252 REPORT—1883. 
Mr. Worthington Smith. The discovery of a half-formed flint celt also 
appears to me to corroborate this opinion. 
‘On the whole, therefore, judging from the specimens Mr. Cole has. 
been good enough to show me, I think the evidence is sufficient to iden- 
tify the camp as pre-Roman, and probably of very early period.’ 
In conclusion, we may be permitted to point out that the whole 
evidence brought forward in this report agrees well with the theory of a 
British origin of the camp. Its irregular outlines, and the way in which 
the ramparts were adapted to the form of the hill on which it is placed, 
are characteristics of British methods of castrametation. The V-shaped 
section of the fosse is, as was pointed out by General Pitt-Rivers in his 
Report on the Ambresbury Banks, a very noteworthy feature, and an 
exceptional one, in British camps, so far as our knowledge extends; the: 
ditches in the camps at Cissbury, Caburn, and Seaford were all flat- 
bottomed. The worn appearance of Loughton Camp, and the immense: 
amount of denudation apparent in many places, favours the idea that it 
may be of earlier date than Ambresbury Banks, although both are of 
British workmanship. Whether their constructors used flint tools in 
ordinary life cain only be satisfactorily determined by means of further 
explorations, both in the ramparts and within the enclosures. The 
numerous pits in the Loughton Camp, and the ground around the sup- 
posed ‘ well,’ also deserve attention. The extended examination of these: 
earthworks and the other prehistoric remains in the forest is a matter 
not only of scientific importance, but also of very considerable popular 
interest to all* inhabitants of London and its environs, who have now, 
thanks to the Corporation, a sort of personal lien upon its many attrac- 
tions. No better or more permanently useful work can engage the 
energies of local scientific societies than an endeavour to gain and place 
on record some definite and accurate information respecting such pre- 
historic antiquities as may still exist in their neighbourhoods; and we 
hope that the Essex Field Club may soon be placed in a position to: 
continue the inquiry on the lines pointed out, which have already given 
such interesting results. ‘ 
The Committee has great pleasure in thanking the Corporation of 
. London for permission to explore the camp, and Mr. D’Oyley, the hon. 
surveyor to the Essex Field Club, Mr. R, L. Barnes, Mr. W. H. Bird, 
Mr. A. W. Franks, Captain McKenzie, Mr. J. Spiller, Mr. C. Thomas, 
and Keeper Pearce, and others, for kind aid afforded during the progress: 
of the work. 
Description of Plates. 
PLATE II. 
Plan of Loughton Camp, showing the position of the excavations, and part of 
surrounding country. 
PLATE III. 
Figs. 1-4. Diagrams of the sections through the rampart. 
