155 
their inaccessibility to the hand of the pilferer. All the dressings 
of the walls, the mullions of the windows, the grooves for the 
portcullis, and other ornamental work was made of Sutton stone, 
the rest of the structure of Coal Measure Sandstone of the 
district. Wherever possible the Sutton stone has been abstracted 
either for purposes of burning into lime or as handy stones 
for other buildings. The Van, the residence of the Lewis 
family, three quarters of a mile distant, has the credit of 
being built with these spoils. A walk through the dark 
gallery and round the walls led to the Oratory in the North- 
east corner, whence a fine view of the valley and hills was seen. 
_. The three hours spent whilst Mr. Drane lovingly dwelt on the 
various details of the structure, with which he was so thoroughly 
familiar, were barely sufficient to enable one to thoroughly master 
all the contrivances and the reduplication of defence so skilfully 
planned by the lord of this castle, whoever he was. That he was 
-well dreaded by the neighbourhood was evident, and the evil 
repute of the place still lingers in the local saying of anything lost 
-or stolen that “it has gone to Caerphilly.” The derivation of the 
name is doubtful. Caer Vili, some think. Who this Vili was is 
not known. Whether a British chieftain or not is doubtful. 
A welcome bread and cheese luncheon at the village hostelry 
fortified the members for their four mile walk afterwards to Castell 
Coch. The party, now reduced by six members, who left 
Caerphilly by an early train for Bath, followed the road leading 
over the high ground to the South, and from the summit, some 
500ft. above sea level, looked back upon the Castle and the coal 
basin bounded by the distant hills to the North and North-west ; 
crossed the ridge, Cefn Carnan, of Coal Measure Sandstone and 
_ Millstonge Grit, separating the Glamorganshire coalfield from the 
lowlands on the South, passed over the Mountain Limestone, 
successfully wended their way through the mazes of the forest, 
4 and, after a pleasant walk, found themselves before the Mastern 
Gateway of Castell Coch, picturesquely perched on its limestone 
