*MARLBOROUGH, (Wiltshire) near the source of the Kennet, at the foot of a chalky hill, 62 cm. 75 mm. from London, has the
name from its chalky soil, which was formerly called Marle. It was a Roman station. In the year 1267 a Pt. was held in the
castle here, which made those laws called Marlborough Statutes. There are still some small remains of its walls and ditch.
This, which is an ancient Bor. by prescription, with the name of burgesses only, has had several charters from K. John,
&c. and is now governed by a mayor, 2 justices, 12 ald. 24 burgesses, a town-clerk, 2 bailiffs, 2 serjeants at mace, &c.
The T. consists chiefly of one broad street, with piazza's all along one side of it, 2 p. Chs. and several commodious
inns, it being the grand thoroughfare from London to Bath and Bristol. To the S. are some relicks of a priory,
particularly the gatehouse. The late Ld. Hartford's seat here, formerly that of the Ld. Protector the D. of Somerset, was
the site of the Roman Castrum, the foundations of which. have been discovered there, with Roman coins. The ditch is still
in some parts 20 feet wide, and towards the r. without the garden-walls, one angle of the Castrum is very visible, with
the rampart and ditch intire. The road going over the bridge cuts it off from the present castle. The mount at the W. end
of the T. which was the keep, or main-guard of the castle, is converted into a pretty spiral walk, on the top of which is
an octagon summer-house. This T. has often suffered by fire, particularly in 1690, whereupon the Pt. passed an act to
prevent its houses from being thatched. The Ld. Bruce is, or lately was, Ld. of the manor. It gave title of Earl in the R.
of Charles I. to James Ley, who was Ld. C.J. of England; and for want of issue in that family it lay dormant till 1689,
when K. William revived it in honour of John Churchill, that ever victorious general in the R. of Q. Anne, who created him
D. of Marlborough, as the Emperor Charles VI. did Prince of Mindleheim in Germany. The Mts. here are W. and S. and the
Fairs June 29, July 20, August 15, Sept. 21, and Nov. 11. Mr. Camden mentions an ancient custom here, viz. that every
freeman, at his admission, gave to the mayor a couple of greyhounds, two white capons, and a white bull. Here is a ch. sc.
which was erected in 1712, for 44 children.