TRENCHES, CAMPS, &C. 451 



burning bodies had its exceptions, as entire skele- 

 tons have heen sometimes found. Perhaps it is not 

 easy to ascertain to which of the heathen tribes, 

 which inhabited this neighbourhood, the raising of 

 these ho lies is to be attributed : perhaps some made 

 some of them, and others the remainder. 



Is is thought they cannot be ascribed to the Ro- 

 taans, as they abound in those parts of the British 

 isles where the Romans had no permanent station ; 

 nor was it their mode of burial : nor to the Saxons 

 or Danes, as they are found in parts of Britain 

 which were never subject to either ; but they, at 

 least the greater part of them, must have been raised 

 by the ancient Britons ; as they are found in con- 

 nexion with other antiquities, which must have 

 belonged to them. 



Perhaps some of those hills called tumuli, were 

 watch towers ; some for the purpose of tribunals, 

 and some of them places of worship, which is sup- 

 posed to be the case with those encircled with upright 

 stones. 



The houes in this district are known by different 

 names, as Green houe, and Blake houe, corrupted 

 into Blakey ; and many from the names of men, &c. 



TRENCHES, CAMPS, &C. 



We scarcely can ascend any eminence on the edge 

 of the moors, but we perceive vestiges of defence, 

 made in the ages of cruelty and bloodshed ; some- 

 times the rampart is found only, the earth thrown 

 out of the ditch, and sometimes stones are connect- 

 ed, to check the progress of an invading enemy ; 

 or for the convenience of being kept from being ta- 

 ken by surprise. They are in a commanding sit- 

 uation, from which they could see the movements of 

 an enemy, or make a stand against them should they 

 be attacked. They no doubt were the camps of the 

 ancient British tribes, who always encamped on 

 mountains ; and as this district was the scene of 

 conflict between the Romans and Brigantes, we 

 need not wonder at those warlike preparations being 



