227 



the other ; from which they could keep a command over the plains of Worcester- 

 shire and Gloucestershire. 1 am of opinion that it was formed subsequently to 

 the camps, as the outer ditches on the eastern side of both have been made to do 

 duty for a portion of it. 



It is very natural to suppose that the Earl of Gloucester adopted it as his 

 boundary, but hardly credible that he should have had it dupr out for the purposes 

 assigned. 



When the Ordnance Surveyors were excavating in 1849 upon the summit of 

 the Worcestershire Beacon, a small urn of Saxon Pottery was discovered, containing 

 charred human bones ; this urn is in the possession of Mr. E. Lees, of Worcester. 

 As another instance of Celtic occupation of these hills, I may mention that in the 

 year 1650 a gold crown or coronet was discovered by a poor man whilst making a 

 ditch in the parish of Colwall, which is situate at the base of the Herefordshire 

 Beacon. It has been mentioned by Camden and others. An old MS., said to be 

 in the possession of Jesus College, Oxford, states that a coronet or bracelet of gold, 

 set with precious stones, of the size to be drawn over the arm and sleeve, was found 

 at Burstner's Cross. It was sold to a goldsmith in Gloucester for £37, who sold it 

 to a jeweller in Lombard Street for £250, and he again sold the stones alone for 

 £1,500. Thus we must imagine the gold crown was melted down. 



There are many traditions of coins of remarkable value having been found, 

 but no one can say to what period they belonged. 



Before closing this paper, I may mention that having carefully weighed all 

 the evidence, we may consider this large camp, as well as the other camps on 

 Hollybush and Midsummer HiUs, to be of late Cymric or Celtic origin, and that 

 the latter camp is of earlier date than that on the Herefordshire Beacon, and that 

 in all i^robability they were occupied for a time by the Romano-British, as many 

 remains of those people exist in the county, and the pottery appears to be of that 

 period. 



I hope at a future time to be able to make another section right through the 

 ramparts of the citadel and of the camp, with a view of clearing up more con- 

 clusively the age of the castrametation. 



Discussion. 



Mr. Vaux remarked that he was intimately acquainted with the topography 

 of the Malvern hills, and could therefore bear testimony to the accuracy of the 

 outline plans exhibited. 



General Pitt Rivers said that although he had accepted Mr. Price's in- 

 vitation to join him during his examination of Herefordshire Beacon, he had 

 occupied himself entirely with the plan of the camp, and therefore could not speak 

 as to the position of the relics discovered ; but, from Mr. Price's account of the 

 diggings, he concurred with him in thiuking the results as to date doubtful ; the 

 absence of glaze on any of the pottery was certainly a circumstance to be noted 

 in favour of a Celtic origin. But, on the other hand, some if not most of the pita 



