Page:VCH Herefordshire 1.djvu/280

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A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE divided in its area by a glen, the portion north of the glen being known as Midsummer Hill, the southern as Hollybush Hill. Within the portion on Hollybush Hill are many hollows, probably the remains of hut circles. On the east face of Midsummer Hill are several lines of hollows which may have been habitations. It is probable that an ancient British town existed on the south-west, where are traces of hut hollows and dams for holding back, the water flowing from springs in the camp. The highest point of the inclosure stands about 700 ft. above the lowest land near, and is 937 ft. above sea level. From this it drops to about 700 ft. on the southern extremity. The principal defence consists of a fosse on the natural slope of the hill, with the ballast thrown inwards to form a rampart, a second rampart being formed by the downward fall of the hill beyond the fosse ; a slight fosse is also formed within the camp by the upward inclination of the land within the inclosure. The principal entrance appears to have been from the south-west, as shown on plan, here a second rampart has been raised to defend the passage. What is known as the Earl of Gloucester's Ditch enters the camp on the north-east, runs along the fosse on that side and passes down the hill. Reference to this cutting will be found under Class X. A mound or barrow about 150 ft. long by 32 ft. broad, and 3 to 4 ft. high, contained within a slight trench, is situated to the east of the ravine entrance into the camp. Excavations have not thrown any definite light on its purpose ; it may be a botontinus or terminal mark such as the Romans created, or it may be no more than an ancient artificial rabbit burrow. The age of this camp is exceedingly doubtful, but its principal charac- teristics are those of Pre-Roman-Celtic work." Eaton Bishop. — A supposed camp, situated 3 miles west of Hereford, follows the east ending of a bank above the River Wye, at the junction of a stream and mill-race flowing from the south-west. There appear to be no true earthworks in existence now, ».. whatever there may once have '■•■?o. tN, been, but the hill-side has been slightly scarped, probably by nature, which induced antiqua- rians of old to see here a camp. FowNHOPE : Cherry Hill, or FowNHOPE Camp. — This camp, situated 5 miles south-east of Hereford, is elliptical in form, and stands on a hill about 430 ft. above sea level, and 300 ft. above the River Wye, which winds a quarter of a mile to the south- west. The position is naturally ^ojy' defended on all sides by the fall of the hill, which is steep upon Cherry Hill Camp, Fownhops the SOUth-eaSt, and leSS sharp '° Much valuable information will be found in a paper by Mr. F. G. Hilton Price in the Trans. Woolhope Field Club (1877-80), 217. 212