Page:VCH Sussex 1.djvu/535

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Roman ' on some of the published 3EAF0RD CAMP. ANCIENT EARTHWORKS Seaford. — This is a considerably smaller work, than Beltout, although, like it, it occupies high ground and has been partly destroyed by the sea. It is marked maps, but apparently with- out the slightest evidence. One of the peculiari- ties of Seaford Camp is the great height at which it stands above the surround- ing country. On the sea side the cliff is precipitous, whilst the approach from Seaford, on the north-west, is difficult, and would be hazardous to an invading force. As the camp exists to-day it is roughly of tri- angular form with a some- what convex side to the north-west, the shortest side being towards the east. What the original shape may have been, however, is somewhat doubtful, as it is clear that much of it has been destroyed by the inroads of the sea. The north-west side of the camp conforms to the contour of the surface, and contains two entrances. The eastern side, however, which is straight, cuts across the plateau on that side, and has an entrance about the middle of its course. Water for the use of the camp may have been procured from a natural spring at the bottom of the slope to the north. The position of the camp is such as to command a good deal of the district in which it is situated, and Beltout is visible on one hand and the site of the camp at Newhaven on the other. Neolithic flakes and Roman remains have been found in and about Seaford Camp. Newhaven. — The earthwork known as Newhaven Castle was situated about three miles to the north-west of Seaford Camp. It has suffered so much from the erosion of the cliff, from the construction of modern defensive works, and from the decomposition and settlement of the plastic clay on which it was constructed, that little now remains. General Pitt-Rivers, writing in 1868, mentions that 'about 1,680 yards of the northern front still remain, and it appears to be arranged in a succession of re-entering curves and salient points. . . . This work, like that of Beltout, occupied the whole summit of the hill, and conformed to the outline of the brow.' The situation of Newhaven ' Castle ' was high, commanding the whole of the surrounding country, but with certain limitations of the view to the north-west. Following along the south coast of Sussex the next earthwork to be noted is — I 457 58