ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 



broken bronze ornaments of the same date, all of which were found 

 near together at the southern extremity of the intrenchment. These 

 relics had probably been thus thrown up together when the trench 

 was being made or repaired. On the whole it seems most likely that 

 the town ditches or outer-bailey ramparts, both here and at Castleton, 

 were constructed in the period that preceded the Conquest, and doubt- 

 less were renewed and strengthened by the Normans. 



4. The old castle of BRETBY (Ivii. 14) stood on a plot of ground imme- 

 diately to the south-west of the church. It was pulled down towards the 

 end of Elizabeth's reign by Philip, first earl of Chesterfield, who built a 

 great mansion on another site. The extensive mound-covered founda- 

 tions occupy a space of about 600 feet square. They seem to indicate two 

 courts. There are remains of the moat on the west side. 



5. CASTLE GRESLEY (Ix. 10). The castle here was of sufficient 

 importance to give this township a name which it still bears to dis- 

 tinguish it from Church Gresley. All stone remains of the mediaeval 

 building have long ago disappeared. There only remains a hillock known 

 as Castle Hill, near the Midland Railway Station. There was probably 

 an earthwork mound on this site, prior to any more substantial work.- 



6. The famed 

 CASTLE OF THE PEAK 

 (x. 5) occupied a tri- 

 angular piece of ground 

 elevated about 300 ft. 

 above the village or 

 little town of Castleton 

 at its foot. This area 

 has its broad base to 

 the north, measuring 

 about 300 feet in 

 length, whilst the dis- 

 tance from the south- 

 ern apex to the centre 

 of the north enclosure 

 is about 200 feet. The 

 site is one singularly 

 well suited by nature 

 for defensive purposes ; 

 on the west is a gloomy 

 precipice 260 feet 

 above the vast entrance 

 to the Peak Cavern ; 

 on the south-east is 

 another irregular pre- 

 cipice falling down 

 some 200 feet into 

 Cave Dale ; whilst on 



THE CASTLE OF THE PEAK. 



379 



