A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



latter is wholly demolished, and the mound alone remains, cinctured by a winding ascent to the 

 summit, some 6o ft. in height. The top is a flat area 40 ft. in diameter. Neither fosse nor 

 other earthwork remain, only this noble mound survives on the scene of many conflicts, ending in 

 its surrender to General Fairfax in 1646. 



Blackawton (O.S. cxxvii, 14). — 'The Mount,' also called *The Beacon,' is a truncated 

 cone 20 ft. in height and about 30 ft. in diameter at the base. It is situated i^ miles west of 

 Woodbury, at the junction of the roads to Blackawton and Strete. 



Exeter. — Dane's Castle. A circular mount about 150 ft. in diameter, with a cavity in the 

 top and traces of a surrounding fosse, formerly stood in a field to the north of the city and opposite 

 the castle, behind the county gaol ; but it was destroyed for the construction of a reservoir. 



LoxHORE (O.S. X, 9). — Castle Roborough, to the east of Loxhore town, 5^ miles north-east 

 of Barnstaple, and situated on a hill in the valley of the Yeo, is a simple mound, about 1 20 ft. 

 in diameter at the base. It rises 1 5 ft. in height, and in its summit is a basin-shaped hollow over 

 7 ft. in depth. 



This is one of a group of earthworks forming a chain across the narrow northern part of the 

 county from Barnstaple to the morass defences of Exmoor, and is within signalling distance of 

 camps in the adjacent parishes of Stoke Rivers, Bratton Fleming, and Shirwell. 



NoRTHAM (O.S. xix, i). — Kenwith Castle, also called Cynwit, Cynuit and Kenwic, and 

 locally known as Henni Castle and Henniborough, is situated at the upper end of a small valley 

 on the north-west of Bideford, a little over a mile distant. 



Kenwith was the scene of a stirring battle in the ninth century, a contest which proved one 

 of the most decisive means of raising England from the humiliation of Danish domination, and 

 we cannot but express our regret that the exigencies of space prohibit us from describing 

 the event. 



This historic fort is now a verdure-clad rock, an isolated mound rising precipitously on 

 all sides, but the south-east having a rectangular base. Two small streams flow at the south-west, 

 which apparently spread into a morass in former times. The entrance at the south-east slopes 

 on to a platform 6 ft. wide which gradually rises as it passes round the southern and western sides, 

 12 ft. from the summit, and abruptly ends on the almost perpendicular northern side. From 

 this platform the hill rapidly descends, although broken by a modern path at a lower level. From 

 the entrance a steep incline on the eastern side curves at almost a right angle along the north until 

 it attains the level top of the stronghold. 



For evidence that this mound is the ancient Kenwith we may look to the south-west, where, 

 on Silford Moor (Sel-fyrd= great camp), are slight remains of an earthwork nearly destroyed by 

 tillage, which may possibly represent those entrenchments which Asser tells us were thrown up by 

 the Danes for purposes of the blockade when the sortie of the Saxons stopped its completion.^ 



North Tawton (O.S. Ixv, 3). — Castle Court, within the town of North Tawton, is a low 

 mound about 100 ft. by 130 ft. on its two axes. Its height is 9 ft., and a moat which formerly 

 surrounded it is now scarcely perceptible in parts, but on the south, where it is the most prominent, 

 the depth is 3 ft. Slight indications of an entrance may be traced on the south. 



A little over 100 ft. to the north are the remains of another escarpment, but modern alterations 

 and buildings, with the divisional fence of two gardens passing right over the centre of the mount, 

 have largely destroyed the original features of this work. 



WiNKLEiGH (O.S. liii, 2). — Croft Castle. At either end of the town of Winkleigh is a defen- 

 sive work, so placed as to recall the position of the two earthworks in Hey wood Wood, by Eggersford. 



o 



SCALE or FEET 

 100 loo 



N 



aoo 





AAove 

 Se8> 





Barnstaple Castle. 



le 



o 



.4% i 



SCALCOr FEET 



100 TOO 





isr 



Castle Roborough, Loxhore. 



Croft Castle, on the south-west of the town, is a mount only with an escarpment 20 ft. in 

 height. On the summit is a platform 6 ft. wide, surrounding a hollow which descends 1 2 ft. 

 perpendicular measurement, into the heart of the mount. 



' Asser, Life of Alfi-ed, a.d. 878. 



614 



