62 THE MUSIC OF WILD FLOWERS 



Itchen, and commands from its summit a fine prospect 

 of Winchester, with its College and Cathedral, and 

 directly below of the venerable Hospital of St Cross. 

 The hill, too, is of interest, especially to field archae- 

 ologists, inasmuch as it possesses one of the largest and 

 most perfect examples of an early " camp " in Hamp- 

 shire. The entrenchment has been well described as 

 surrounding " like a crown " the top of the hill, the 

 sides of which, especially towards the south and west, 

 are nearly precipitous. In shape the camp is nearly 

 round, the trenches following the line of the hill, and is 

 calculated to embrace an area of twenty-three acres. 

 Many have been the conjectures as to the age and origin 

 of the earthworks which earlier writers were wont to 

 associate with the Danes. But the works are far older 

 than the time of the Danish invasion. They probably 

 date back to a period of some three to four thousand 

 years ago ; and if the theory be true that, as civilisation 

 advanced, the inhabitants of the hill-tops gradually 

 migrated into the valleys below, it is probable that 

 in standing within the circle of the ramparts on St 

 Catherine's Hill we are standing on the original site of 

 the oldest city in the south of England, if not in the 

 entire country. 



Passing to historic times, it is of interest to notice 

 that possibly the earliest mention of " hills " is in con- 

 nection with King Cnut. We learn from The Win- 

 chester Annalist that the great king gave "three hides 

 of land called Hille " to the Old Minster, which until 

 quite recently formed part of the Cathedral property. 

 At what date the Chapel of St Catherine's was built 

 upon its summit is unknown. It existed, however, as 

 early as the thirteenth century, for in the year 1286 the 



