Round Devizes.

Before breakfast I popped out to the petrol station near the top lock to get a Sunday paper and then managed to read it on the Sunday! Normally I haven't really finished it by the following weekend. We were waiting for the Wiltshire Museum that opened at 1200. We arrived soon after and we were a little perturbed to find that we had to pay. I'm glad we did though as it was a very well laid out and descriptive little museum that was much better than Gloucester where we also paid, and plenty that we have been round for free. It explained very well the early history of the downs in the area and had some fantastic exhibits. It managed to tell me the relevance of the exhibits to each other as the ages moved from Beaker Man through the Iron Age and through to the Romans. They also explained the differences in the type of burials and monuments of the stone age. I difficult feat I can assure you.

This was the Corn Exchange but I have never seen such a big statue in a site like that.

Off the Market Place and almost next to the Corn Exchange is the Bear. It was a very posh place when Devizes was a favoured stop over between London and Bath for those taking the waters. It is a pretty nice spot today.

On the other side of the Market Place is the Cheese Market. There was a little bric a brac sale on so we went in to have a poke about and I found this notice for the conduct of the Cheese Market from the Town Council. Who would have thought that selling cheese was such a problem.

I'm not sure what this building used to be but the plaques etc were very lovely.

Detail of the bust of Matilda.

The New Town Hall and also the offices of the Devizes and Roundway Burial Committee. St. John's is in the background.

One of the oldest houses in Devizes hidden away down St.John's Alley.

The castle at Devizes was built by the Normans. It later burnt down and then was rebuilt in stone. It became important during the English Civil War. The castle changed hands several times and at Roundway there was the only battle that the Royalist actually won. After the victory of the Parlimentary forces and the elevation of Oliver Cromwell. He passed a law that the castle was to be destroyed. It was later rebuilt in 1838 as a private residence and has been added to since then.

There are a couple of stories from Devizes. The Market Cross built in 1814 has a plaque that recounts one of them. In 1753 a Ruth Pierce had agreed to purchase a sack of wheat, clubbing together with three other women. When it came to the reckoning one of the women found that she was short so asked Ruth to pay up. Ruth swore that she had already paid and if she was not telling the truth may she drop down dead. She repeated this other and then dropped down dead and was found clutching the money in her hand. The Coroner gave the cause of death as the wrath of God.

The other story is of the 18th Century also, during the time of smugglers and Revenue Men. Some locals were using rakes to drag out barrels of brandy from the bottom of the pound in the town when they were caught red handed by the Customs men. When asked what they were doing they pointed to the reflection of the full moon in the pond and acting daft declared they were trying to get the big cheese out of the pond! They got away with at from then on folk from here have been called Moonrakers. The town is another place that obviously was a very rich past and have managed to retain many of the better buildings. It has an open countenance and is well worth a good look round.