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LIDDINGTON CASTLE (CAMP). 

 By A. D. Passmoee. 



On the northern escarpment of the Wiltshire Downs stands 

 Liddington Castle. The N.W. angle of a somewhat oblong and 

 flat plateau has been intrenched by carrying a ditch and double 

 bank around the edge of the hill, and connecting the ends by an 

 almost right-angled work stretching over the flat surface of the 

 table land. The north, east, and south ditches form three sides of a 

 square with rounded angles, while the remaining W. side is roughly 

 a semicircle with its southern end much flattened. The fortification 

 is still a strong one, 1 the highest banks being on the E. and S. sides 

 where, owing to the flat ground, approach would be easy. 



It contains nearly eight acres, and from the inside communication 

 by signals 2 could be kept up with the following strongholds : — 

 Barbury, Binknoll, Bury Hill (near Minety), Castle Hill (Blunsdon), 

 Martinsell, Bingsbury, all in Wilts ; Badbury Hill and Uffington, 

 in Berks ; Kanbury, in Gloucestershire ; and others of less im- 

 portance ; while at a still greater distance one can see the intrenched 

 hills around Cheltenham and Bath. In the spring of 1896 a part 

 of the interior of this hill fort was excavated for the purpose of 

 obtaining flints; the work went on intermittently for four years, 

 and was visited for some hours each week by the writer, who ob- 

 tained everything of human manufacture which was found. 



The relics consist of :— 

 167 pieces of pottery. 

 300 flint flakes (about). 



4 pieces of bronze. 



5 stone objects. 



21 fragments of mealing stones. 

 70 fragments of an iron vessel. 



Numerous animals' bones (only the best preserved). 



1 Except at the S.W. corner, which appears :to have been purposely 

 weakened or it may have been left unfinished. 



2 Smoke by day and fire by night. 



