The original site of Salisbury, Old Sarum is situated north of the city center on a bleak hilltop. Early occupiers include the Romans and the Saxons. In the late 11th century, the Norman bishopric of Sherborne was moved here. Due to the unsatisfactory conditions, the clergy requested a move to "New Sarum," now better known as Salisbury, in 1220.
Old Sarum was eventually deserted but retained the status of a "rotten borough" until the Reform Act of 1832. William Pitt was one of its representatives.
