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where now are the bones of merlin. well, local legend has it that merlin, who was the wise old man of king arthur s court, lies buried in this mound and the mound was the origin of marlborough. the great height of the mound gave it a strategic importance, and when the normans arrived here in the 11th century, they chose it as a site for a castle, able to command the countryside for miles around and, in particular, the great west road. even then, the main route from london to bath, a great trading road since roman times, which helps to explain why marlborough has so many public houses. in the 19th century this was the castle inn, a popular overnight stop on the old coaching route between london and bath. one night in 1841, over dinner, a group of people met and one of them said, mm, what a place for a school. unlike most conversations in pubs, someone actually took him seriously. within a couple of years, 200 boys moved in to begin their lessons. marlborough college is now