Silchester
Silchester (17th century)Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- settlement, village - Holdshot Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
Silchester / Ol Vindonum / et / Caer Scoontie
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- roman town, town
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- ancient place name
otherwise: Vindonum
Period - 17th century
Silchester, a place of great antiquity, said to be the ancient City of Vindonum, and built by Constantius son to Constantine the Great, whose monument was seen in the City; and also another Constantine did here put on the purple Robe against Honorius; and here the warlike Arthur was crowned. It was a place of large extent, conteining within its walls about 80 Acres of ground, and became dismantled by the Danish Rovers.
Shown on an old map by Blaeu 1645
- settlement, town - Holdshot Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Speed 1611
- settlement, town - Holdshot Hundred - Hantshire
The place is described in text Camden 1610
- Hantshire
Period - 1600s
towards the North side of the country [Hantshire], somtimes stood VINDONUM, the chiefe citie of the Segontiaci, ... called it was by the Britans Caer Segonte, that is to say, the Citie of the Segontiaci. And so Ninnius in his catalogue of cities named it: wee at this day called Silcester: and Higden seemeth to clepe it of the Britans Britenden: but this was the antient Vindonum, I am induced to thinke
Ninnius recordeth, that it was built by Constantius the sonne of Constantine the Great, and called sometime Murimintum, happly, for Muri-vindum, that is the wals of Vindon. For, this word Mur borrowed from the provinciall language, the Britans retained still, and V. the consonant, they change oftentimes in their speech and writing in M.
... Constantine for his names sake, they forced wild he, nild he, to usurpe the Empire, & to put on the imperiall purple robe in citie Caer Segont, ...
Moreover in this citie (our Historiographers write) that our warlike Arthur was invested and crowned King.
And now remaineth nothing save the wals, which although they want their battlements, curtain, and coppe, yet they seeme to have been of a verie great height. For, the earth is so growne up with the rubble, that I could scarse with stouping low passe through an old posterne, which they call Onions Hole. These walles in some sort continue whole, but that they bee broken through in those places where the gates were: and out of the verie walles I saw grow oakes of that bignesse, and those seeming (as it were) bredde with the verie stones, with such huge roots clasping one another a great way, and spreading forth so mightie armes and boughes all abroad, that it would make the beholders to wonder thereat. These walles take in compasse about two Italian miles. Whereupon haply the Saxons called this citie Selcester, as one would say, The great citie: for Sel may seeme to sound with them as much as Great, seeing Asserius hath interpretted the Saxon word, Selwood, The Great wood. And before the wals westward, where is a plaine, there lieth a banke of great length, raised and cast up for a defence and fortification. The sight of this old citie, containeth about fourscore acres of ground within, which being a soile ploughed up and tilled, are divided into corne-fields; with a little grove in the West-side: ... This is found by continuall observation (as I have learned of the inhabitants of this place) that although the ground bee fertile and fruitfull inough, yet in certaine places crossing one another, the corne doth not thrive so well, but commeth up much thinner then else where, by which they suppose the streets of the citie went in old time. There are heere daily digged up, bricks such as we call Britaine-bricks, and great store of Romane coine which they terme Onions pennies. For, they dreame that this Onion was a Giant, and dwelt in this citie. There are digged up also many times inscriptions, of which the unskilfull rurall people envie us the having.
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- settlement, village - Holdshott Hundred - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- roman town, town
