Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/377

BERKSHIRE ANTIQUITIES. 281 sures 109 feet across the top to the middle of the fosse, and Diay have been about 11 or 12 feet high. A section was made in this in a north-westerly direction, of the length of 56 feet, which, of course, passed the centre ; and it was found to be a saving of time and trouble to form the cutting in a wedge like shape, widening from the outside, so as to allow the middle ])art to be better dug and searched than the rest. Beo:innin<>: from the base, the workmen at first found much difficulty in getting through a bed of chalk rubble, and then chalk, which appeared to have been put together wet and pressed down : but after they had advanced rather more than half way, earth and soil only were thrown out, so that fears be2;an to Ije entertained lest the tumulus should have been searched before. This seemed more probable from the occasional occurrence of small quantities of wood ashes, and bits of broken British pottery ; one fragment, and one only, of pale burnt Roman ware, part of a vessel, of which a representation is given ; portion of a deer's horn ; teeth and bones of horses ; teeth of swine, &c. Sept. 20. However, upon the second day, in a spot which through the parishes of East Hendred and Grove, and where it is distinctly to be seen until it crosses the Ridgeway. This it does a short distance on the east side of a public house called the White House, in the parish of Wantage ; and afterwards gets into some ploughed fields and is lost. Its last direction appears to point toward War- borough.'AVilts ; and on Warborough plain it is said to be very fine and perfect : per- haps more careful searcli than has been made might discover it between that place and the parish of Wantage. It has been remarked that it forms a parish boundary in its whole course through the hundred of Coini)ton, hut no where else. If we look to the left hand, or in a south- east direction, after mounting tlie opposite hill, it runs on to Thorpe down and Aston down, where it is in very good preservation, especially v*'hen sinking towards Hog- trough-bottom. 'J'hen ascending the hill, it crosses the road which leads from East Ilsley to Wallingford ; and at what is called The Fair Mile, enters Unhill farm. There, after being nearly lost in the ploughed grounds, it can still be traced up to the homestead ; and from thence to Unhill wood, wherj it is again very visible; after crossing the wood, it again appears on the down for a short distance, and taking a sud- den direction towards the valley which leads to Streatley, is there lost. In various places, branches diverge both to the right and left from the main line, and after a while re-unite with it ; of which perhaps the in- stance most accessible to observation is one on the side of the hill before reaching Hog- trough-bottom. And hereabout the work undoubtedly bears the appearance of a road, being a flat surface betw-een two banks of nearly equal height ; whereas in other parts it is what Sir R. C. Hoaresaw and described, a plain bank and ditch, the latter being on the south side. For confirmation of the substance of much of the statement given above, I am indebted to the local knowledge of Mr. Job Lousley. It may be added, that on the portion of the Devil's Ditch thus traced, nothing is known to occur which would afl!brd reasonable ground of conjecture as to the period or purpose of its being made. If we suppose the larger works, such as Grimsdyke and Wamsdyke, (in which words, it may he observed, "dyke" seems to be used in the Dutch sense, as the re?- Xos or rampart, and not as the fosse,) to have been boundaries of kingdoms, for what were these smaller ones intended? Sir R. C. Hoare finding that by following them he generally arrived at some British village, speaks (but doubtingly, as he well may), of them as roads.