RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN CORNWALL. 233 



We have now shewn that a chain of Roman camps as well 

 as British, extended from the north coast to Bodmin, and it 

 seems there were others along that coast. Dr. Borlase considered 

 that Binamy Castle, close to Stratton, a quadrilateral moated 

 structure, which belonged to the Blanchminsters, was of Roman 

 work originally, and he learnt that silver and small brass coins had 

 been found there. He also called Walesborow or Wallsbarrow 

 a square fort, a mile and half south of Bude Moreover, 4 miles 

 further south, and 12 from the Roman stone at Tintagel (yet to 

 be described), is a four-sided intrenchment, conspicuously shewn 

 in the Ordnance Map, and thus noticed* elsewhere : — 



" Ashbury (in "Week St. Mary), is the largest ancient camp 

 or earthwork in the district. Its shape is that of a parallelogram, 

 and it measures from east to west 27 perches, and from north to 

 south 24 perches. f The area within the vallum measures about 

 4 acres. At Swanacot Wood (in the same parish) is an oval 

 intrenchment, in diameter 150 by 130 feet." 



Here again then we find the square and the round 

 sufficiently near for one to be threatening the other. 



The distances of the Roman camps from each other would 

 of course be decided by many considerations depending on a 

 variety of circumstances. 



A solitary intrenchment might be constructed as a temporary 

 fort to guard a fleet, keep open a road, or cover an advance ; 

 another might be established as a permanent post of observation ; 

 some might be for holding possession of a district and intimi- 

 dating the people around ; others, summer or winter quarters into 

 which troops could be collected from outlying stations. Again, 

 a line of earthworks at certain distances would mark the halting 

 places of an army or of a detachment on the march. The 

 Roman troops never passed a night, even on their longest 

 marches, without pitching a camp, and fortifying it with mound 

 and ditch if the ground would admit of its being done, and if 

 not, they would enclose their prsetorium with four living walls 

 of men on the alert, defended by some kind of chevaux-de-frise; 



* Hist, of Cornwall, published by Lake, Vol. 4, p. 308. 

 f 445 by 396 feet. 



