84 PAPEKS, ETC. 



Various otber British roads or vicinal ways, may clearly be 

 traced thi-ough the country ; several having branched off 

 from the British town on the hill, one in particular, east- 

 ward, towards the Montacute plantations ; and another, as 

 I think, from the valley on the hill, called " The Combe," 

 northward, passing near a spring of water, called Wam- 

 bury Spring ; which, no doubt, was resorted to by the 

 inhabitants of the hill above. Also, one westward passing 

 through the village of Stoke, to the trackway from Ilchester 

 to Ilminster, and probably passing on through the eastern 

 part of Martock, over a common called Beerly, or Badley, 

 at which place is a remnant of an old road, wliich points in 

 that direction. 



We come now to the more iuteresting period of Invasion 

 by the Romans ; first by Julius Ctesar, who does not appear 

 to have interfered much with this part of the country ; 

 which was afterwai'ds visited by Claudius in the year a,d, 

 43; who for some years remained in Britain, and with 

 Vespasian conquered and retained great part of the S. W. 

 of this island ; and to this era, and the more peaceful sway 

 of Ostorius, may be attributed the various Roman works 

 still evident around us. Their well disciplined armies, it 

 seems, did not so much depend for safety on the strength 

 of their fortlfications, as on their excellent dlscipline and 

 mode of encampment : but where they fouud a commanding 

 Position already entrenched, like that of Hamdon Hill, they 

 appear to have availed themselves of, and in this case to 

 have occupied it, as far as consistent with their usual plan 

 of encampment, which seems to have extended only as far 

 as the quadrangular portlon on the N.W. side ; — but where 

 the Valium has been obliterated by the quarry workers. 

 Here exist some interesting remains ; amongst which a 

 circus or small ampitheatre, well-known to pic-nic parties, 



