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haunted by the Dece Matres, or other gods, and so preserved from future spoliation. 

 He might mention one fact, that Mercia seemed, judging by the graves, to have 

 been overrun by Angles from the north, who marched along this fosse way. The 

 various battles and struggles along the Welsh marches, recorded in later times, 

 would cause points of vantage, like Wall hills, to be occupied by the defeated, as 

 well as the victorious, troops. He could not resist the conviction that Wall hills 

 was one of the chain of Silurian frontier tribal fortresses, from which the warriors 

 could be summoned to defend the greater and stronger post on the Herefordshire 

 Beacon. It had its outlying signal post on the hill above Ledbury station, and it 

 had its means of retreat to the low-lying marshy land, which was a distinctive 

 feature in old British tribal settlements, and a common one in many savage lands. 



Dr. Bull, in reply, said he was much obliged to the gentlemen who had criti- 

 cised his paper. The subject was one upon which many different views might be 

 taken. Mr. Burgess, in stating that the Engles from the north had subjugated 

 Mercia, surely did not. mean to call in question the battle of Deorham, when 

 Ceawlin, at the head of the west Saxons, overthrew the Celtic rulers, advanced up 

 the Severn and destroyed Uriconium (Wroxeter). That was the earliest record 

 with any degree of authenticity of Saxon proceedings. The Engles from the north 

 came at a later period. In considering these large mounds and earthworks, which 

 would require so great an amount of labour, he had been led from the study of the 

 Credenhill camp, to regard them as being Saxon for these reasons. The Britons, 

 it was believed, did not make regular entrenchments with vallum and ditch suc- 

 ceeding each other, with covered approaches, and protecting traverses, before the 

 Romans came. The Romans would have no object in undertaking such enormous 

 labour. They had only to protect themselves against the sudden attacks and 

 night surprises of the Silurians. They had their towns to build, and their roads to 

 make, and very slight fortifications were necessary for them. At Credenhill, if as 

 was believed, Creda or Crida, took up his residence there, and destroyed the Roman 

 towns of Magna (Kenchester), Ariconium (Weston, near Ross), Circutium {Stretton 

 Grandison), Black Caerdun (near Risbury, whose Roman name is lost), and 

 Bravinium (Leintwardine), and they were all destroyed by fire in the same way as 

 Uriconium, then he would require to fortify the camp he resided in. The Saxons, 

 and, at this period, the west Saxons, might be conjectured to have fortified all the 

 camps they occupied, besides such as Credenhill, or Wall hills, Ivington, &c. 

 After all, it was conjecture, and these great earthworks might possibly have been 

 constructed at a later period. Offa's work he would not consider now, for the 

 subject would be brought forward at the next meeting of the Club. 



The questions of defences by stockades, escarpments, covered ways, spears, 

 slings, and pieces of rock-work, were then generally discussed, the President re- 

 marking that the defence of such works as these might be compared to that of the 

 New Zealand " Pahs," in our own times. 



