JERBOURG AND ITS FORTIFICATIONS. 2.).) 



the Scandinavian berg — a hill, and on page 84 he writes : 

 " Retrouver dans le nom latin de Carlo vallum, le nom germa- 

 nique de Carisbure (Cherbourg) qui en est la traduction;" 

 but no one ever suggested that Jerbourg had a similar ancient 

 name. Caer, a Celtic word, is not at all likely to be com- 

 pounded with Bourg, a Teutonic one. Tupper merely calls 

 them Roman without any argument in favour of it, but on the 

 contrary brings forward these " Traces of a Roman encamp- 

 ment or fortification " as a proof that the Romans occupied the 

 island. His words are very curious. At Jerbourg " Three 

 distinct entrenchments one behind the other are supposed by 

 many to be still visible. In the opinion of others, there 

 never was any such Roman triple line of defence ; but in 

 place thereof, one commanding embankment, stretching quite 

 across the isthmus." It only required to visit the spot to see 

 that the triple line existed ; but Tupper himself goes on to 

 say " This earthen rampart was perhaps raised by Northmen 

 or by natives." So we may fairly dismiss the idea of Roman 

 construction. But M. Dupont, in his valuable book " Cotentin 

 et ses lies " ( which ought to be in the hands of every student 

 of ancient Guernsey history), states his idea that they are of 

 Scandinavian origin. We must then examine the grounds for 

 his belief. These Scandinavians are the Norsemen or Nor- 

 mans who ultimately obtained cession of Normandy from 

 Charles the Simple in 912. It is quite evident that in order 

 to carry on their system of plunder so far from their 

 native country, they w 7 ere compelled to have here and 

 there stations, which they could use as a rendezvous or 

 headquarters for preparing their expeditions, where also they 

 could refit their vessels. One of these was the N. W. extremity 

 of Contentin which was enclosed by the Hague-dyke, and 

 M. Dupont asserts that Jerbourg was another* : a most 

 useful centre for bands operating in the Bay of St. Malo. I 

 consider that he conclusively proves that the former served as 

 a great Scandinavian camp, but I think this is quite consistent 

 with my belief that the embankments themselves had been 

 constructed by an earlier, i.e., by a Celtic people. 



Dupont shows that the chief reason for seizing upon and 

 using this position at the Hague-Dyke was that it contained : 

 " The little harbour of Omonville, the best anchorage on all 

 the coast, and the most frequented in Roman times." But 

 a harbour is just what Jerbourg lacks. Divette would 

 only i ^commodate one or two of their boats, and these 



* Les Normands y executerent leurs travaux accountumees et on peut euivre 

 la direction du dick qu'ils y creuserent. 



