JERBOURG AND ITS FORTIFICATIONS. 251 



in the Channel, to the incursion of Saxon pirates. As a 

 consequence the population rapidly diminished, so that at 

 the era of the missionary bishops, it had fallen to a very 

 low ebb. It was to resist these Saxon incursions that (in my 

 opinion) the inhabitants threw up these lines of defence, 

 so that, if unable to check the invaders on landing, they 

 might retreat here and save themselves and their cattle from 

 destruction. These marauders never remained long in one 

 place. In England, we read, they harried the country, 

 burning, pillaging and killing, carrying off to their ships 

 cattle and other plunder. They first remained over a winter, 

 A.D. 450 in Sheppey, and later coming over in immense 

 numbers, set up the Saxon Heptarchy. 



No sooner had they become united under Egbert, than 

 they were assailed in precisely the same manner by hordes 

 of their Scandinavian kinsmen : Danes or Norsemen. For 

 fifty years these ravaged the country, retreating to their 

 ships generally on the same day ; but about a.d. 828 they made 

 their first permanent settlement in England ; they also took 

 possession of the north of France, called after them Nor- 

 mandy. Against such plunderers the inhabitants of the 

 island, behind the embankments at Jerbourg, would be able 

 to defend themselves until, their unwelcome visitors having 

 again put to sea, they Avere free to return to their homes. 



Entrenchments similar to these are found throughout 

 England, Brittany, &c, and are there recognised as having 

 been constructed by the Celtic inhabitants of the country. 

 In Cornwall a great number of promontories are fortified in 

 exactly the same manner as Jerbourg ; for instance, Cape 

 Cornwall and Gurnard's Head; but the projection on which 

 stands the Logan Stone most nearly resembles ours, for there 

 we observe " the remains of a triple vallum and fosse," the 

 enclosure being called Treryn Castle, though no later defences 

 were ever erected. In Guernsey it may be noticed that a 

 single trench has been dug from sea to sea, across the 

 headland, terminating in St. Martin's point ; there are other 

 examples of similar work at the north end and at the Hog's 

 Back, in Sark, but the finest of the kind in this district is 

 the " Hague-dyke," to the north-west of Cherbourg, cutting 

 off the long peninsula terminating at Cape La Hague, the 

 enclosure measuring several square miles. 



It is impossible to fix any date for the construction of 

 these lines, but the second or third century would be the 

 most probable period. They most likely continued in use for 

 military purposes until the 12th century, but when once Castle 



