ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 
very strong, some 8 to 10 feet high. ‘There was none on the river side. 
A sloping way enters the ward at the south-east, where the rampart ends, 
and the outer river scarp bends round to cover it. ‘There is a modern 
path through the north-west angle, which appears to have been a narrow 
cut through the rampart, later enlarged. Placed centrally, but nearer the 
river side, is a flat low circular mound, about 40 feet across by 5 high. 
The northern ward is also ramparted round three sides, strongly to 
north and west, and only weakening when it has well covered the junction 
of the ditches at the south-west angle, and the entrance from the outer 
ward. At the outer angle to the north of this is the root of a round 
rampart, about 15 or 20 feet across, mounded up on the very edge of the 
external scarp. At this point the height and sweep of the work are very 
impressive. Mr. Clark suggested that there might be the foundations 
of a stone tower in this mound, but an excavation lately made revealed 
none. This was the case too on the flat mound in the inner ward. The 
hole was dug near its edge to the west, but only small bits of broken 
pottery, a little piece of eighteenth century glass, and a few animal bones, 
were discovered. No signs of squared stone appeared in either place, and 
men who have dug about the work in former years report that nothing of 
the kind was ever found. At the east end of this rampart is a small 
oblong, slightly banked, apparently like the round referred to, at the other 
angle the base of a stockaded tower. Again at the south-west angle of 
this ward there is a low flat platform of irregular shape. There was 
certainly an entrance where the ditches join, or rather make for each 
other (for they do not join), with a slight inward and outward bend, at 
the south-west angle. For between ditch and rampart is a little triangu- 
lar berm, probably the starting place for the timber passage to the inner 
ward. Nearly facing this break in the ditches there is also a break in 
the outer ditch, at a point where its edge turns sharply inwards. Ex- 
cavation proved that the original bottom was higher here, sloping back 
on either hand to the ordinary depth of the ditch, and suggesting some- 
thing of a causeway, which might yet be under water, when emergency 
required the filling of the moats to a higher level from the river. Even 
in recent times there was much more water in the moats than at present, 
and when the stronghold was occupied, the river was much more in 
evidence. This outer ditch sweeps round all three sides to the river, 
although, on the north, extensive digging for gravel has obliterated its 
exterior edge. Lyson’s plan shows it entire, and also continuing round 
on the river front, with a bank pierced about the centre to admit the 
water. As the land between this bank and the river was very wet, its 
level was raised within the last twenty years by cutting down the sides of 
the mound along this front, thus making the scarp much steeper. 
A good many years ago skeletons were found in digging near the 
entrance in the outer ditch, and also certain long swords, which were re- 
ported to have gone to the St. Neots museum. Inquiry there failed to 
find any trace of them. Human skulls were also found recently in 
1 Add, MS. 9460, f. 25. 
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