592 By Mrs. M. E. Cunnington. 



at this angle to prevent spreading. One of the openings on the 

 western side is 16 feet wide and noticeably larger than any of the 

 rest. It was hoped that excavation would prove which of these 

 openings were original, for it was natural to suppose that where 

 there had been an entrance the ditch would be discontinued, and 

 that a solid roadway into the enclosure would have been left. 



For this purpose a section was made on the outside of each of 

 the twenty-two gaps, with the remarkable result that the ditch 

 was found to have been continued in front of every one of them, 

 including the big 16-foot opening. 



The enclosure is therefore entirely surrounded by a continuous 

 ditch, which must necessarily have been bridged across in some 

 way wherever there was an entrance. It will be understood that 

 the rampart, though not high, is generally well preserved, and 

 that as the ditch is not quite filled up it is for the most part self- 

 evident. It is only opposite the openings in the rampart that 

 there can be any doubt, even without excavation, as to whether 

 the ditch is there or not. So although the entire length of the 

 ditch was not opened there can be no doubt as to its continuance 

 It is noteworthy that before excavation a distinct heightening, or 

 ridge, was noticeable on the surface of the ditch outside the openings; 

 at the time this was looked upon as evidence that no ditch would 

 be found at these points. As, however, this conclusion was wrong, 

 the fact that the ditch was fuller at these spots suggests that 

 entrances were made by intentionally filling in the ditch at some 

 at least of the openings. Unless this was the case, it is difficult 

 to see why the ditch should have become fuller outside the openings 

 than elsewhere, especially as traffic to and fro would tend to wear 

 away the soil rather than to increase its depth. 



Putting the length of the various sections together, 176 feet of 

 this ditch was entirely cleared out; it was found to be practically 

 of a uniform depth and width throughout. Sections 6 feet wide 

 were also cut through the lampart, one on the eastern and one on 

 the southern side (Figs. 2 and 3). All these cuttings were re- 

 markably unproductive of relics. One large-headed iron nail, one 

 fragment of pottery, two hammerstones, and a few scattered frag- 

 ments of bone were actually the only finds. 



