A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE back of ' The Towers,' with a termination at the Flag Tower, and its banks and intrenchments may still be traced amidst the thickly studded and rugged woods and grounds. The foot of Bunbury Hill reached to the River Churnet, and barely outside its borders Alton railway station exists at the present time. This spot has had its marked features through long ages past and the valley here is unsurpassed for its natural beauty, and ' The Towers ' on one side and the castle and monastery on the other render the landscape specially charming. The original hundred acres was chosen as the site of the fort when the hill was a barren waste. BRADLEY. BURY RING is in this parish at Billington, less than five miles to the west of the county town of Stafford, and only a few yards to the north of the main road between Stafford and Newport, Salop. It has been thought that this was the site of one of the three castles said to have been erected at Stafford, and it must be noted that there is one point in its con- struction which differs in an important particular from the usual type of these forts, namely that there is no inner vallum remaining except one short length next the inclosure which here bounds the edge of the intrenchment. Also it must be noticed that its general form is less irregular in shape ; but having regard to its situation and general details of construction it may perhaps be concluded that it belongs to the period, and was the work of the same people that formed the class of forts of which we are now treating. It is placed on the top and side of a. hill, roughly elliptical in form, surrounded by ramparts and intrenchments after the manner of the examples previously noticed (except as above pointed out), with a bastion of earth strictly guarding its simple entrance at its southern end, features all corresponding in character with this class. The intrenchments are deeper and broader than is usual. It would seem also that the present roadway on the west was originally another intrenchment. The inner extreme length is 250 yds., and width 158 yds., with an area of 7 acres. At the present time there is water within and outside the fort and Butterbank Brook is about half a mile away. The difference in this example, as pointed out above, may indicate a later date of construction. The nearest level on the main road between Stafford and Newport is 449 ft. CANNOCK and LONGDON. CASTLE RING, the next example to be noticed, is about 3! miles from Rugeley, and is situated in Beaudesert Old Park, within the area of the Cannock Chase Coal Field, one of the lodges of the present park being at its north-east corner. It lies less than half a mile north of Gentle- shaw. The fort is five-sided : the two sides to the south-east and south-west are of equal length, the three other sides are of unequal length, that to the north being the longest, and that to the east the shortest. Each of the sides is practically straight in line, and they have rounded angles at their junctions both external and internal of the intrenchments. There are double ramparts and intrenchments on all sides, and to the east an additional set. The north side abuts upon the edge of a steep slope, the others face to open lands. The extreme length within the ramparts is 267 yds., the width 203 yds., and the area consists of 8j acres. There are indications of entrances in the north-east corner and on the south-west side, and a pathway now runs between these two points. The nearest level to the fort is given at 67 1 '2 ft. The situation affords magnifi- cent prospects, quite panoramic, and it is affirmed that no less than seven 33 6
