Old English wīc and walh: Britons and Saxons in Post-Roman Wiltshire

ABSTRACT

In the light of recent discussion concerning the ‘end of Roman Britain’, this paper uses a combination of place-names and archaeological evidence from Wiltshire to question traditional interpretations of the Roman/Saxon transition in southern England. Central to discussion are the Old English elements wīe and walh, which, it is argued, may preserve physical as well as linguistic ties with native British populations. Far from painting a picture of catastrophe in the countryside, the evidence presented below is used to suggest that large areas of Wiltshire enjoyed an essentially ‘sub-Roman’ existence well into the seventh century.

KEYWORDS:

• Place-names
• continuity
• Romano-British
• settlements
• Wiltshire