102 flower's barrow. 



the east, a far wider space occurs between the two ramparts 

 than on the north. The space here measures about seventy 

 yards in breadth, whilst it diminishes rapidly as the ramparts 

 turn to the north: lessening, towards the end of the north side, 

 so much, that the summit of the outer rampart forms, in one 

 part, the brink of the inner trench. From the very abrupt 

 nature of the ground on the west side, there appear, at first 

 sight, something like signs of a third rampart ; but upon a close 

 inspection, I think this semblance will be found to be owing to 

 the trench having been cut in the steep side of the hill, giving 

 the brink of the outer trench the appearance, rather than the 

 reality, of an artificial rampart. The circumference of the inner 

 rampart, taken from the base, by a person walking in the trench, 

 appears to be about five hundred and fifty yards, that of the 

 outer, about six hundred and fifty. 



From the hardness of the chalk of which the hill is composed, 

 and the depth and extent of these works, it is evident that very 

 great labour, and that of many workmen, must have been em- 

 ployed upon them for a long time. They could not have been thrown 

 up on any sudden emergency, but must have been prepared 

 before such arose, either, with a view to a regular warlike en- 

 campment, or as a place of strength, and refuge, to which the 

 inhabitants might fly, for the security of their families and them- 

 selves, on any sudden invasion of an hostile people. 



The enquiry, by whom these extensive earth-works were 

 formed, is necessarily an interesting one, as well as a point on 

 which it becomes us to form an opinion. My own, I venture to 

 give with great deference. I could sincerely have wished that I 

 had enjoyed the opportunity of referring to the work mentioned 

 by Hutchins, Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica. But from the 

 enquiries I have been able to make, I believe that this work has 

 never been published, and that it exists only in manuscript. 

 My own opinion coincides with that of Mr. Aubrey, that the 

 remains are those of a British, and not a Roman Camp. The 

 historian of Dorset does not state the slightest grounds which he 

 has for suggesting them to be the latter, and his conjecture on 

 this point, like that of the name of the Roman General, Florus, 

 is, in fact, a suggestion without even theory to rest on. Mr. 

 Milner describes the opening of a Barrow between this fortifica- 

 tion and Arishmill, and although he found it had been opened 



