PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 185 



was, as it proved, mistaken : for we eventually found that 

 all the walls, from Cirencester to Chester inclusive, left 

 by the Romans, are without [jounded brick : and that 

 there is none in the original portions of Hadrian's Wall. 

 They only began to use it at a late period : for no brick 

 or tile was made in Britain before their arrival. 



The other occasion on which I had the gratification of 

 finding him wrong, as against the innumerable times in 

 which he was right, was apropos of Haresfield Camp, 

 which was on his own property : and in referring to which 

 he rarely failed to add, " You know, the Standish people 

 will persist in calling it Standish Beacon, while the whole 

 of it is in Haresfield Parish ! It's simply absurd. It's 

 Haresfield Beacon, and nothing else ! " — I am satisfied 

 that if any Standish man could have seen the withering 

 look of contempt that always accompanied this assertion 

 of the right, he would not lightly have ventured to repeat 

 his groundless claim. — John Niblett had been telling me 

 of the Beacon-fire station at the southern end of the 

 Roman Camp : when I remarked that there must also 

 have been one at the opposite end, because they would 

 not care to light a large fire, when the South wind blew, 

 in such a position as to send the smoke into the camp 

 itself. " Well," said he, " but there is no trace of such a 

 pit at the other end " : and then he added " If you will 

 come over to Haresfield, we will try whether there is or 

 not." We got a labourer with a spade : mounted the hill, 

 and walked along the northern rampart. Near the end 

 towards Painswick there was a suspicious depression in 

 the grass : " Do you think this was used for a fire ? Well, 

 we'll dig here." He was as delighted as I was, when in 

 five minutes after removing the turf we came upon the 

 ashes and fire-pinked OoHte that proved the point at 

 issue. 



It has happened during the period to which this sketch 

 relates that the leadinii Members of the Club have been 



