Page:VCH Bedfordshire 1.djvu/360

A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE it still exists. The space within is an irregular square with rounded angles, of which the west side measures about 250 feet. Much of the outer enclosing lines of bank and ditch may be traced in the fields around, and there are two rectangular enclosures jutting out from the main position. One to the north-east is small, outlined by a slight ditch ; the other to the south-east encloses a square of an acre and a half within its fine rampart, which in places stands 5 to 6 feet above the interior level. On two sides there is a small berm and then the outer ditch, averaging 1 5 feet in width. On the south-west side the ditch has been widened up THE CREAKERS 20O 300 "&*%&> to the rampart and is full of water. There are remains of two fishponds close to the outer lines on the west, past which a small stream still runs. The ground slopes away in all directions from the centre. The great moat is so lined with trees and undergrowth that it is not possible to be sure whether the level of the central space has been artificially raised, but apparently not. The substitution of a great fosse, about a larger central area, for the moated mound, so as to admit of more space for stone erections, is the most noteworthy feature of this example. At Roxton, in Palace Yard or ' Splashyard ' wood, there is a large circular moat, with a short straight one branching off from it. There are traditions of dressed stone having been found on the site, but at present there is no clue to its origin. A 302