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members being desirous to see the camps and site of the villa and temple from 
which the Roman remains had been obtained. , 
After lunch, the PresmDent (Rev. J. Davies) rose and said that he felt it 
his very agreeable duty, as president of the Woolhope Club, to return thanks to 
their esteemed host, the Rev. W. H. Bathurst, for his great kindness in inviting 
them to visit his beautiful park, for exhibiting to them the contents of his most 
interesting museum, and finally for his thoughtful care for their comfort in the 
provision of that very excellent entertainment which he had given them (applause). 
The Rev. Mr. Batuurst gracefully acknowledged the vote, remarking that 
he felt the obligation was quite on the other side. He was glad to find that the 
Woolhope Club sometimes stepped across the borders of their county and investi- 
gated parts of the neighbouring counties, and he hoped they would be interested 
in what he had yet toshow them. He felt honoured by their accepting his invita- 
tion, and hoped they would find the camps and the villa worth seeing (applause). 
The party then rose from the table, and were led through the beautiful 
gardens into the park, admiring on their way the fine specimens of tropical and 
sub-tropical plants which were flourishing in the open air. Lydney Park gardens 
are certainly warm and sheltered, but we did not expect to find the Magnolia, the 
Fieus elastica (Indian rubber tree), not to speak of the oranges in full fruit, in the 
open air. The mildness of the climate, however, was shown with equal force by 
the enormous size of the Castana vesca (edible chestnut), some of the trees being 
at least 70 feet high, with trunks measuring 18 to 20 feet round at five feet from 
the ground. It was noticed, too, that in some cases where a huge branch had 
fallen to the ground it took root and sent up a fresh set of foliage distinct from the 
original extremity of the branch, which went on growing and fruiting as if 
nothing had happened. Among the other remarkable trees, one in the park was 
noticeable for the curious contrast between the upper and the lower leaves, 
the former being entire, while the latter were divided and deeply serrated. 
It was through the gardens and park that the party made its way to the 
camps, the larger of which is of an irregular, oblong shape, 830 feet long and 730 
broad. It commanded the Severn, and covered some eight acres according to the 
hand-books. It is single-ditched on all sides but the east, where, as the ascent is 
less steep, the ditch is two-fold. The lesser camp is round and single-ditched. 
Within the entrenchments of the larger of the two, lying to the right of an un- 
doubted Roman road, lead to Caerwent, Mr. C. Bragge Bathurst, sometime 
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and a kinsman of Lord Sidmouth, was the 
first to discover and excavate the remains of a considerable Roman villa or palace, 
with commensurate offices and adjacent buildings. To summarize a note of Dr. 
Ormerod to his elaborate paper ‘‘on the British and Roman roads leading to 
Caerwent,” read at the British Archelogical Proceedings in 1851, ‘‘ the excava- 
tions disclosed the foundations of an irregular quadrangle, the sides of which 
averaged 200 feet, exclusive of offices to the north-west, and of a palatial fabric 
on the north-east. This latter had a portico on the west front, and an open court 
