54: Caslerley Camp Excavations. 



When in 1909 permission was asked to cut a few sections in the 

 outer ditch there was no intention to carry the work further. But 

 when on a more intimate knowledge of the site it was found that 

 the outlines of one of the interior works could still be traced, the 

 possibility suggested itself of finding the other works known to 

 have existed, and that the excavation of sections of these ditches 

 might help to solve the problem of the date of the earthworks as 

 a whole. 



This further work was ventured upon, therefore, solely for the 

 purpose of obtaining evidence of the date, or dates, of the con- 

 struction of the earthworks, and its degree of success must depend 

 upon how far it may appear that this object has been gained. 



In 1909 four men were employed digging for a fortnight. In 

 1910 work was resumed on June 20th, and carried on with one or 

 two intervals up to September 20th, sometimes four and sometimes 

 six men being employed, for altogether eight full weeks. The 

 whole time was devoted to the exploration of works in the interior 

 of the camp. In 1911 six men were employed for six weeks, the 

 time being taken up partly in further exploration of the interior 

 works, partly on the entrances, and partly in making sections in 

 the outer entrenchment. As the course of one of the ditches 

 (No. 8) was still in doubt the work was continued with four men 

 for two weeks in August, 1912. 



To some extent the total amount of work done in the four years 

 may be gathered by reference to the plates showing the excavations 

 but a considerable amount of surface trenching that does not appear 

 had to be done in the course of searching for the ditches and pits. 

 For the sake of brevity, and of continuity, the results will be 

 described as a whole without reference to the dates when the 

 various cuttings were made. Having first proved the position of 

 ditch No. 1, traces of which could be detected on the surface, 

 search was made by means of trenching for others, the relative 

 positions of which were known from Sir li. Colt Hoare's Map, 1 

 and in the course of tracing these, ditches not seen by him were 

 found, and so the work developed, it must be confessed, beyond 

 what was at first contemplated. 



1 Ancient Wilts, South, p. 177. 



