Ancient Earthwork in Epping Forest. 215
1876, and now rare; (4) "Epping Forest and its Ancient
Camps" (with woodcut).6 We gladly acknowledge our in-
debtedness to these papers for many details. Mr. D'Oyley's
labours in the delineation of the two camps call also for
grateful recognition, in as much as they materially aided the
explorations which were afterwards undertaken.
The Loughton Camp is situated about a mile north of the
village from whence it takes its name, and about two miles
south-west of Ambresbury Banks. It is placed in the depths
of the Forest, the trees surrounding and covering it being
principally beech and oak; some very ancient specimens of
the former tree actually grow upon the ramparts, and many
old hollies are to be found both within and around the
entrenchments. Its circumference is about 800 yards, giving
a contents of between eleven and twelve acres; the two
known Forest camps being very nearly of a size. The con-
struction of the camp is also very similar to that of the
Ambresbury entrenchment, an outer broad ditch having been
dug, and the earth so obtained thrown up on the inside to
form a rampart. In the report on the Ambresbury Banks
allusion was made to the somewhat irregular lines of the
fortification as contrasted with those of camps of known
Roman origin. In the Loughton Camp strict symmetry of
proportion has been completely disregarded by its constructors,
and there are scarcely any defined angles (see Plate III.).
The form of the camp is that of an imperfect oval, and the
lines of the rampart appear to follow and to have been
controlled by the natural contours of the ground. It has
suffered to a much greater degree than Ambresbury Banks
from the effects of age and denudation. In many places the
burrowings of foxes and rabbits have caused much damage,
increased possibly, in some instances, by foresters in digging
out the animals, or even in removing sand in very modern
times. In one place in particular, on the western side, the
bank and trench have nearly disappeared, the soil having
apparently literally tumbled down the slope of the valley, a
result probably due to natural agencies, this being a very
5 'Cassell's Family Magazine,' vol. iii. (1877), p. 153.