White Horse, Vale of the

White Horse, Vale of the, district (1991 pop. 109,200), Oxfordshire, S central England. The vale is the valley of the Ock River. Abingdon is the administrative seat. Surgical instruments and automobiles are produced in the vicinity. The region is rich in associations with Alfred the Great, who was born in Wantage, the central town of the vale. According to tradition, his victory at Ashdown in 871 was commemorated by the White Horse on White Horse Hill, although it is probably of a much earlier date. The figure of the horse, over 350 ft (107 m) long, is at Uffington, near Wantage, and its outline is visible for miles. It was formed by cutting away the turf to expose the white chalk of the hillside beneath. An Iron Age fort, Uffington Castle, is on the hill top. There are other "white horses" of various ages in Wiltshire, Berkshire, Yorkshire, and elsewhere, but the one at Uffington is the most famous.

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White Horse, Vale of the

Valley, Oxfordshire, England. It is named for the White Horse, a gigantic (374 ft [114 m] long) prehistoric figure of a horse formed by cutting away the turf on the side of a chalk hill. A number of other prehistoric remains are in the vicinity, including the megalith known as Wayland's Smithy. Wantage, an ancient market town in the valley, is said to be the birthplace of Alfred the Great.