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details. Crossing a depression in the ground he said that was the 

 first outer defence on the side which was most unprotected 

 naturally. Recent excavations had uncovered the base of a 

 square building, probably a tower, from which the foundations 

 of a wall extended to the N. The Castle, an irregular polygon, 

 running mainly E. and W., was seen from this point to have 

 been erected on ground slightly raised above the surrounding 

 level marsh land, and presented a very imposing appearance. 

 The large round tower, with its bold machicolations, on the 

 N.W. seemed to be the oldest portion of the existing 

 building, and reminded many of a Norman keep, though it was 

 gathered from Mr. Collins's statement that Mr. Cobb, the owner, 

 who had spent so much time and labour in the excavation and 

 in the preservation of the ruins, considered that there was not 

 any portion of the building so old as the Norman times. Passing 

 round the outside of this tower to the western entrance, the 

 recent excavations had disclosed a flight of steps leading to a 

 doorway opening out into what was formerly a ditch, the entrance 

 to the Castle having been originally through the gateway over 

 this postern. Attention Avas drawn to the string course round 

 the tower not foUoiving the line of the curtain wall, showing that 

 the latter was of more recent date. Entering through a small 

 door on the E., a square stone on the right side of the jamb 

 and low down^ had the word " Thomas" cut on it in old English 

 characters, the first letter being a small " t," not a capital as one 

 would expect ; on another square stone inside at the base of 

 a wall on the left hand was cut the word " Elanor," in incised 

 lettering — query, was this corroborative of the legend that Sir 

 Thomas Woodstock was born here, whose wife's name was 

 Elanor ? Major Davis considered that the masonry in the wall 

 above Avas Norman, but that the name was cut on the stone 

 later, in the beginning of the 15th centur)^ Walking across 

 the neatly kept greensward to the west gateway, the round 

 arch over which was considered by some to be Norman, the 

 E 



