76 Pouts in Eskdalemuir. 



''discretion tha battar part of valour," and, following tha cat's 

 example, retreated to the house. 



Mr Service moved a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr Bell 

 for his very exliaustive paper. 



II. — " Forts and their Connecting Trenches in Eskdaleniuir.''' By 

 Mr RiCHAKD Bkll of Castle O'er. Eskdalemiiir. 



The Parish of Eskdalemuir is rich in Antiijuarian remains, 

 and althoug-h the forts themselves have already been referred to 

 by the Rev. Mr Dick, parish minister, in a paper on the '' Antitjui- 

 ties of Eskdalemuir," read at a meeting of this Society in 

 November, 180G, perhaps I may be permitted to give some further 

 dei^ails, especially regarding- their connecting trenches, which 

 have hitherto been unrecorded in our Transactions. 



Dr Christison in his work, " Early Fortifications in Scotland," 

 states that there are -11 forts in the Eskdale district; of these, 

 there are 20 in the parish of Eskdalemuir alone. This number 

 may not appear great when we consider the extent of the parish, 

 which is just about 12 miles in extreme length, and 10 miles in 

 extreme width, with an area cf 43.518 acnes ; but when we know 

 that every one of them dominates the valleys only, and that none 

 are more than a few hundred yards from the river Esk, or its 

 tributaries, we must allow that tliey are comparatively thickly 

 planted. 



It is scarcely necessary for me to describe the appearance, 

 or give particulars, of each of them ; they are all of the same 

 type, round or oval in shape and defended by one or two lines 

 of deep trenches, the soil from which has been thrown up, either 

 on one or both sides, so as to form mounds or ramparts, and so 

 add to the diiiiculty of attack from the outside. Thess ramparts 

 were probably still further strengthened by stockades, and all 

 combined would offer a strong defence against an enemy armed 

 with the primitive weapons in use at the time these forts were 

 occupied. 



The principal one in the parish is that of Castle O'er, which 

 is of great size and of great strength, and, judging from the vast 

 amount of labour expended upon its fortifications — all the prin- 

 cipal trenches being excavated for some feet deep through solid 



