250 JERBOUKGr AND ITS FORTIFICATIONS. 



On the east slope there are also three ramparts. The 

 two northern ones are close together throughout, and run 

 from near the Doyle column to the bottom of the valley 

 running down from La Buvee to Pied du Mur. The third 

 vallum, which is the deepest, diverges from the others at 

 the well near Doyle's Monument, and continues to the edge 

 of the cliff near Divette. They are simply earthern ramparts, 

 the material from the trench being thrown up to increase 

 the height of the bank. 



On the highest ground near Doyle's Monument, they 

 have been destroyed in the processes of road-making and 

 cultivation, but there is no doubt that there were originally 

 three trenches reaching from sea to sea. The two northern 

 trenches are blocked and crossed by a bank about a third 

 of the distance down ; this bank carries the path to Divette, 

 and is evidently of later and quite independent construction. 



They have been called Roman entrenchments but without 

 any authority for the name. Elsewhere* I have given reasons 

 for concluding that the Romans had no permanent settlements 

 in Guernsey and, if they had, the position at Jerbourg would 

 have been a most unsuitable one for any camp they might 

 establish to overawe the natives. A Roman garrison would 

 never have prepared, as their last retreat, a position from 

 which there was no possibility of escape, and in which, if 

 besieged, they could have received no succour. 



To us it may appear strange that the defences should 

 have been carried along the low level to the bay, the defenders 

 being thus exposed to attack from the immediately adjoining 

 higher ground to the north ; but they follow the shortest line 

 from one inlet to the other, and missiles did not carry far 

 in those days. 



Perhaps in the course of their work, these ancient 

 Gruernsey men recognised this danger, and, to avoid it, made 

 the innermost or southerly rampart diverge from the others 

 keeping to the highest level, but I shall presently give 

 reasons for thinking that this one may have been constructed 

 at a much later period. 



I have shown in a former paper f that Guernsey Avas 

 inhabited at a very early period by a Celtic people who 

 introduced domestic animals, cultivated the soil and main- 

 tained communication with the mainland. While the Romans 

 were conquering the adjacent parts of Gaul, these islands 

 obtained a large increase in population and material resources, 

 and later were subject, in common with all maritime districts 

 * Transactions 1897, page 163. t Transactions for 1897, page 154, 



