ABBOTSBURY TO BRTDPORT HARBOUR. liii. 



LAST SUMMER MEETING. 

 ABBOTSBURY TO BRIDPORT HARBOUR. 



Tuesday, September 20th. 



The last Summer Meeting took the form of an excursion 

 along the somewhat unfamiliar strip of the Dorset coast 

 between Abbotsbury and West Bay. About 100 members 

 attended. The President was unfortunately prevented from 

 coming on account of indisposition ; the officers present 

 included the Hon. Secretary, the Hon. Treasurer, the late 

 Treasurer (Captain Elwes), the Editor, and the Assistant 

 Secretary, whose assistance at these meetings has been as 

 assiduous as it has been welcome. 



" ABBOTSBURY CASTLE." 



A stiffish climb brought the party to this great prehistoric 

 earthwork, where they were met by Dr. COLLEY MARCH, whose 

 extensive acquaintance with the subject of " Camps " enabled 

 him to give an interesting account of the one under inspection. 



As is clearly seen by a reference to the contoured map, Abbotsbury Castle 

 or Ringc is a promontory fort, an example of that selection of a site which 

 minimises the work of fortification, since on the promontory side the ground 

 sloped down steeply and there was less need of entrenchments. On the east 

 side they found those deep ditches and lofty ramparts protecting the camp 

 from the surface of the ridge. It was distant from Eggardon five miles and 

 from Maiden Castle seven. Hutchins called the camp nearly square ; but 

 the Ordnance map -howed it to be almost a triangle. Hutchins said that the 

 area was 20 acres, whereas it is less than 10. Hutchins aid again that in the 

 middle of the western bank there is an entrance ; but there is no entrance 

 there, the only entrance being at the north-east angle, although Warne says 

 that it is at the south-east angle. Leading the Club over the earthwork Dr. 

 March pointed out two mounds on the seaward side which were probably 

 speculee or look-out posts, from which watchers could observe the approach of 

 the enemy, coming possibly up the Fleet in their long boats. Such forts as 

 this belonged to the late Celtic age, which is supposed to have begun two or 

 three hundred years B.C., and long before that the sea was covered in the 



