Barhury Castle. 181 



ends, has evidently been in part formed by hollowing the ground 

 within the camp and throwing it up. The shallow depression 

 so formed served the further purpose of affording an excellent 

 shelter from the fierce N.W. and S.W. winds, and would conceal 

 from the commanding height of Hakpen any of the garrison 

 sheltering in the hollows. The height of the centre of the 

 camp above high-water datum at Liverpool is 866ft. An en- 

 trance traverses the eircumvallation at the east, where the outside 

 and the inside are on a level. The works consist of an outer 

 and an inner vallum, separated by a deep ditch, the scarp pre- 

 senting in some places a perpendicular height of about 45ft. (it 

 is 47ft. even now, measured on the scarp) to the top of the rampart, 

 which rises to as much as 23ft. in perpendicular height above the 

 area of the enclosed space. Originally the height and depth of the 

 vallum and foss were, no doubt, more considerable, but time— or, 

 rather, the action of gravitation, aided by the rains of ages, rendering 

 the softer parts of the soil comparatively plastic— has resulted in 

 filling up a little of the foss at the expense of the earth of the 

 vallum. The outline of the ridges of the ramparts has also beeome 

 much broken and irregular. A second ditch of from about 20ft. to 

 24ft. in depth from the top of the outer vallum, surrounds that 

 rampart. The eastern and, probably, the chief original entrance to 

 the camp, was guarded by a barbican or hornwork beyond the outer 

 ditch, now much reduced in height and depth. It is probable that 

 a stockade would have been erected on one or both of the ramparts, 

 with passages for the defenders to pass through at intervals to take 

 up position on the ramparts to repel an enemy. In the larger and 

 very complete hill-fort of Sidbury a sort of double way can be traced 

 on the second vallum, with a trench, no doubt occupied originally by 

 a stockade between the two ways. Round the north side of the 

 camp a third ditch and low rampart ran and the ground was ap- 

 parently shaped as a sort of glacis beyond it, terminating in a small 

 scarp of 3ft. or 4ft. in height. A profile of the work is given with 

 the plan of the camp on Plate I. A palisade may have been planted 

 on this outermost scarp, and so enlarged the defended area of this 

 formidable little fortress. 



