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ANCIENT EARTHWORKS very strong, some 8 to 10 feet high. There was none on the river side. A sloping way enters the ward at the south-east, where the rampart ends, and the outer river scarp bends round to cover it. There is a modern path through the north-west angle, which appears to have been a narrow cut through the rampart, later enlarged. Placed centrally, but nearer the river side, is a flat low circular mound, about 40 feet across by 5 high. The northern ward is also ramparted round three sides, strongly to north and west, and only weakening when it has well covered the junction of the ditches at the south-west angle, and the entrance from the outer ward. At the outer angle to the north of this is the root of a round rampart, about 1 5 or 20 feet across, mounded up on the very edge of the external scarp. At this point the height and sweep of the work are very impressive. Mr. Clark suggested that there might be the foundations of a stone tower in this mound, but an excavation lately made revealed none. This was the case too on the flat mound in the inner ward. The hole was dug near its edge to the west, but only small bits of broken pottery, a little piece of eighteenth century glass, and a few animal bones, were discovered. No signs of squared stone appeared in either place, and men who have dug about the work in former years report that nothing of the kind was ever found. At the east end of this rampart is a small oblong, slightly banked, apparently like the round referred to, at the other angle the base of a stockaded tower. Again at the south-west angle of this ward there is a low flat platform of irregular shape. There was certainly an entrance where the ditches join, or rather make for each other (for they do not join), with a slight inward and outward bend, at the south-west angle. For between ditch and rampart is a little triangu- lar berm, probably the starting place for the timber passage to the inner ward. Nearly facing this break in the ditches there is also a break in the outer ditch, at a point where its edge turns sharply inwards. Ex- cavation proved that the original bottom was higher here, sloping back on either hand to the ordinary depth of the ditch, and suggesting some- thing of a causeway, which might yet be under water, when emergency required the filling of the moats to a higher level from the river. Even in recent times there was much more water in the moats than at present, and when the stronghold was occupied, the river was much more in evidence. This outer ditch sweeps round all three sides to the river, although, on the north, extensive digging for gravel has obliterated its exterior edge. Lyson's plan shows it entire, and also continuing round on the river front, with a bank pierced about the centre to admit the water. 1 As the land between this bank and the river was very wet, its level was raised within the last twenty years by cutting down the sides of the mound along this front, thus making the scarp much steeper. A good many years ago skeletons were found in digging near the entrance in the outer ditch, and also certain long swords, which were re- ported to have gone to the St. Neots museum. Inquiry there failed to find any trace of them. Human skulls were also found recently in 1 Add. MS. 9460, f. 25. 299