BRITISH CASTLES
[Illustration: BODIAM CASTLE, SUSSEX.]
BRITISH
CASTLES
BY
CHARLES H. ASHDOWN
CONTAINING 32 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
AND A NUMBER OF PLANS AND DIAGRAMS IN THE TEXT
[Illustration: A TREBUCHET]
LONDON
ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK
1911
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PREFACE
Considering the richness and variety of both technical and popular
literature upon Castles generally, it may appear superfluous to send
forth another book upon the same subject, and, if investigation had been
at a standstill or barren in results during the past decade, criticism
would be justified. But much has come to light upon this interesting
subject which undoubtedly revolutionises pre-existing ideas, both as to
primitive forms of castellation and of those in historic periods. The
allocation of the former to approximately definite epochs, and also of
two great and important phases of the latter to well-defined periods,
are the salient features of late investigations. Unfortunately the
ordinary reader is debarred from becoming intimate with these changes of
thought, inasmuch as newly acquired discoveries are generally to be
found only in the transactions of learned Societies or in disconnected
brochures not readily available. To bring these ideas to a focus and
present them in such a form that the Man in the Street--undoubtedly a
member of the preponderating majority--may readily comprehend them is
one of the aims of the writer, while another is to suggest to the
ordinary observer that the earthworks in our islands entitle primitive
man to be considered with much more respect and consideration than has
hitherto been afforded him.
The monumental work of Mr. T. G. Clark, _Mediæval Military
Architecture_, has had no formidable rival since its appearance, but
unfortunately it must now be read with care since much of the matter is
obsolete. The distinction between the Saxon _burh_ and the primitive
type of castle thrown up by the early Norman invaders was not apparent
at the time the work appeared, and consequently many scores of
castellated works are assigned to incorrect periods. This had the effect
of making the chronology of the Rectangular Keep incorrect. Unhappily
_The History of the Art of War_ by Oman followed Clark's lead and with,
of course, the same result. Mr. J. H. Round in his _Geoffrey de
Mandeville_ appears to have been one of the first, if not the first, to
differentiate between the _turris_ and the _castellum_ (_i.e._ the Keep
and the Ward) of medieval writers, who were proverbially loose with
respect to their employment of technical terms. Excellent work also in
this respect has been carried out by Mrs. E. Armitage, who, by the
process of practically investigating in detail some of the defences
mentioned in Domesday Book, has been able to definitely assign the Motte
and Bailey type to the early Norman Period. In the recently issued
_Victoria History of the Counties of England_ the effect of these
discoveries is discernible in those parts relating to castellation,
which very carefully correct the errors prevailing in former standard
and in local topographical works. With regard to Earthworks, the
invaluable investigations carried out by "The Committee upon Ancient
Earthworks and Fortified Enclosures," acting in co-operation with the
Society of Antiquaries, has resulted in a flood of light being thrown
upon these interesting remains, so that the old allocation to British,
Roman, and Danish influence, so arbitrarily insisted upon in former
times according to the contour of the earthwork in question, no longer
subsists, or only as far as circumstances justify the nomenclature. No
generally available work is to hand dealing with these subjects in a
non-technical manner, and it may be hoped that this endeavour will help
to fill the interregnum between the work of Clark and a future equally
monumental tome.
The thanks of the Author are herewith gratefully tendered to the
Congress of Archæological Societies of 1903 for permission to make use
of the plans of Earthworks issued in their "Scheme for Recording Ancient
Defensive Earthworks and Fortified Enclosures," and also to Mr. Cecil C.
Brewer for the plans of various floors in Hedingham Keep.
CHARLES H. ASHDOWN.
