TERRACED SLOPES IN NORTH TYNEDALE. 45 



to the south of the Steel terraces, and west of the Wathng Street, 

 near Four Laws Inn) ; and this on every successive evening of 

 their march. It has been remarked that, "till the employment 

 of fire-arms in war, it is probable that the manner of occupying 

 ground for military purposes which had been adopted by the 

 Romans continued to be used by the nations formed on the ruins 

 of that empire." The natural obstacles of a country, such as es- 

 carpments, were undoubtedly made available in ancient times ; 

 and just as the Scottish army occupied the British camp on the 

 Otterburn ridge, before the battle of Chevy Chase, so an army 

 at various times may have entrenched themselves on the wide 

 platform suiTounded on two sides by the Birtley terraces, if these 

 terrace-lines existed previously, as I think they undoubtedly did. 

 Though they have not followed the precise Roman pattern of a 

 continuous line of parapet around the site of encampment, we 

 know that as recently as in the wars of the last century, strong 

 defensive works were thrown up in the Austro-Prussian cam- 

 paigns of the Great Frederick. And again, in the late campaigns 

 of Northerners and Southerners in the United States, the spade 

 was almost as important a military adjunct as the sword itself. 

 As to the Birtle)^ series of terraces, my own first impression, as 

 it would be that of many observers, was in favour of their origin 

 as military defences of an army in the field. When I was asked 

 for my opinion in connection with the Ordnance Survey of the 

 district, a few years' since, I mentioned a probable date, also, 

 for such occupation. That is, the first warlike expedition of the 

 youthful Ejng Edward III., in 1327, whose army crossed over 

 the Tyne, as Froissart informs us,''' and remained for some time 

 in a strong position about twenty-six miles from Newcastle (an 

 estimate of distance very nearly accurate in this- case), hoping 

 to intercept the invading forces under Murray and Douglas on 

 their return into Scotland. I found afterwards, from a conver- 

 sation with a woodman in one of the glades of Countess Park, 

 that popular tradition endorses the opinion of their militaiy ori- 

 gin. My informant mentioned that his father had a book, now 



* Chroniques, Li v. IV., ch.ap. 19. See also Joshua Barnes' "Account of the Reiprn of 

 Eflward III. ; " and RjTner's " Foedera," Tom. IV., p. nOO f.f. 



