ANCIENT EARTHWORKS 



north to the south was originally 895 ft. ; from the northernmost point to the road it measures 

 513 ft.; the road is 42 ft. wide, and the southern half 340 ft. That part of the camp south 

 of the road is. entirely destroyed ; but its site may be traced by the modern hedges. 



The remaining northern half is of irregular form, defended by a single vallum and fosse, with 

 an interior area of 12 acres. It is of great strength ; the vallum, despite the levelling process of 

 tillage, is still over 40 ft. high in certain places. One entrance is on the west side of this portion 

 of the camp ; but whether another one of greater importance ever existed it is now impossible 

 to ascertain. 



Many years ago large quantities of charcoal were found on the site, also a thumb scraper of 

 flint and a great number of sling stones. 



An outpost to this ' castle,' a circular camp, lies over a quarter of a mile to the north, and is 

 known as ' Stockland Little Castle.' 



Stokenham (O.S. cxxxiii, 14). — Slapton Castle, a little more than a mile inland from the 

 famous Slapton Sands, is an irregular elliptical camp, enclosing about six acres, adjusting itself to 

 the formation of the ground on the side of a hill, facing Start Bay in an eastern direction. 



This camp has been of great strength ; but the plough has obliterated all save the faintest traces 

 of the south-eastern entrenchments. Apparently there was no attempt at ditching on this side, 





■^'^^\. Denburij 



SCALC OF recT 

 O 200 



-:3 <s 





Denbury Camp, Torbryan. 



and there remain's but the border of an artificial tableland on the edge of the shoulder of the 

 hill, which descends to a small stream. The northern part is defended by a vallum nearly 18 ft. 

 high at parts and 48 ft. wide at the base ; as the ground rises towards the west a fosse commences 

 about the middle of this side, and gradually assumes vast strength on the due west, where the 

 ditch, cut on the top of a natural ridge, is over eleven feet deep and 30 ft. wide, while the vallum 

 rises over seventeen feet from the depth of the fosse. 



The road down Darnacombe Hill cuts right through the camp, and at the north-eastern point 

 it has greatly mutilated the original entrance. Here access was gained between the overlapping 

 ends of the rampart, and the entry defended by an agger on the interior, of which a small portion 

 only remains on the east of the road. 



Numerous sling-stones have been found within the area. 



Torbryan (O.S. cxv, 2). — Denbury Camp is | a mile south-west of Denbury village, which 

 lies 4 miles from Ashburton and 3 from Newton Abbot. 



The entrenchments encircling the crown of this lofty igneous rock enclose 9 acres i rood 

 and I perch, and consist of an elliptical camp with an outer court on the west side. 



On the north a steep natural escarpment dispenses with the need for artificial works, and a 

 low rampart only is found. On the south and east, however, the defences are very strong ; the 



589 