ST. ALBANS.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PAGE
NATURAL FORTRESSES STRENGTHENED 1
CHAPTER II
FORTIFIED HILL-TOPS 13
CHAPTER III
SIMPLE ARTIFICIAL ENCLOSURES 33
CHAPTER IV
THE MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLE 48
CHAPTER V
THE SHELL KEEP 64
CHAPTER VI
THE RECTANGULAR KEEP 76
CHAPTER VII
THE CYLINDRICAL KEEP 101
CHAPTER VIII
THE CONCENTRIC CASTLE 110
CHAPTER IX
THE CASTELLATED MANSION 147
CHAPTER X
THE CASTLES OF SCOTLAND 173
CHAPTER XI
THE SIEGE AND DEFENCE OF A MEDIEVAL CASTLE 188
INDEX 201
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FULL PAGE IN COLOUR
1. Bodiam Castle, Sussex _Frontispiece_
One of the most picturesque ruins in Sussex and the most
interesting of its class in the Kingdom. It was erected
by a veteran of Agincourt and is based upon the plan of
those existing in Gascony at that time. Only the
encircling walls and towers now remain, the interior
having been despoiled. The view shows the Gateway and a
portion of the defences of the Causeway across the Moat.
FACING PAGE
2. Maiden Castle, Dorsetshire 9
This gigantic earthwork looms darkly in the distance,
with indications upon its broken outline of the enormous
mounds and fosses which render it one of the most
impressive examples of its class. As a work of Neolithic
man it commands attention, both by reason of the vastness
of its plan and the skill shown in the design.
3. Pevensey Castle, Sussex 16
Within the Roman walls encircling this ancient site a
Concentric Castle was erected during the time of Edward
I., a short portion of the existing wall being used for
the new building. It was partly surrounded by a moat, a
part of which appears in the view, while the drum tower
occupying the centre is one of those designed to protect
the approach to the Castle.
4. The Beauchamp Tower, Tower of London 25
This building affords an interesting example of the
ground floor of a tower of the thirteenth century with
massive walls and deep embrasures. It became famous as a
prison in Tudor times and later when numerous notable
persons were incarcerated; the carvings on the walls
reveal many notable names.
5. Corfe Castle, Dorsetshire 32
The scattered ruins of the great Castle of Corfe owe
their present appearance to the "slighting" by gunpowder
in 1646, after its capture by the Parliamentarians. Amid
the desolation produced the great Keep still rears a
massive front towards the sky, as if protesting against
the indignity. The Gateway to the inner Bailey is nearly
perfect, and the smooth ashlar of many of the circular
towers remains wonderfully preserved.
6. The Tower of London 49
The three lines of defence which render the Tower one of
the most effective Concentric Castles in this country are
well seen in the illustration. The outer encircling
walls, the higher curtain wall of the second defence,
with one of the many towers which bestride it, and the
innermost of all, the White Tower, the finest example of
a Norman Keep in England, may be distinctly located.
7. Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire 56
Although deprived of the charm of the great Moat which
once surrounded the Castle, Kenilworth still forms a
beautiful object, magnificent in its decay. The halo of
romance hangs over these ruins, and speaks eloquently of
the Barons' War, and of the 'spacious days' of Queen
Elizabeth.
8. Arundel Castle, Sussex 73
This massive pile, overlooking the little river Arun at
its base, stands upon a spur of chalk which once bore a
Motte and Bailey Castle. The Motte is now crowned by a
Shell Keep, seen towards the right of the picture, while
some of the other buildings erected upon the enceinte
form an effective group in the centre.
9. Dover Castle, Kent 80
The great Keep dominates the view, with the buildings of
its fore-court at the base, while below are seen the
towers and massive defences of the formidable entrance to
the Castle. It is one of the most impressive piles to be
seen in the British Isles, and never fails to impress the
foreigner when approaching it from the coast of France.
10. Rochester Castle, Kent 89
Of Rochester Castle nothing of importance remains except
the great Keep and fragments of walls. The Norman Keep
was erected in the reign of Henry I. (1100-1135) and is
one of the finest now in existence. It has seen many
troublous times in its varied history, chiefly at the
hands of King John and Simon de Montfort. The combination
of Keep, Cathedral, and river presented in the view is
particularly pleasing.
11. Richmond Castle, Yorkshire 96
This lordly Castle occupies a commanding position in the
romantically beautiful valley of the Swale and dates back
to the Norman period. The Keep is a salient feature and
exemplifies in a remarkable degree nearly all the
characteristics inherent in buildings of this class. The
Norman hall is one of the best preserved of its type to
be found in this country.
