ANCIENT EARTH-WORK AT NORTON. 45 
Pwl, or the village on the water, now corrupted into 
Bathpool, round the base of Creechborough hill to 
the turnpike road near Curry’s gravel pits, from 
which it probably proceeded across the vale to the 
undoubtedly British fortification of Castle Neroche. 
Now, from certain indications on the ground, slight 
though they certainly are, it seems likely that a 
branch of this trackway crossed the river Thone at 
Obridge, or the old bridge, near the spot where the 
back stream from the fire-pool, (at that time the 
main stream) is crossed by a wooden foot bridge at 
its confluence with the present navigable river. 
Now, a line drawn from this spot through Plaice- 
street, the name of which indicates that a road 
existed there in thetime of the Romans, would lead 
very nearly to the eastern entrance of Norton camp, 
and probably did actually lead there. It must be 
remembered, that neither the locks at the end of 
the Priory fields, nor the mills at Bathpool existed 
at the time of which we are speaking, and that con- 
sequently the river at Obridge must have been 
much less deep and more easily forded than it is in 
these days. 
If Imay again have recourse to tradition, I would 
call to your remembrance the ancient local rhyme 
“ When Taunton was a furzey down, Norton was a market town.” 
Now, this can hardly refer to Northtown on the 
other side of the bridge, as that is evidently a 
descriptive name, relating to its situation, with 
