54 



When we arrived at Cop Grove, distant only about three-quarters of a mile 

 from where we had left our carriages, the President in his carriage proceeded 

 along Lady Emily Foley's private drive towards our next trysting place, St. 

 Ethelbert's Camp, on the summit of Backbury Hill, whilst the geologists and 

 botanists made a circuit through the woods round by Wootton Farm, bearing first 

 in a southerly direction for a short distance, leaving the gamekeeper's cottage in 

 the dell below, and the elevation of the Cookshoot (630 '5 feet above sea level) 

 above, both on their left hands ; then, descending the hill upon the southern side, 

 halted at the Dormington Quarries of Wenlock limestone, and the disused lime- 

 kilns there, before turning in a westerly direction to the Wootton Farm, where 

 the geologists regaled the inner man with the excellent produce of the dairy before 

 agam ascending the hill towards Backbury. Upon arrival on the jjlateau and at 

 the main carriage drive, crossing the road here, entering and traversing the 

 adjoining large field upon the right, we were conducted to the site of the 

 extraordinary landslip of Tower Hill, on the Claston estate, in the parish of 

 Dormington, which occurred here in 1844 (see Woolhope Club Transactions for 

 1867, page 180), where more than three acres of ground, bearing forty oak trees, 

 slipped a distance of 200 yards : Sir Charles Lyell visiting the landslip shortly 

 afterwards, in company with Mr. Symonds, found here very plentifully the fossil 

 Pentamerus galcatus. Retracing our steps towards the main road, and regaining 

 the private carriage drive where we had quitted it, we now resumed the ascent, 

 and soon found ourselves entering St. Ethelbert's Camp by the ancient original 

 entrance at its north-eastern angle : we explored the outer trench on its northern 

 side, returning by the inner trench, and at the southern extremity, upon dislocated 

 masses of Aymestrey limestone, at a height of 738 '6 feet above sea level, with 

 occasionally a yawning chasm underneath our feet upon the site known as 

 Adam's Rooks, assembled to hear the President's address. 



Upon first approaching this spot, the unexpected and rugged escarpments 

 coming suddenly into view, presented a somewhat alarming aspect — the party 

 having only a few minutes ago inspected the landslip at Dormington, and, being 

 informed that country traditions ascribe this landslip from the southern end of 

 St. Ethelbert's Camp to the period of the earthquake at the Crucifixion, when 

 also the Scyridd Vawr — the great fissure — near Abergavenny, was rent in twain ; 

 and upon being told that at a distance of about two and a half miles, as the crow 

 flies, towards the south-west of the ridge upon which we were standing, was the 

 site of the landslip near Putley in 1575 which is called "The Wonder," of which 

 quaint notices may be found in ' ' Silurian System " (Woolhope Transactions, 

 page 180, of 1867) ; with all these surroundings of convulsions we may be for- 

 given a small amount of alarm, and excused for joining with Phillips in his 

 reflections in his " Cyder " : — 



" 'Tis unsafe to trust 

 Deceitful ground ; who knows but that once more 

 This mount may journey, and, his present site 

 Forsaking, to thy neighbours' bounds transfer 

 The goodly plants, affording matter strange 

 For law debates ? " 