12. Carnarvon Castle, Carnarvonshire 105
One of the most impressive features of this great Castle,
termed the finest in Europe, is the Eagle Tower with its
many historical associations. The bands and dressings of
dark sandstone are well shown in the illustration, while
upon the merlons crowning the turrets may be perceived as
little dots the statuettes of men and animals which
usually occur upon the Edwardian Castles in Wales.
13. Castle Rushen, Isle of Man 112
Castle Rushen, in Castletown, is the ancient residence of
the Kings of Man; it probably dates from the thirteenth
century and is still quite entire. The Keep-like
structure upon the right are the curtain walls and towers
surrounding the inner Bailey.
14. Leeds Castle, Kent 121
Leeds Castle is of the Concentric type and stands upon
two islands in the middle of a lake which contains about
fifteen acres of water. It has a rich history and the
remains are of considerable interest, although the
earliest work now to be seen is not older than the
twelfth century. The Gloriette or Keep is that portion
lying to the right in the picture.
15. Tower of London, The Middle Tower 128
This building might more aptly be termed 'The Barbican,'
as it lies upon the farther side of the Moat from the
Fortress. It now forms the entrance to the Tower from
Tower Hill and affords access to the outer Bailey through
the Byward Tower, whose entrance may be perceived through
the archway. In earlier times this gate, which is one of
those built by Henry III., was separated from a former
outer barbican by the waters of the Moat, hence its name,
the Middle Tower.
16. Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire 137
Chepstow Castle is an example of an Early Norman Fortress
of the Rectangular Keep type, which was rendered
concentric by the addition of Baileys and a wall of
enceinte. A steep side towards the river is visible in
the picture upon which the domestic buildings were built.
Among the many beautiful spots to be found upon the banks
of the Wye, Chepstow Castle holds a worthy place. Perhaps
the 'beauty of decay' is in no case better exemplified in
any part of England than here.
17. Leeds Castle, Kent 144
The Gateway of the Castle is one of the most picturesque
portions of the building. A range of machicoulis is
placed over the entrance, while a small portion of an
original bretasche, a very rare survival of the medieval
period, is also preserved in the Castle.
18. Windsor Castle 147
Windsor Castle was originally of the Motte and Bailey
type, but the Motte was subsequently crowned with a
massive Shell Keep, one of the largest of its kind. It
appears in the illustration surmounted by the Royal
Standard. By later additions the Castle was rendered
concentric. In the centre is the upper portion of St.
George's Chapel, and on the right the Curfew Tower built
by Henry III. and restored by Salvin, while in the front
nestles a portion of the old town.
19. Skipton Castle, Yorkshire 150
Skipton Castle possesses a history reaching back to the
Norman Conquest, and has been in the possession of the
great Clifford family since the reign of Edward II. The
portion here shown is the Tudor Courtyard, erected by the
first Earl of Cumberland in the reign of Henry VIII.
20. Ightham Mote, Kent 155
Ightham Mote boasts of a Hall erected early in the
fourteenth century and one of the best of its kind. The
tower is of Perpendicular architecture, and most of the
other portions Elizabethan. The half-timber work
exhibited in this building is a beautiful example, and
the whole structure harmonizes in the happiest manner
with the uncommon beauty of the surroundings.
21. Wressle Castle, Yorkshire 158
Wressle Castle has a history which is indissolubly linked
up with the great house of the Percies, who periodically
maintained their court in it for centuries. Only the
south façade is now standing, as the Parliamentarians
destroyed the remaining three sides about 1650. It was
surrounded by a moat and a deep dry ditch. The famous
Household Book of Henry Percy, written soon after the
country settled down after the Wars of the Roses, reveals
elaborate details of the life in this Castle. The
illustration shows how a castle built on level ground is
able to look over a very extended area from its
battlements.
22. Hever Castle, Kent 161
Hever Castle dates from the time of Edward III., and a
romantic interest is attached to it in connection with
the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, whose family resided there.
