Winchester more urban settlement type developed, known as an oppidum, although the archaeology of this phase remains obscure. It was overrun by the confederation of Gaulish tribes known as the Belgae sometime during the first century BCE. It seems to have been known as Wentā or Venta, derived from the Brittonic for "town" or "meeting place", or the word for "white" (Welsh "gwyn"), due to Winchester's situation upon chalk. After the Roman conquest of Britain, the settlement served as the capital () of the Belgae and was distinguished as Venta Belgarum, "Venta of the Belgae". Although in the early years of
Croydon, New Hampshire Croydon, New Hampshire Croydon is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 764 at the 2010 census. Incorporated in 1763, the town takes its name from Croydon, a suburb of London, England. Croydon was home to Ruel Durkee, a powerful 19th century political boss in the state. The town of "Coniston" in the best-selling novel of 1906 is based on Croydon, and Durkee was portrayed as "Jethro Bass". The local "Coniston General Store" is named after the novel. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which