ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 



the rampart at other points. The former has the appearance in its present 

 condition of having been a ' mount,' but this appearance is mainly owing 

 to the destruction of the rampart on both sides and a slight dip on the 

 inside, and it may be noted that the base of this corner is narrower 

 than the base of the rampart at the south-west. 



Though it is outside the province of this article to discuss at length 

 the period of its construction it may be said that this fortress, and its 

 relation to the surrounding country, cannot be viewed without feeling it 

 probable that the work is due either to Danish marauders, who came 

 here by water and made this the base for raids on the rich lowlands, or 

 to Saxons who reared it as a preventive station to check such inroads.' 



According to some authorities this is the site of Atiderida, but we 

 find no evidence of Roman work. 



To the south of the earthwork, at a short distance, are traces of 

 further moating and scarping, which probably formed part of a large 

 enclosure of nearly triangular form with Castle Toll at its extreme north- 

 east point, and may be of earlier date than the latter. 



Castle Toll is regarded by some antiquaries as a much mutilated 

 example of a Norman ' mount and bailey ' stronghold, while others 

 think it a simple enclosure such as Saxons and Danes constructed, the 

 lofty ramparts of which have been reduced, save at the north-east and 

 south-west angles, leaving what appear as mounts at these corners. 

 Under the circumstances, we have thought it best to include the work 

 under Class X. 



PouLTON. — Close to St. Radigund's Abbey are irregular trenches 

 extending over about forty acres of land. From the appearance of the 

 outer lines of work this has been considered an ancient oppidum, but as 

 the foundations of many walls, etc., have been found it is possible that 

 the whole belongs to the mediaeval period. 



These works extend towards Poulton Farm, where are various 

 banks which may be traces of ancient defence.^ 



RiNGwouLD : ' Roman Codde.' — In the valley at Kingsdown are 

 said to be vestiges of an ancient camp referred to by old antiquaries 

 under this curious name ; but the traces are too vague to justify faith 

 in the existence of any kind of defensive work at any time. 



Ripple : Dane Pits. — Because Hasted and subsequent writers 

 have referred to this earthwork we record its former existence. Hasted 

 wrote, ' An entrenchment of an oblong square, comprehending about 

 half an acre, with various little eminences in it.'^ 



The whole was ploughed over some forty years ago, but the land is 

 now pasture, and standing by the site, nothing of Dane Pits is visible, 

 but from the height of the hill on which Ripple windmill stands a clear 

 definition of their area is discernible by the dip in the ground.* 



» R. Kilburne, in his Tofographie, or Survey of the County of Kent (1659), says : ' In this Parish, neer 

 the Priory, stood a Castle, which was destroyed by the Danes in the year 892. . . . Onely the memory 

 of the same is preserved, by a place there, still called Castle ToU.' 



s See Mr. G. Payne's list, under Alkham, in Arch. (1889), li. 



3 Hist. Kent (1799), iv. 134. « Information kindly supplied by the Rev. H. L. Beardmore. 



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