The Gatehouse, not shown in the illustration, is
undoubtedly one of the most effective portions of the
building.
23. Maxstoke Castle, Warwickshire 163
This Castle is practically entire, having escaped the
destructive hands of the Parliamentarians. It was raised
in the early part of the reign of Edward III. and the
Gatehouse forms an excellent example of castellation of
that period. Strange to say, some of the original
domestic apartments are still in a good state of
preservation.
24. Herstmonceaux Castle, Sussex 166
This Castle is one of the later type, and erected in
brick. It is contemporary with Tattershall in
Lincolnshire, also built of brick, and undoubtedly forms
one of the finest examples of the Castellated Mansion to
be found in England.
25. Penshurst Place, Kent 168
The manor-house of the Sydneys first came into existence
in the reign of Edward II., and gradually expanded into a
happy mixture of the manorial mansion and the Castle. The
Hall, seen in the centre of the picture, dates from the
middle of the fourteenth century and is one of the
earliest parts of the building.
26. Bothwell Castle, Lanarkshire 179
Bothwell Castle stands in all the majesty of ruin upon
the banks of the Clyde, and is without doubt the grandest
example in Scotland of the simple enclosure castle of the
thirteenth century. A deep and wide moat protects it upon
the land side, and its Donjon is also strengthened by its
own ditch.
27. Neidpath Castle, Peeblesshire 182
Is a typical Lowland Keep or Peel overlooking the Tweed,
and although it probably does not date back earlier than
the fourteenth century in its present form, an older
structure existed in the time of David I. (1124-1153),
who dated charters there. The Castle was held by the
Frasers until the fourteenth century, and John, Lord
Yester, afterwards the Earl of Tweeddale, defended the
place against Cromwell in 1646 but was obliged to
surrender.
28. Edinburgh Castle from the Terrace of Heriot's Hospital 185
Edinburgh Castle is the centre of the national history of
Scotland. It stands upon the ancient Burgh of Edwin, King
of Northumbria, and although sadly altered and disfigured
in comparatively modern times by the addition of many
unpicturesque buildings, it still possesses interesting
features of the past, and an imposing aspect when viewed
from the city.
29. Dunnottar Castle, Kincardineshire 187
Dunnottar Castle is undoubtedly one of the most majestic
ruins of the fourteenth century in Scotland, with a rich
store of interesting history casting a halo of romance
around the massive pile. The sea surrounds it on three
sides, while a deep ravine upon the fourth severs it from
the mainland. The tide of war has often ebbed and flowed
before its hoary walls. The Keep was built by Sir William
Keith in 1392, and in the Great Civil War the regalia of
Scotland, which had been sent here for safety, was sent
out of the Castle before its surrender to the English.
30. Tantallon Castle, Haddingtonshire 190
Tantallon Castle stands upon a bold spur of rock south of
the Firth of Forth. It is a magnificent example of a
Quadrangular Castle, surrounded upon three sides by the
waters of the North Sea, and defended upon the remaining
side by gigantic walls flanked by the Keep, and also a
deep ditch.
31. Stirling Castle, Stirlingshire 192
Stirling Castle occupies a precipitous site upon the
river Forth and is connected with the history of Scotland
from a very early period. Of sieges and battles it has
seen its full share, and although modern fortifications
and barracks somewhat detract from its appearance, it
still possesses a number of medieval structures of great
beauty and interest.
32. Raising the Portcullis 196
The method for raising and lowering the Portcullis of a
medieval castle is shown here, the example being taken
from the Tower of London. This effective defence could be
entirely detached if required and dropped at a critical
moment when, perhaps, a few assailants had gained
admission, and were in that manner cut off from their
comrades.
