On Hawick and its Neighbourhood. 77 



their attention to the matter have supposed that the con- 

 nection is something more than accidental. 



They principally consist of earthworks — a piece of land 

 enclosed by a ditch or ditches, and an earthen wall or walls. 

 Around some of them, however, the barriers have been 

 principally constructed of stones. In most of them, the 

 enclosed area shows depressions and elevations, which no 

 doubt represent what were once the dwellings of the occu- 

 piers of the forts. No better example of this can be 

 mentioned than that on Kirkton farm, four miles to the 

 south of this. Some of them are within two miles of 

 Hawick, but they are not good specimens ; and as most 

 likely the route I have proposed will be adopted, it is 

 unnecessary to mention them. 



They vary in extent from half an acre to five or six acres. 

 The depth of the ditches varies from two to twenty feet. 

 One curious thing in connection with these ditches is, 

 that they are deepest towards the north. From their 

 characters there is no doubt that they belong to very differ- 

 ent periods ; but into this question it would be out of place 

 to enter now. It will be sufficient to state that they may 

 be divided into two great groups — those which are pre- 

 Roman, and those which are post-Roman. The former 

 occupy the highest summits of the hills, and consist of 

 fortified hill-tops, about which there has been no design 

 except to make the most of what nature had already pro- 

 vided. The great object of these primitive camp-builders 

 was safety; and nature before art was asserted. Conse- 

 quently they have no common form or mode of structure. 

 With the others it is different ; they have all the same 

 outline, and the same method of fortification. Why they 

 should have been circular instead of square, as the Roman 

 camps are said always to have been, it is difficult to explain ; 

 but that they were constructed after the Roman type is 

 evident, for many reasons. In the route proposed, there are 

 several excellent specimens of these forts, which will be 

 pointed out. I shall only mention those of Southfield, Dod- 

 burn, Whitehillbrae, Brughhill, Priesthaugh, Doecleugh, 

 Coltersclsugh, Teindside, and Chapelhill. The last is 

 especially worthy of notice, as it is not one fort, but a 

 cluster of them ; is, in fact, probably the ruins of Gadenica, 

 the ancient capital of the Gadeni. Enclosed by a ditch and 

 flanking walls, there are six separate encampments. They 



