E. A. Walford — Terraced Hill Slopes of Oxfordshire. 301 



step irregular. Such an instance is Kenhill, near Shennington ; an 

 instance of greater regularity of curvature and greater depth of step 

 is the Bear-garden, Banbury. It has been described as a Eoman 

 amphitheatre, and its name Bear-garden indicates a probable 

 former use. 



The best instances I can cite are the terraced banks of Eattlecombe 

 Slade and the adjoining ground near Shennington, which I described 

 in my previous paper. The Shennington valley, as well as the 

 Horley and Horn ton vale, begins near the Edge Hill escarpment and 

 flows from its ridge onwards in a south-westerly direction towards' 

 the Cherwell vale. Around the high lands above Hornton, where 

 the Hornton vale begins, are some terraces, and also its slopes are 

 terraced in its course towards Horley. Miniature terraces made by 

 the down-drift of soil may be seen on the west side of the brook 

 below the hedgerow of the ploughed field and high up the bank. 

 The names Fermere ^ Lake and Angermere Hill suggest the former 

 spread of water over the vale, and in the black peaty soil of Anger- 

 mere Hill-side the remains of large deer have been found. Another 

 fork of this vale runs alongside Adsum (or Hadsham) plantation, and 

 in part is known as Adsum Hollow. The terraces sweep in regular 

 curves alongside the high banks of the stream, and where it joins 

 the main vale to the north of Horley the steps are of so prominent 

 a type as to give the name of Steps Meadow to the ground. The 

 highest terrace gives the greatest depth of step, but the contour of 

 the top terrace is usually less regular than that of the two or three 

 lower ones. The beautiful terraced slopes which cover the three 

 sides of Gredenton Camp on the Burton Dassett Hill, I have pre- 

 viously described. 



The steep slopes of the terraces are often covered with gorse, 

 whilst the flat tops are usually clear. Although some allowance must 

 be made for the work of the husbandman in clearing the land, the 

 loose drier soil of the bank slope seems to favour better the growth 

 of the gorse. 



It is not possible here to attempt any description of the terraced 

 slopes of the chalk hills, nor of the lynchets of Dorsetshire. Eeasons 

 like those I have brought forward will no doubt prove their similar 

 method of formation. The sandy marls of the Dorsetshire Inferior 

 Oolite have, in fact, a composition approaching that of the marls of 

 the Middle Lias of the Midlands. The lynches of Oxfordshii-e, high 

 and overhanging banks of streams, occur generally along the line 

 of the micaceous marls. 



The sand of an hourglass will, in its running, make miniature 

 ridges, but in the few other simple experiments I have tried I have 

 not been successful in making them artificially. 



The section of a terraced hill in the accompanying figure may help 

 us to understand better how the continuous work of the every-day 



^ In an old ward map belonging to James Stockton, Esq., of Banbury, I have 

 noticed the words ' mere' or ' mare' affixed to the names of lands. It would seem as 

 if it better applied to water spread over ill-drained land rather than in the other 

 sense indicating a boundary. 



