426 Oliver's Camp, Devizes. 



source of danger to cattle, for they would be very liable to fall 

 into it, especially young cattle, if stampeding when frightened or 

 excited. Whoever owned many cattle on these downs may have 

 found that in the long run it was cheaper to fill the ditch in than to 

 leave it open, and possibly the people who lived at the Eonian 

 settlement at the foot of the hill may have done this for the safety 

 of their herds. The ditches on the other sides, then already partly 

 silted up, would have been scarcely deep enough to be dangerous. 

 For whatever reason the ditch was obliterated it is curious that 

 the rampart was not destroyed to fill it. It has been suggested 

 that, after the camp was given up as a military stronghold, the 

 enclosure may have been found useful for herding cattle, or for 

 other purposes, and that the rampart, probably then stockaded, 

 was retained for this reason. 



Eelics from the Ditch. 



In the 1st foot below the turf : — Fragment of deer's horn. Six small 

 sherds of pottery, indefinite: Romano- 

 British ? 



„ 2nd ditto : — One small sherd of thin red pottery : Eomano- 

 British. Piece of clear greenish glass, per- 

 haps part of the base of a square glass 

 bottle : probably Eoman. 



„ 3rd ditto : — Four small sherds of thin red ware, the largest 

 l|in. X lin. : Eomano-British. Two sherds 

 of brownish ware : Eomano-British. 



„ 4th ditto : — Three small sherds of thin red pottery, the 

 largest l|in. x fin. : Eomano-British. One 

 small sherd of grey ware : Eomano-British. 



„ 5th ditto : — Two small sherds of thin red ware : Eomano- 

 British. One sherd of pottery, red 

 outside and grey on the inside : Eomano- 

 British. Three small sherds of the par- 

 ticular type of pottery met with elsewhere 

 at Oliver's Camp : of Late Celtic type. 



