Vol 6 - Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian ...

^le camp is British. This is obvious for the following reasons •Transactions. 3915 to 16 feet wide. On the south-west it again deepens, and hereIt measures 14 feet, and so it continues to the south, where italtogether disappears.of It,The second fosse, or rather what remainscommences at the north-east, being fairly marked on the sidenext the ditch, and reaching an extreme elevation of 8 feet andsweeps to the north-west. At the west it is, however, barelytraceable. But on the south-west aspect it again becomes markedespecially towards the ditch, and finally it ends at the south.This outer rampart is fast disappearing under the plough, and in afew years I fear no trace of it will remain. The gateway throughthis rampart, as shewn on the ordnance survey, has disappearexlbut was situated about 70 feet north of the inner gateway. Thegreatest diameter of what remains of the camp is 370 feet. Thisruns from the south-west to the ,north-east. The ramparts areconstructed of large loose stones, on which there is neither themark of chisel nor trace of mortar. These boulders are coveredwith earth, dressed into a military shape.Having thus describedthe position, measurements, appearance, and construction of thecamp, I pass to a consideration of its origin. Beyond all doubtFirst. It IS circular. The fortresses of the ancient Britons arealways found to consist of concentric circles of stones, whereasthose of the Romans are invariably square. Hill Burton insistson tiie sameness of Roman camps in all parts of the world (p 73of History of Scotland), and says that inconstruction they evince" an extremity of immutability." And both he and Chalmers use" circular and British " and " square and Roman " as synonymousterms. Second. The ramparts are not of Roman constructionAccoi^ing to Chalmers (Caledonia Vol. I, p. 25) the ramparts ofLritish forts " were composed of dry stones and earth, witliout anyappearance of mortar or cement."Maclagan deals largely on thisbut in a more extended form. This is the construction of "thelines" at Wood Castle. Third. The gateways through thedifferent ramparts in a British strength are placed in a zi-za-"Tf "°* ' ^^.t ^' "' ^"°'*'" "" ^^'^ '^''^''^y «PP««ite each otheit-Pjde Hill Burton, p. 84-86, Vol. I. Fourth. The ancientBritons often chose lakes for fortresses. Now the position ofW ood Castle is very peculiar. At the time of its construction itmust have been a peninsular stronghold. On the soutli-cast is theMill Loch, on the south-west the Upper Loch, an