SCHEME 



FOR RECORDING 



ANCIENT DEFENSIVE EARTHWORKS 



AND 



FORTIFIED ENCLOSURES. 



AT the Congress of the Archaeological Societies, held on July ioth, 

 1 901, a Committee was appointed to prepare a scheme for a 

 systematic record of ANCIENT DEFENSIVE EARTHWORKS AND 

 FORTIFIED ENCLOSURES. 



It was suggested that the secretaries of the various archaeological 

 societies, and other gentlemen likely to be interested in the subject, should 

 be pressed to prepare schedules of the works in their respective districts, 

 in the hope that lists may eventually be published. 



It is believed that the schedules will not only be of value to archaeologists 

 and antiquaries, but may serve to interest landowners, members of County, 

 Borough, and District Councils, and others, in these neglected but price- 

 less memorials of the past. 



As the opportunities to use their interest towards the preservation of 

 antiquities must increase, the importance of securing the co-operation of 

 County, Borough, and District Councils is manifest, and their efforts would 

 be largely directed and aided by such lists as the Committee hopes to 

 secure. 



The ground has been, to some extent, covered by the useful archaeological 

 maps of the Society of Antiquaries, and by the articles on Ancient Earth- 

 works in the volumes of the Victoria County Histories (now in course of 

 publication) ; both together, however, cover but a limited portion of the 

 country, and neither work is so generally accessible as it is hoped the 

 Committee's schedules will be. 



Though careful record should be made of any "finds " indicative of the 

 period of use of the forts, no effort need be made to assign a definite period 

 of construction, excepting in those cases in which the age is beyond 

 question, e.g., camps and fortified settlements of undoubted Roman origin, 

 or enclosures of proved Neolithic, Bronze or Iron age. 