LINE DRAWINGS IN THE TEXT
PAGE
1. A Trebuchet Title-page
2. Comb Moss, Derbyshire 11
3. Maiden Castle, West Entrance 16
4. Maiden Castle, East Entrance 17
5. Stockade of Stone and Rubble, with Palisade of Wood 19
6. Simple Stockade of Stone and Earth, retained by
Wooden Stakes 20
7. Stone Stockade, with Inner Core of Masonry 20
8. Wooden Palisade of Tree-Trunks, strengthened with
Earth 21
9. Badbury Rings, Dorset 23
10. The Berm of Cadbury Castle 24
11. Ravensburgh Castle, Hexton, Herts 26
12. Mam Tor, Derbyshire 28
13. Hunsbury, Northamptonshire 30
14. Yarnbury, Wilts 31
15. Melandra, Derbyshire 35
16. Section of the City Defences of Verulamium (near
St. Albans) 37
17. Battlemented Parapet shown in Caedmon's Paraphrase 41
18. Battlements shown in Harl. MS. 603 41
19. The Danish Burh at Gannock's Castle, near Tempsford 44
20. Pevensey Castle 46
21. Clifford's Castle, Northants 51
22. Forebuilding of the Keep, Berkeley 79
23. Dover Castle 81
24. Clun Castle, Salop 89
25. Bamborough Castle 95
26. Plans of the Keep of Hedingham Castle 100
27. Ground Plan of Conisborough Keep 107
28. Conisborough 108
29. The Ideal Concentric Castle 115
30. Machicoulis supporting an Alur 117
31. Merlon pierced with Oillet 124
32. Caerphilly Castle 127
33. Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire 129
34. Chepstow Castle 141
35. Leeds Castle, Kent 143
36. Bartizan 178
37. Diagram illustrating the Principle of Construction in
Classical Engines 192
BRITISH CASTLES
CHAPTER I
NATURAL FORTRESSES STRENGTHENED
Man is essentially a pugilistic animal and experiences a keen sense of
delight in hunting all objects of the chase, ferocious or otherwise, but
the keenest undoubtedly when upon the track of the grandest of all
game--man. But at the same time though willing to inflict injury he
invariably does so at the minimum of risk to himself, deeming the
preservation of his own life, the greatest of the gifts that Nature has
bestowed upon him, of the first importance. Thus it is conceivable that
after the selection of a stone or the fabrication of a club by primitive
man he naturally proceeded to make a protection for himself to
counteract the effect of those weapons when wielded by others, and the
shield would follow as a logical sequence. The shield was to all intents
and purposes a movable castle, since it afforded him the means of
causing the greatest amount of annoyance to his enemy, while at the same
time furnishing the maximum means of protection to himself; a definition
which is appropriate to the first and latest type of feudal castle. As a
non-movable protection he would soon recognise the advantages afforded
by a tree, a rock, a fold in the ground; and the efficacy of these
natural defences would suggest artificial examples where they were
non-existent.
Hence the earthwork and the parapet of rock, singly or combined, may be
regarded as the first of all castellation, with an origin so remote as
to be practically coeval with man's first appearance upon earth. These
simple means of defence are found in every country occupied by primitive
races; in America they are numerous and undoubtedly point to a high
antiquity, and the same holds good in many parts of Asia and Europe. In
the British Isles we have a richer collection probably than can be found
in any other portion of the globe, for in the habitable districts hardly
a square mile exists without some indication of disturbance of the soil
due in the majority of cases to some work of a defensive character.
Earthworks are of such a varied nature, with so many differences of
contrast alike as regards shape, elevation and area, that to the
ordinary observer any classification seems impossible, and practically
it is only when descriptions and plans of the whole are aggregated for
selection that they fall under different headings by presenting
essential features common to a class. Hence in late years a system of
differentiation has been evolved, and the allocation of an earthwork to
a definite class is now possible. To the antiquary this is a source of
keen satisfaction, and it is hoped that to the ordinary observer it may
prove one of equal interest.
It should be borne in mind that earthworks of great antiquity are found
only in those districts and localities where man could delve with his
primitive appliances, and thus a classification presents itself at once
in a contradistinction between the Western and Central parts of England
compared with the Southern and Eastern. It is obvious that no primitive
race, with their crude appliances, could dig into Cambrian, Silurian, or
Carboniferous rock in order to entrench themselves, and that in those
localities the breastwork would necessarily be paramount; and that
entrenching would only be possible where an accumulation of detritus or
alluvium existed, that is to say, in the valleys. So that, broadly
speaking, the parapet prevails in Wales and the Midland counties and the
ditch in the remaining portions. Those districts, reaching approximately
from Dorsetshire to Yorkshire and belonging to the Cretaceous formation,
would therefore roughly divide the country into two portions--the fosse
prevailing to the east of it, and the breastwork to the west.
