Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for SARUM (Old)

SARUM (Old), a quondam city and an extra-parochial tract in Alderbury district, Wilts. The city stood on alofty eminence, on the S border of Salisbury plain, nearlymidway between the rivers Avon and Bourn, and on Icknield-street, at a convergence of Roman roads from Winchester, Silchester, Speen, the Severn, and Dorchester, 2 miles N of Salisbury; occupied the site of the Roman station Sorbiodunum; was known to the Saxons as Searebyrig or Sarisbyrig, signifying "the dry town; "was taken from the Britons, in 552, by the Saxon king Cynric or Kenric; is supposed to have been re-fortified, with addition of outer entrenchment in 871, by Alfred; was the meeting-place of a wittenagemot of Edgar, in960, to concert a defence of England against the Danes; became the seat of a diocese in 1072, by removal to it of the see of Sherborne or Wilton; was the meeting-place of a great council in 1086, convoked by the Conquerorto establish the feudal system; had its cathedral completed and formally opened in 1092; was the meeting-place of a council of William Rufus in 1096; was visitedby Henry I. in 1100, 1106, and 1116; was taken and damaged by the Empress Maud, in her wars with Stephen; was partly restored, and had a castle rebuilt, by Henry II.; began to decline at the removal of its see to Salisbury in 1220; continued, nevertheless, to be a resort of kings and a place of national councils down to the 15th century; sank afterwards into such desolation as not to have one inhabited house; sent two membersto parliament from the time of Edward I., and continued to send them till disfranchised by the reform act of 1832; is now represented by only remains of ditches and ramparts, enclosing an area of about 27½ acres; had suburbsextending beyonds these limits a considerable way downthe hill; presents now a dreary surface, partly under theplough, partly in a state of waste; and commands a very fine view over Salisbury plain and along the valley of theneighbouring rivers. The extra-parochial tract includes the quondam city, and bears the alternative name of Old Castle; but, in 1861, had only one house.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a quondam city and an extra-parochial tract"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Salisbury RegD/PLU       Wiltshire AncC
Place names: OLD CASTLE     |     OLD SARUM     |     SARISBYRIG     |     SARUM     |     SARUM OLD     |     SEAREBYRIG
Place: Old Sarum

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