Barbury Castle. 181 
ends, has evidently been in part formed by hollowing the ground 
within the camp and throwing it up. The shallow depression 
so formed served the further purpose of affording an excellent 
shelter from the fierce N.W. and S.W. winds, and would conceal 
from the commanding height of Hakpen any of the garrison 
*sheltering in the hollows. The height of the centre of the 
camp above high-water datum at Liverpool is 866ft. An en- 
trance traverses the circumvallation at the east, where the outside 
and the inside are on a level. The works consist of an outer 
and an inner vallum, separated by a deep ditch, the scarp pre- 
senting in some places a perpendicular height of about 45ft. (it 
is 47ft. even now, measured on the scarp) to the top of the rampart, 
which rises to as much as 23ft. in perpendicular height above the 
area of the enclosed space. Originally the height and depth of the 
vallum and foss were, no doubt, more considerable, but time—or, 
rather, the action of gravitation, aided by the rains of ages, rendering 
the softer parts of the soil comparatively plastic—has resulted in 
filling up a little of the foss at the expense of the earth of the 
vallum. The outline of the ridges of the ramparts has also become 
much broken and irregular. A second ditch of from about 20ft. to 
24ft. in depth from the top of the outer vallum, surrounds that 
rampart. The eastern and, probably, the chief original entrance to 
the camp, was guarded by a barbican or hornwork beyond the outer 
ditch, now much reduced in height and depth. It is probable that 
a stockade would have been erected on one or both of the ramparts, 
with passages for the defenders to pass through at intervals to take 
up position on the ramparts to repel an enemy. In the larger and 
very complete hill-fort of Sidbury a sort of double way can be traced 
on the second vallum, with a trench, no doubt occupied originally by 
a stockade between the two ways. Round the north side of the 
camp a third ditch and low rampart ran and the ground was ap- 
parently shaped as a sort of glacis beyond it, terminating in a small 
searp of 38ft, or 4ft. in height. A profile of the work is given with 
the plan of the camp on Plate I. A palisade may have been planted 
on this outermost scarp, and so enlarged the defended area of this 
formidable little fortress. 
