amesbury

Amesbury

town ("parish"), Salisbury district, administrative and historic county of Wiltshire, England, in the valley of the River Avon. It is rich in prehistoric remains, including Stonehenge, 1.5 miles (2.5 km) west, the greatest surviving megalithic structure in the British Isles. At Amesbury (Ambresbyrig, or Ambresbery) a Witan, or Witenagemot, the Anglo-Saxon kings' council of wise men, was held in 932. Now a small market town, Amesbury also caters to the needs of tourists visiting Stonehenge and serves such neighbouring army camps as Larkhill. Pop. (2001) 8,907.

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