374
NOTES----ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
it is an alien in that county. Unfortunately, it is one of those species
frequently artifically planted by unthinking botanists, and hence many of the
records in botanical lists are of doubtful value —Ed.]
Ophrys apifera near Brentwood, and Lathryus nissolia in Essex.—
During a ramble of the Brentwood Field Club on July 9th, 1898, a new locality
near Herongate for the Bee-orchis Ophrys apifera Huds, was discovered, which
is probably the nearest habitat to London at present known for this handsome
plant. Several specimens were found amongst the grass by the members
during the afternoon.
This opportunity might be taken of noting that the Grass Vetchling
(Lathy us nissolia) recently mentioned in the Essex Naturalist (ante p. 336)
occurs at Chelmsford in the lanes and on the railway banks, and can also be
collected at Great Warley, near Brentwood.—W. M Webb, F.L.S.
MISCELLANEA.
The Ancient Camp at Uphall, near Barking.—On two or three
recent occasions we have called attention to the fact that this camp was in
imminent danger of destruction owing to the fact that the site, as well as the
other land at Uphall (whence came Sir Antonio Brady's wonderful collection
of Pleistocene Mammalia) was to be sold by auction (ante pp. 143 and 176).
We wrote to several societies likely to be interested in the preservation of such
antiquities, but the enormously increased value of land in the neighbourhood
precluded an, attempts being made by purchase on the part of scientific or
archaeological societies (notoriously poor as they are!) to wrest the site from
the grip of the speculative builder. The lot including the earthworks came to
the hammer on July 1st, and was sold, but we have our President's (Mr.
Howard's) word for it (given at the Club meeting at the "Ferry Boat,"
Walthamstow, on July 2nd) that he did not think the present owners of the
camp would disturb it, inasmuch as he was one of them! This will be most
gratifying news to all interested in local archaeology; and now may we
venture to hope that some attempt will be made to ascertain the period of the
camp—a vexed question for more than three centuries? The best account of
the earthwork, and indeed, the only complete one extant, is that by Mr.
Crouch in the E.N. (vol. vii, pp. 131-138), but absolutely no reliable evidence
exists to show that the camp is British, Roman, or Danish.1 One of the latest
writers on it is Mr F. T. Norris, who, in a communication to the Gentleman's
Magazine in October, 1888, advanced considerations for regarding it as a
Danish fort. An important piece of evidence, Mr. Norris suggests, is that
Barking was originally called Beddenham, and only after the (East) Monastery-
was burnt by Guthran and his Danes in 871 was it called Barking, a Danish
place name connoting ang or field of the borg or fort which they had built.
" Barking or Beddenham Monastery, of which one of the gates and possibly
part of the church still remain, is remarkable for being the Monasterium on
the East side of London which gave rise to the title of West Monasterium for
that of Westminster. The foundation of both (circa 670) is due to the same
East Saxon Kings, as the unique extant charter, &c, show." On this our
Vice-President, Mr. T. V. Holmes, remarks, "Whatever Barking may have
been called originally, the camp is well to the north of the town, and the site
I We understand that General Pitt-Rivers (the Inspector-General oi Ancient Monuments)
considers the camp to be of Danish origin, and that he strongly recommends some
efforts being made to explore the earthworks.