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Wans Dyke
Sir Richard Colt Hoare tells us, was a barrier erected by the
Belgae against the Celts, and served as a boundary between these
tribes. Dr. Stukeley says the original mound was added to by the
Anglo-Saxons when they made it the boundary-line of the two kingdoms
of Mercia and Wessex. It was also used by the Britons as a defence
against the Romans, who attacked them from the side of Gloucestershire
and Oxfordshire.
In its most perfect state it began at Andover, in Hampshire, ran
through the counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire, and
terminated in the “Severn Sea” or Bristol Channel. It was
called Wodenes Dyke by the Saxons, contracted into Wondes-dyke, and
corrupted to Wans-dyke, as Wodenes-daeg is into Wednes-day.
(See Wats Dyke.)
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Wans Dyke from Infoplease:
- Wans Dyke - Wans Dyke Sir Richard Colt Hoare tells us, was a barrier erected by the Belgae against the Celts, ...
- Wats Dyke - Wats Dyke (Flintshire). A corruption of Wato's Dyke. Wato was the father of Weland, the Vulcan ...
- Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: W - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "W"
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