A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



copy of Dugdale with MS. additions in the British Museum. From 

 this the entrenchments seem to have partly enclosed two areas, con- 

 tiguous to one another, but not then visibly connected ; one lay to the 

 north of the churchyard, and the other to the west ; possibly ramparts 

 which once joined the two together were destroyed by the erection of 

 the buildings and the making of the road on the west side of the church. 

 Mr. Bloxam describes the defences which he mapped out, and which 

 are reproduced on the plan on page 363, as follows : ' The north side 

 of Chapel yard is bounded by a fosse, about twenty feet in breadth, which 

 runs eastward into the adjoining field, and there curves off towards the 

 north ; after running in that direction for some distance, it again turns 

 to the west, and all traces of it are lost when it reaches the road.' He 

 adds that ' the vallum and fosse on the east side are, though easily trace- 

 able, very slight, the vallum being on a level with the interior area.' 

 From the western side of the chapel yard he says that ' the ground 

 gradually slopes to the road,' and that this slope appears to be continued 

 all along the side of the latter, though traces of probable former earth- 

 works are obliterated by buildings. 



Turning to the enclosed area on the west side of the road, Mr. 

 Bloxam goes on to say that on the north ' the remains appear to con- 

 sist of a triple row of valla rising like terraces one above another,' and 

 that there is no fosse now discernible. Continuing round to the west 

 ' appear indications of a double vallum,' and on the south of ' a single 

 vallum, which is carried as far as the road, when it is again lost.' 



All the above described remains on the north side were destroyed 

 when the new road was cut through them ; the worn defences on the 

 west, south and east sides only are now discernible. Mr. Bloxam always 

 considered the camp to belong to a prehistoric age, which, as far as can 

 be judged from its general plan, would seem to be correct. The dis- 

 covery of some ancient interments with bodies in a crouching position, 

 and also of a Roman cinerary urn, are recorded from the adjacent chapel 

 graveyard. 1 



CASTLE BROMWICH (5 miles north-east of Birmingham). In a large 

 field called the ' Castle Hills,' on the north side of the road opposite to 

 the village church, some imposing earthworks of the moated mount 

 and court type at once attract the eye. They are situated at a height 

 of 350 feet above sea level, upon the brow of a hill overlooking the 

 river Tame, which runs just below them at the foot of a steep slope. 

 Their raison d'etre, in the first instance, was evidently to guard and 

 dominate the important ford across the river close by, where the very 

 ancient highway now called the Old Chester Road is carried north- 

 wards by a bridge. The great mount is a prominent object, visible 

 from many miles away ; the outlook from it is most extensive, especially 

 over the low level country to the north. 



> Bloxam, MS. in Dugdale's Warw. (Hamper's copy), p. 10 ; Bloxam's Rugby School and Neighbour- 

 hood, pp. 1 94-5 ; Bloxam in B'ham. Phil. Inst. Trans, vol. iv. No. xvi. etc. ; Burgess in B'ham. and Mid. 

 Arch. Tram. (1872), p. 84, and in Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ. (1873), p. 40. 



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