The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-11-07 00:00:00

Sport that wrinkled care derides,
died caws tartokter to held both At. sides.
I was nearly exploding when [red the above, and
had to hold both ray aides.
I tittuaia, yount faithfully,
A MAN OF FOLING.
Bridport, October O.

MAIDEN CAO*Ll.._

. To the Editors. 7
I have been requested to furnish an account oklbs
excavations made at Maiden Castle during A.& I
last, and aa, perhaps, it might interest those in the
locality, I have pleasure in doing so.
At the time of the visit of the Arelueological Insti-
tute, I had not made setlicieet progress to enable me
to form any opinion contrary to the generally-received
idea, that this woe an ancient Braila' fortrom ; later
_operations lead me to take a different view of the
origin of this work. After making about twenty or
more excavations, no traces of anything that might
be termed decidedly British have been found ;
whilst, en the other band, Boman remains abound
in every part. It has been objected to aa • Roman
work, because of the irregular shape of the fortitioa-
tion ; but Polybios assert, that the Romans, in litter
ages, adapted their camps to the nature of the
ground (as in this instance), or sometimes made them
siroular. When this camp_was originally constructed,
It was donbtlese one of extraordinary strength, Si the
krard white chalk freshly warped 30 or MI feet, and
almost perpendicular, and this again nearly doubled
In height -by the addition of the looser material
throwixup from the ditch and sides, must have pre-
ranted • formidable barrier. The inner vellum was
also further protected by a -breast wall, the stone
ounatituting the gate-waye having been re-
moved within the last few years. A sonsideration of
the hardness of the material, the military skill
evinced in covering the approaches, the amount of
laborur expended, the extent and evident studied
design, polot to the possession of tools, the oonoentre-
Lion of effort, arid an intelligence sot to be expected
in the wild tribes inhabiting Britain previous to
Cassis invasion, from the remains found, it is fair
to judge that the Roman occupation was for
lengthened period; that it was an witty sits may be
inferred by the souse and waitron pottery •41
other materiallanad„ and that their withdrawal Ow
Dorcheater ?) was vary gradual, may be "apposed also
irtm thiliplquibpp.l4 aorremains worth trans-
liott ' """ •
A large amount at epees Inside tbe atuip appears
to be paved with rough Ridgway stone mostly at 3
ts 6 feet depth ; and On the orig.inal errs et the
--matfpne tlisoleeed two roped holm meettArtit
her, dirnflar to the figure 6, nine feet in
Zhao were out inwards, the shape being wall de-
fined irk the sheik, and paved with • lloulde stone
floor at the depth of 4kes.
At the met. red 0 the vamp, and between the
lower pert of the itindr and second vellum, • small
mound of turf arrested attention. This was dug
into. and the first, thing (mid was.• Etyma° Moose
6bgb. A raised heap of inaglidlidle wig removed,
" below a Nolan pithar of Audit about 18
, noir which Inman iaterpient surrounded
—With large stones. The body had apparently been
buried in baste, head and feet together, and both leg -
boom broken. The teeth were those of a person
about Iff yeas of age.
Several iota of burnt ashes occur, and, from
examination by the microscope, I do not think they
are remains at wood, but probably Kimmeridge coal,
some of which was dog up. The articles found con-
sist of plenty of pottery—two piece, exactly similar
to the Roman urn dug op in Pease-lane ; a fragment
of Roman quern or hand-mill made of tub. from
Germany; two Roman ooios y Romatfles; two or
three long iron nails; a few see shell.; the frontal
of • human skull ; a piece of • human jaw and
' of or and other bones, and many round
Moose. .

kexos,

rgether,
Tbeas

tr

buried