EARLY MAN remains of forts erected to guard the passage of the river are to be found. It is however quite possible that these traces of what on a cursory examination look like remains of entrenchments may only be the survivals of the ancient common cultivation that occur so often on the Welsh hills. Their presence is only another reason for a thorough and search- ing examination of all the hills not only along this range, but also of the range of hills from Clifton-on-Teme to Tenbury, for until this is done it will be impossible to say with any accuracy what are the camps or other earthworks in this part of the county. This range of hills joins the Malverns near Cradley ; the Malvern range runs nearly north and south. The first recognized work on the Malvern Hills is the cutting in the rock at the Wych, which is said to have been made by the Romans. As it does not appear to have been on the line of any Roman road it is difficult to see why it should have been then made ; possibly it is of earlier date. Further to the south the first of the Malvern camps occurs. (4) There are two great camps (fig. 3) on the Malvern Hills, one above Little Malvern, known as the Herefordshire Beacon, on one side of which the road leading into Herefordshire from Worcestershire passes. Although it has been the subject of a good deal of literature it has never yet been really or properly explored. It consists of a triple entrenchment enclosing altogether a considerable area, though that of the citadel or central portion is quite small. Its form will be better understood from the following rough plan than from a verbal description. The origin of this camp has been ascribed to Caractacus, Dr. Card a former vicar of Malvern in 1822 published a book to prove this,^ But the connection of Caractacus with the camp is pure conjecture, there is absolutely no evidence whatever to support it. Two rather remarkable finds have been made near it: one in 1647, when an urn containing some 300 Roman coins was discovered near the camp ; the other in 1650 of a gold armlet set with precious stones, which was broken up and the stones sold separately. (5) Following the hne of the hills, about two miles to the south is another camp ; the boundary between the counties of Hereford and Worcester passes through it. The hill on which it is situated is known as Midsummer Hill, it has two peaks, both of which are included in the works which form the camp. There is a double Hne of entrenchments, a double fosse and vallum. No relics are recorded as having been found at or near this camp. It must have been a strong position, and guarded the road which led from the hill to the camp next described, which is situated in the vale. This road crossed the hills near this point. The camp is almost at the end of the Malvern range, with it the western forts of the county terminate. To complete the defence of the district there are two isolated hills in the plain that lies between the Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds, 1 A Dissertation on the Worcestershire Beacon, by the Rev. H. Card. 187
