45 



of their having done so to be derived from the names of the locality. The camp 

 lies close to the road from Ariconium, by Crow-hill, Old Gore, Snogs Ash, How 

 Caple, Rugden, Fownhope, and Mordiford, to Withington, turning westward to 

 Mag^a, or proceeding due north to Black-caer-dun, Bravinium, and on to Uri- 

 conium. They did leave behind them, however, the coin now submitted to your 

 inspection. It was found by Mr. Stallard's men, when uprooting the gorse bushes 

 on the south side of the hill. They also found some worked flmts at the same 

 time. Mr. J. J. Eeynolda has been kind enough to examine the coin, and has 

 sent the following satisfactory description of it : — 



"The coin is a fine specimen of a Sestertius, or Roman 1st brass coin. The 

 Roman coinage is usually classified by collectors as 1st, 2nd. or 3rd brass, to which 

 our English pennies, half -pennies, and farthings roughly correspond. The obverse 

 bears a noble bust of Lucilla Augusta, who, according to Akerman, was the 

 daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina, and wife of Lucius Verus. She 

 was born a.d. 147, exiled to Caprea, A.n. 183, and killed shortly afterwards. 

 Augusta is not her name, but denotes her title as Empress, just as an Emperor is 

 styled Augustus. So this little disc fif metal left the die at least 1,700 years ago. 

 On the reverse, stands a priestess offering votive wreaths at an altar, with the 

 letters S. C. The legend is almost entirely obliterated. It would ajjpear that the 

 Roman brass coinage was under the direction of the Senate, whilst that of the 

 precious metals was controlled by the Emperors ; hence we perpetually find on the 

 former the letters S.C. (Senatus Consulto), and usually, as in the present instance, 

 conspicuously placed on the disc of the coin. It was a common practice with the 

 Romans to issue money with effigies of the Empress for the time being, but it must 

 not on this account be confounded with our medal copper tokens. The coins so 

 issued were as much currency of the realm as though they bore the image of the 

 ' Csesar Augustus Pontifex Maximus ' himself. This is a measure of dignity and 

 commemoration accorded to the crowned ladies, which we degenerate modems 

 have not been polite enough to follow, and, truth compels me to add, that we fol- 

 low at a very respectable distance indeed, the superb series of the money of 

 Imperial Rome, comprised in the successive issues of the bronze Sestertius. Coins 

 have proved themselves most valuable historical records, and it does seem a pity 

 that when Macaulay's New Zealaiider shall contemplate from the ruins of London 

 Bridge, the site of Old London, England will not have left behind any memorials 

 in this form worthy of her vast colonial empire, her naval and military triumphs, 

 and her commercial greatness. " 



There is very little doubt, therefore, that the Romans did occupy this camp 

 when it suited their purpose to do so, though they have left no other certain trace 

 behind them than this one coin. 



The Saxons, or Anglo-Saxons, occupied the camp and district at a later period, 

 since the naines of the district are, for the most part, clearly derived from them. 

 "Woldbury," itself, has a distinctive meaning in each syllable. "Wold," says 

 Dr. Johnson, " means either a plain open country or downs," which this certainly 

 is not; or, secondly, "a ruler, governor, or general of an army," whilst "bury" 

 means either " a dwelling-place," or " a mound above the dead." Verstegan says 



