A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



back of ' The Towers,' with a termination at the Flag Tower, and its banks 

 and intrenchments may still be traced amidst the thickly studded and rugged 

 woods and grounds. The foot of Bunbury Hill reached to the River 

 Churnet, and barely outside its borders Alton railway station exists at the 

 present time. This spot has had its marked features through long ages past 

 and the valley here is unsurpassed for its natural beauty, and ' The Towers ' 

 on one side and the castle and monastery on the other render the landscape 

 specially charming. The original hundred acres was chosen as the site of the 

 fort when the hill was a barren waste. 



BRADLEY. BURY RING is in this parish at Billington, less than five 

 miles to the west of the county town of Stafford, and only a few yards to the 

 north of the main road between Stafford and Newport, Salop. It has been 

 thought that this was the site of one of the three castles said to have been 

 erected at Stafford, and it must be noted that there is one point in its con- 

 struction which differs in an important particular from the usual type of these 

 forts, namely that there is no inner vallum remaining except one short length 

 next the inclosure which here bounds the edge of the intrenchment. Also 

 it must be noticed that its general form is less irregular in shape ; but having 

 regard to its situation and general details of construction it may perhaps be 

 concluded that it belongs to the period, and was the work of the same 

 people that formed the class of forts of which we are now treating. It is 

 placed on the top and side of a. hill, roughly elliptical in form, surrounded by 

 ramparts and intrenchments after the manner of the examples previously 

 noticed (except as above pointed out), with a bastion of earth strictly 

 guarding its simple entrance at its southern end, features all corresponding in 

 character with this class. The intrenchments are deeper and broader than is 

 usual. It would seem also that the present roadway on the west was 

 originally another intrenchment. The inner extreme length is 250 yds., 

 and width 158 yds., with an area of 7 acres. At the present time there 

 is water within and outside the fort and Butterbank Brook is about half a mile 

 away. The difference in this example, as pointed out above, may indicate a later 

 date of construction. The nearest level on the main road between Stafford 

 and Newport is 449 ft. 



CANNOCK and LONGDON. CASTLE RING, the next example to be noticed, 

 is about 3! miles from Rugeley, and is situated in Beaudesert Old Park, within 

 the area of the Cannock Chase Coal Field, one of the lodges of the present park 

 being at its north-east corner. It lies less than half a mile north of Gentle- 

 shaw. The fort is five-sided : the two sides to the south-east and south-west 

 are of equal length, the three other sides are of unequal length, that to the 

 north being the longest, and that to the east the shortest. Each of the sides 

 is practically straight in line, and they have rounded angles at their junctions 

 both external and internal of the intrenchments. There are double ramparts 

 and intrenchments on all sides, and to the east an additional set. The north 

 side abuts upon the edge of a steep slope, the others face to open lands. The 

 extreme length within the ramparts is 267 yds., the width 203 yds., and the area 

 consists of 8j acres. There are indications of entrances in the north-east corner 

 and on the south-west side, and a pathway now runs between these two points. 

 The nearest level to the fort is given at 67 1 '2 ft. The situation affords magnifi- 

 cent prospects, quite panoramic, and it is affirmed that no less than seven 



33 6 



