ANCIENT EARTHWORKS angle, and in the north side towards the north-west angle. The outer- most vallum has been all but denuded of its escarpment on the western side by the heightening of the road, otherwise it is very pronounced ; being 6 ft. deep. This curious work is paralleled by one of similar features, known as
- Bats Hog Sty,' one and a half miles north-west from Aldershot, which,
however, has been so nearly levelled that the banks in no place are higher than 5ft. 1 KNAPTOFT (xlix, 4). On high ground north-east of Knaptoft House are fragments of early entrenchments which have been broken for the arrange- ments of mediaeval life. To the south of the hall is a rectangular area moated and embanked, the latter 1 1 ft. on the scarp, the moat being fed by a stream flowing by the north-east. The western bank descends into a large fishpond by a 23 ft. scarp. A cist was found here, and from a plan in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1787, the earthworks were then in a far more perfect state. LEIRE (xliii, 16). North-east of the church is the greater part of a moat of parallelogram plan. The south-west has a bank and external moat ; on the north-east and south-east the moat is inside, 4ft. deep, with a wide outer vallum 6 ft. in height. From the latter side two branches of the moat turn inwards to a distance of nearly looft. LUBENHAM (1, 7). On the south-east of the village the remains of the ancient manor house stand within a rectangular moat 20 ft. wide and 4ft. deep, with a rampart 4ft. high on the north side. It is now drained, but the River Welland, immediately to the south, formerly supplied it with water. A fishpond is to the south- west of the site. MELTON MOWBRAY (xx, 2). On the north of Spinney Farm, the site of an ancient house is seen in a rectangular mound 8 ft. 6 in. on the scarp, surrounded by a moat, the counterscarp being surmounted by a bank. On the west side is a double agger, 2 ft. high, beyond which is a court 1 8 ft. wide, protected by a val- lum 15 ft. broad, with a scarp of 8 ft. to the river. This vallum con- tinues around the north, and becomes stronger at the north-west angle, where is a descent to the river. On the east side the moat is 23 ft. wide and 1 6 ft. on the scarp, but with no SCALtor FEET revetment, which, however, is again '^f Jr o , OQ too in evidence along the south side. At the south- west angle the moat branches OUt, and, with a vallum, follows the KIRBY CASTLE AND MOAT, KIRBY MUXLOZ 1 We are indebted to the Rev. E. A. Downman for drawing attention to this work. 269
