BUZ BURY ENCAMPMENT. 



By C. RICKMAN, 



j]T affords me much pleasure to be enabled to lay before 

 you, in connection with this beautiful earthwork, the 

 words and thoughts of a master mind on this matter 

 Mr. Charles Warne and I am much indebted to that gentleman 

 for his very able description of Buzbury. No words of mine could 

 so adequately convey to your minds the interesting details as 

 is set forth by Mr. Warne in his valuable work on "Ancient 

 Dorset." Mr. Warne writes as follows : This interesting little 

 oppidum is situated on Keynestone Down, near the turnpike- 

 road between Blandford and Wimborne, and at the distance of 

 two miles from the former place. As an earthwork, it possesses 

 some peculiarities of construction, for the better understanding 

 of which the reader is referred to the accompanying plan ; the 

 central portion is an area measuring 130 feet from east to west, 

 and 137 feet from north to south, and surrounded by a single 

 vallum through which there is an entrance from the south-east. 

 There is also an exterior vallum thrown around in an elliptical 

 form enclosing a considerable space, as at Badbury. On the north 

 side of the central area ; and advancing towards it from the south 

 the two extremities of the vallum overlap each other, to the 

 extent of half the circumference of the ellipse. On this same 

 side there is also an additional outer vallum, thus forming 

 double and triple defensive works. The entrances are 

 between the 'extremities of the valla, on the east and 

 west, the former giving access to the central enclosure, 