Another fact is apparent when dealing with this subject: the earthwork
is much more durable than any other form of castrametation, in fact it
is almost indestructible so far as meteoric agencies are concerned,
whereas the parapet suffers not only from disintegration by the
weathering influences of rain, frost, wind, and heat, but also from the
tendency to lose its original shape through having no natural or
artificial coherence between the separate parts. Thus undoubted examples
of prehistoric ramparts are comparatively rare when compared with the
wealth of existent earthworks.
It must be borne in mind that the study of the earthwork is the alphabet
to that of castellation, and that the evolution of the latter cannot be
efficiently comprehended without an intelligent appreciation of the
former. So far as classification of earthworks has been made to the
present time, the following table represents the general mode of
procedure, and under one or other of its separate headings the whole of
the earthworks, so far as our knowledge extends at the time of writing,
may be allocated.
CLASSIFICATION OF EARTHWORKS
1. _Natural Fortresses strengthened._ This refers to fortresses partly
inaccessible by reason of precipices, cliffs, or water, additionally
defended by artificial banks or walls.
2. _Fortified Hill-Tops strengthened._ This includes fortresses situated
on hill-tops, with artificial defences adapted to the natural
configuration of the ground, or to those which are less dependent on the
natural slopes.
3. _Simple Artificial Enclosures_, including rectangular or other forms,
and all the fortifications and towns of the Romano-British period.
4. _The Mount and Fosse._
5. _The Mount and Bailey_, consisting of natural or artificial mounds
with one or more courts attached.
6. _Homestead Moats._
7. _Homestead Moats developed_, referring to enclosures similar to No. 6
but augmented by supplementary defences.
8. _Protected Village Sites._
_Class I.--Natural Fortresses strengthened._
This division may very readily be subdivided into three parts dealing
with natural fortresses according to the topographical characteristics
as follows:
(_a_) Promontory forts, or cliff castles both upon the coasts
and inland.
(_b_) Those depending upon rivers, woods, marshes, etc. for
efficiency.
(_c_) Plateau forts.
(_a_) _Promontory Forts._--This type of fort is prehistoric as a rule
and not characterised by an excess of variation. No distinctive
uniformity can be traced, it is true, but special features may be
discovered in almost every example of the class. It is only natural that
primitive man should seize upon any spot which promised the minimum of
labour to adapt it for his purpose of protection, hence distinguishing
features may be discerned in almost every case, depending upon the
presence of a precipice, slope, bog, wood, chasm, marsh, etc. The
description of a few of these fortresses will sufficiently illustrate
the point.
_Trevalgue Head_, one mile north-east of New Quay, is practically an
island, being cut off from the mainland by a chasm through which the
tide flows, thus presenting a formidable obstacle 20 feet wide in
places. In order to strengthen this natural obstruction many lines of
entrenchments have been thrown up, both upon the island and the
mainland. The presence of quantities of flint chippings sufficiently
proves that this fort was the residence of Neolithic man, probably the
descendant of local Palæolithic ancestors.
As the terms "Stone Age," "Bronze Age," "Iron Age" do not convey any
idea of date to the great majority of people, it may be advisable to
mention that the Stone Age approximately terminated about 3000 B.C. upon
the Continent, and 1500 B.C. in the British Isles, when the Bronze Age
is supposed to have commenced. These dates are of course entirely
conjectural. The Iron Age commenced in Britain about 400 B.C.
The general idea of a cliff castle may be gathered from the foregoing
description of Trevalgue; there are many examples to be found in our
Islands, and similar ones occur in Brittany. That they are of ancient
British origin is suggested by the fact that they invariably occur in a
district where cromlechs, stone circles, menhirs, and other Celtic
remains are to be found.
