58 Report on the excavation of the Earthwork 



Camp at Seaford (' Journ. Anthrop. Inst.' vi. 287), which I 

 have shown by excavations similar to the present to be British, 

 and in many other British entrenchments that are known to 

 me, when it became necessary to leave the natural line of 

 defence which is determined by the ground and cut across the 

 top of a hill, the turn was made abruptly. On this account 

 I ventured at the meeting of the Society, which was held last 

 year ('Proceedings,' vol. i., xxiv.), to say that there was 

 nothing in the formation of this camp which predisposed me 

 to regard it as the work of the Romans. 



Mr. Meldola, the President of the Essex Field Club, 



having done me the honour of consulting me on the subject, I 



suggested at a meeting of the Club, held on 3rd July, 1880, 



that the only means of obtaining any further clue to the 



origin of the earthworks was by means of an excavation 



in the rampart. The exploration of other camps excavated 



has almost invariably brought to light relics which, though 



of little or no intrinsic value, were such as to afford certain 



evidence of date. When these camps were thrown up, in all 



probability large numbers of men were collected to do the 



work ; these men encamped upon the ground previously to 



commencing operations, and strewed about the surface bits 



of broken pottery, knives, or various fragments of utensils in 



common use. The ditch was then dug on the outside, the 



materials from it were thrown up to form the rampart, and 



all that was lying on the sm'face was by this means covered 



up and preserved. A section through the rampart and ditch 



would reveal these objects; sometimes relics of interest are 



found, sometimes mere fragments and refuse ; but in all the 



camps I have explored bits of pottery at the least have been 



discovered, which were sufficient to give some idea of the 



period of construction. The meeting above referred to 



having decided to adopt this course, a subscription was 



opened, and an ajiplication for permission to make sections 



through the ramparts was made to the Epping Forest 



Committee of the Corporation of Loudon, and readily 



granted. It was decided to commence with Ambresbury 



Banks ; a spot was selected on the west side of the camp 



