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other, so that their oval shape becomes obliterated. It was then 

 on this spur that it was deemed advisable to commence operations. 

 In the first place the age of the earthworks had to be settled, 

 i.e., the question of their age relatively to the pits, were the 

 latter prior to or subsequent to the former 1 — a most important 

 question — and one which was clearly ascertained before the work 

 was suspended. Excavations were made both in the " keep," the 

 outer " bailey," and the westernmost rampart, the details of which 

 it is not in my province to give you here, but they may be found 

 in the printed but not yet published report of the Committee in 

 the Somerset Archseological and Natural History Society's Vol. 

 for 1879; but I may say this, as to the general result, that in 

 every case the earthworks were proved by indisputable evidence 

 to be of a more recent date than the pits on the West. The 

 rampart, for instance, was found to have been erected right across 

 and over an older excavation, and the ditch to have cut into a 

 portion of another. So far for that point. Now comes the 

 question as to the date of the earthworks. From the pottery and 

 other articles found, all of which have been placed in the Taunton 

 Museum, I may, without a breach of confidence, state that the 

 conclusion of one well acquainted with the subject is that they 

 are to be assigned to a time subsequent to the Koman tenure of 

 these parts. Many objects of interest were found, and there was 

 every indication of continued occupation. But when the ditch was 

 crossed and the excavations continued on the other side in the 

 rough and bramble- entangled ground to the West, the most 

 careful research failed to bring to light any object of former 

 occupation. The top soil, consisting of more or less peaty turf, 

 was carefully investigated at every turn of the spade, the 

 succeeding layer of broken fragments of chert diligently looked 

 over to ascertain the trace of a fracture that might be attributed 

 to the hand of man, by the keen eye of a connoisseur, or of a more 

 distinctly formed chert implement, which the eye of anyone might 

 detect as evidence of human workmanship ; but all in vain. It 



