Chute Causeway
The Chute Causeway is a section of the Roman Road that runs from Winchester (Venta Belgarum) north-west to Mildenhall (near Marlborough) and onwards to Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum).
The section of the route known as the Chute causeway is close to Chute in Wiltshire. Hereabouts, at Conholt, the road deviates west to avoid the deep Hippenscombe valley, resuming its straight course near Tidcombe. The length of the deviation is about four miles and the Causeway forms the southern two and a half miles.
Local folklore and legend
During the reign of King Charles II the bubonic plague struck the parishes of Chute and Vernham Dean. Local legend claims that at Vernham Dean a rector persuaded his parishioners to isolate themselves at the top of the hill along which Chute Causeway runs. When the time came for him to supply the food and care he had promised, the fear he had of the disease meant he failed to uphold his honour and left the villagers to die. Another story has him falling ill himself before he could do the job. He himself did not survive, even after the betrayal of his parishioners, as the plague also killed him. Since then his ghost has been seen to wander up the hill towards the campsite on the Causeway, never completing the journey he did not have the courage to finish. As he has not been seen for a long time, he may have found peace at last.[1]
Outside links
References
- ↑ Scanlan, David (2013). Paranormal Hampshire. Amberley Publishing.
