglo-Saxon ststes was fought at or on probably A Ilingten-on-the-Bourue, near A tneebury, or Ellington Wrough ton, now celled simply Wroughton, near Swindon.
The first of Wiltshire by that name in the 'Saxon Chronicle' occurs Under 870, just before the accession of Alfred, when It is recorded that the Liphop of Wiltshire, Ethered, was translated to the metro politan see of Canterbury. It is obvious that the name, which is written sValtunswire, was taken from the town of Wiltnu, or Wilton. Alfred's first tattle with the Danes, after his accession, was fought at Wilton early In 871, before he bad been on the throne A month. Ilia Ardour led bim to engage the enemy with too small a force, and he was defeated. Just at the beginning of 878, Cyppanhamme, or Chippen ham, was surprised by the Danes, and Alfred was driven from his kingdom. When he emerged from his retirement, amid the marshes of Atheluey, he met the men of Somersetshire and Wiltshire at Ecgbyrhtes-atane, or Egbert's-stone (probably Brixton Deverhill, near Warminster), on the east side of Seal-wuda, or Sel-wood ; whence he marched to Iglen (Hey, or Highley, near Melksham), and from thence to sEthandune, generally supposed to be Eddington, near West bury, under the escarpment of the southern (or Salisbury Plain) chalk district, where he gave tho Danes so complete a defeat as to compel them to surrender their camp and submit, to him. He thus recovered his kingdom with little difficulty. The Danish army, which appears to have retired by agreement to Chippenham, marched after some months (879) to Ciren-ceastre, or Cirencester, and next year (880) into East Anglia, where they settled.