_Treryn Castle_, about three miles from St. Buryan, contains the famous
Logan stone. The fort is a gigantic mass of granite, nearly 250 feet in
height, separated from the mainland by a triple row of formidable
entrenchments, still 4 or 5 yards in height. This fort is probably the
finest to be found in Cornwall.
At _St. David's Head_ is a cliff castle called _Clawll y Milwyr_, where
a small peninsula has been converted into a formidable fortress by the
erection of a great stone wall about 12 feet in thickness and still some
15 or more feet in height. The only method of approaching the enclosed
space is by a narrow entrance at the end of the wall. A fosse is
associated with the defence in question, and several other subsidiary
walls and fosses are found. Excavation has proved that the formation of
the castle occurred in the early Iron Age.
[Illustration: MAIDEN CASTLE, DORSETSHIRE.]
_Old Castle Head_, Manorbier, in Pembrokeshire, may be cited as a good
example of a cliff castle, and
_Dinas_, four miles from Fishguard, affords another, where a natural
crevasse has been carefully scarped in order to separate a headland from
the mainland. The examples given have been taken from South Wales and
the Cornish peninsula, where for obvious reasons less probability of
disturbance during later periods has occurred. Ideal spots like Portland
are to be found in the British Isles, but the operations of man in
quarrying, building, etc. have probably destroyed all traces of defences
erected by the primitive inhabitants.
_Clifton Camps_, three in number, lying on either side of the Avon,
afford us examples of cliff castles remote from the sea. The projecting
land jutting out into the loops of the winding river has in each case
been protected by lines of trenches.
It can hardly be supposed that cliff castles generally were continuously
occupied, because as a rule the area is limited, and could not afford
sustenance for flocks and herds. Neither do they boast the possession of
the indispensable well or spring in the majority of cases. Simplicity
in plan is their chief feature, and generally the fosse defending them
is single, rarely double, and practically never treble. They probably
afforded the last resort when hard pressed by the enemy; abandoning
flocks and herds and thinking only of life and limb, the refugees could
make a last stand within them, and, if fortune still proved adverse,
could lower themselves down the steep faces of the cliffs, and trust to
the mercy of the waters.
(_b_) Another class of fortresses falling under the same heading are
those which depended upon woods, marshes, rivers, and similar natural
defences for their efficiency.
The _Dyke Hills_ at Dorchester, in Oxfordshire, undoubtedly formed at
one time a safe haven of refuge, being almost surrounded by swamps
forming a most effective defence. At the present time, however, these
have disappeared owing to the general lowering of the water-level
throughout England, by drainage, locks, weirs, etc., and they
consequently give no indication of former efficiency. Two great fosses
may be traced reaching from the Thame to the Thames, thus cutting off a
piece of land and entirely defending it by means of water.
The _Isle of Avalon_, near Glastonbury, is essentially a peninsula,
rising from the midst of a marsh with a series of aggers and
accompanying dykes carried across the isthmus.
[Illustration: COMB MOSS, DERBYSHIRE.]
(_c_) _Plateau Forts._--_Comb Moss._ One of the finest examples of this
division is Comb Moss, which is situated near Chapel-en-le-Frith in the
vicinity of Derby, and at about 1600 feet above the level of the sea.
Its mission is so obvious that the name of "The Castle" is applied to
it locally. It is roughly triangular in shape, and upon two sides
precipitous slopes occur, which descend for nearly 500 feet and offer
magnificent protection. The third side leads out upon a fairly level
plateau, and here a double rampart and fosse has been made, completely
closing the entrance with the exception of a narrow portion at the
north-east side upon the very edge of the precipice, forming a most
dangerous entry and consequently could be easily defended by a small
number. There is an opening in the centre of the ramparts which is
probably of later date, conjecturally Roman. An ancient plan shows a
spring in the open space, but it does not appear at the present time. A
rough wall was constructed round the edges of the precipices to confine
sheep, but the original fortress was doubtless defended by a thick and
massive rampart, there being no lack of material for such a protection,
while the usual timber and stone breastwork would crown it.