Ancient Earthwork in Epping Forest. 217
continued round the northern and north-eastern corners of
the camp. The ground then descends by the eastern side
into a swamp at the south-east corner, and eventually
trends away into the deep valley, Debden Slade, before
mentioned, the rampart itself sweeping with a gentle curve
until its outlines are lost in the slopes of the morass.
This little "morass" (which is a piece of true bog-land,
containing Sphagnum, Hypericum elodes, and other marsh-
loving plants) occupies a small valley, which leads up into
the interior of the camp. At the spot where the bog seems
to originate is a small circular pit, which has every appear-
ance of being a water-well of artificial construction. At
present, however, we have no direct evidence to connect this
well with the original makers of the camp. It is now choked
with leaves, &c, but it still appears to supply water to feed
the bog, the quantity being largely augmented in winter and
spring by the surface-drainage from the higher ground at the
northern part of the camp.6 The ridge of ground on which
the rampart runs somewhat contracts the limits of the bog at
the north-west corner of the camp, and a little outside the
line of entrenchments a bank can easily be recognised running
across the morass, leaving a narrow "gate" or floodway
towards the east. This bank is perhaps the remnant of an
ancient dam, by which a head of water could have been
retained in the interior of the camp for the use of the
inhabitants, a constant supply being furnished by the arti-
ficial "well" before noticed. These statements must be put
forward somewhat hypothetically; no cutting has yet been
made through the "dam," nor has the "well" been explored,
and consequently the evidence is wanting which would con-
clusively prove these structures to be coeval with the camp
itself. But they are, nevertheless, very interesting, and
cannot be passed over in any description of the place.
Two well-defined, and perhaps old, entrances exist at the
northern end of the camp, through one of which a "driftway"
6 [Since the report was written we have discovered another pit or well
in the ravine to the west of the camp, which appears to be similar to that
mentioned above.—Ed]