Ancient 



By ALFRED POPE 



( Bead Dec. 19th, 1899. ) 



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3 HEN, on the invitation of your Hon. Secretary, I con- 

 sented to read a few notes on a supposed British 

 trackway discovered in excavating for an addition 

 to the Brewery premises at Dorchester, it was with 

 a view to bringing the facts connected with the 

 discovery before the antiquarian members of the 

 Dorset Field Club, so as to raise a discussion and 

 gather their views and opinions thereon. I do 

 not pretend to a knowledge of the subject myself, 

 but rather give you the ideas I have borrowed from the late Mr. 

 Charles Warne through his "Ancient Dorset," and from con- 

 versations on the subject with our good friend Mr. Moule, 

 who is always so willing to impart the knowledge he possesses 

 for the benefit of others less well informed. 



The ancient Britons, as is well known, had two kinds of roads 

 or trackways quite distinct from each other. The first one, 

 which we will for the purpose of distinction call a roadway, 

 was formed by the throwing up of a bank or causeway of 

 considerable width with a ditch of considerable depth on either 

 side. A good example of this kind of roadway may be seen 

 near the circle of stones or " Druids' Temple " at Pokeswell, 



