inches thick, covered with gravel. This pavement unites the principal via running north and south (just inside the rampart) with a narrow byway or street running westward at right angles. (3) At 27 feet from the north-west angle, as stated in my previous report, the marginal blocks of the rampart are of larger size, and the interval between them. is filled with a 9-inch layer of boulder-clay, well rammed down upon about a foot of rubble.

Gateway. Near to the north-west angle, where another stone causeway branches off westward along the bank of the river, there are deeper foundations and some traces of bedding for the side-posts of a gateway crossing the rampart, but these traces are very indefinite.

Ballistarium.-At 130 feet from the south fence, and extending 13 feet to just within the angle of the external wall above mentioned, there is the foundation of an expansion or buttress, 5 to 7 feet wide, built up against the outside of the rampart. It descends to a depth of 6 or 7 feet, and consists of I a bedding, I inches thick, of very stiff vellow boulder-clay, overlaid with roughly squared hammer-dressed blocks of sandstone, broken stones from the quarry, and boulders, built up with wide joints, and consolidated with boulder-clay to further height of 4 feet 3 inches.

North Side.-Very little additional information has been obtained with regard to the remains of the rampart on the other three sides beyond what has been recorded in my two previous reports. On the north side, along the summit of the sloping bank of the river, the stone foundation suddenly ceases in a broken line close to the north-west angle, and all traces of the fortification have been. removed for a distance of fully 100 feet further, where a roadway has been cut through them. For some distance beyond this fall of the ground only

PLATE II.

OUTER FACING STONES CF WESTERN RAMPART, ROMANO-BRITISH CIVITAS AT WILDERS POOL

No. I

No. 2

OUTER FACING STONES OF FOUNDATION OF RAMPART (NORTH SIDE), ROMANO-BRITISH CIVITAS AT WILDERS POOL

the hard-rammed bedding of loamy sand and cobble-stones or broken rubble remain, the squared stones having been removed where they were easily accessible along the old Chester road (now Greenall's Avenue), which passes between the northern rampart and the river. The stone bottoming or platform was again met with at 282 feet eastward from the north-west angle, and its inner and outer facing stones were uncovered for a distance of 24 feet. The space between was found, in three cross trenches, to be packed and consolidated with rubble and loamy sand; and the total width, in two of the trenches, 12 and 13 feet. respectively. The facing stones on the outside were smaller than those previously described, and were in several courses, as will be seen in the photograph reproduced on plate II, No. 2.

A presumed gateway in the north-east angle, and the adjoining portions of the rampart on the north and east sides, if they are still in existence, are enclosed within the boundary of a private lawn, and are therefore inaccessible.

East Side.-On the east side, for a distance of 74 feet from the lawn fence, both sides of the foundation of the rampart were uncovered to a point on its outer face situated at 232 feet from the south fence of the field, and 397 feet from the outer face of the rampart on the opposite (west) side in a straight line. Its width in six cross trenches was found to vary from 9 to 10 feet, and there were no squared facing stones remaining on this portion, which was only about a foot below the surface of what was formerly a garden or shrubbery.

A number of trenches were cut in searching for remains of the rampart on the same line beyond this, but nothing more than the hard bedding of pounded gravel and loamy sand, or boulder-clay (in one instance), was met with.

Ballistarium.-The foundation of what appeared to be a lean-to or rectangular enlargement, built up against the inside of the eastern rampart, was situated at 31 feet from the fence of the lawn, and 248 feet from the south fence. The three walls forming it were 2 feet 6 inches thick, one of which was 26 feet in length parallel to the rampart, and the two return walls, abutting upon the latter, were 10 feet in length (outside measurement), the enclosed space being filled with boulder-clay.

This enlargement, as well as the external expansion upon the western rampart (though only half the size) and the strengthening core of boulder-clay inserted close to the north-west angle, were probably for a similar purpose, viz. to support platforms for the artillery (tormenta) of the defenders, and to prevent the walls from being shaken to pieces by their concussion when discharged.

In support of this explanation of their purpose, the following similar instances may be cited:-At Housesteads (Borcovicus), one of the stations of the Wall of Hadrian, the thickness of the north wall, west of the gateway, has been increased to 10 feet by stones bedded in clay, between the double casing of facing stones; and a solid platform of masonry 20 feet square is situated on the north of the east gateway. They are supposed to be ballistaria, as several stones of about 1 cwt. to 1 cwt. roughly cut into a rounded or conical form, were lying near the former. The earthen rampart surrounding the station at High Rochester (Bremenium) on the Watling Street, just north of the Great Wall, averaging 16 feet, thickens in two places to 25 and 28 feet, and in the centre of them is a mass of clay about 4 feet thick. Here also a number of large roughly rounded stones were found, which

1 Bruce's Roman Wall, ed. 1867, p. 189.