A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE while the southern end is much overgrown with underwood, rendering it difficult to trace the Unes of the original defences, which, however, appear to take the form shown on the plan ; the object of the laborious entrenching was to strengthen this naturally weak spot, where, the side of the hill being of no great steepness, an enemy might force an entrance. That Ivington Camp must originally have been of great strength is evi- dent from the formidable character of the defences as they now exist, after many centuries of neglect and worse, while its curious, lunar-shaped rampart, cutting off and guarding the western portion, renders it of exceptional interest. Whether the lunar rampart is to be regarded as of the original castrametation is doubtful. Is it possibly to be attributed to the time when, according to tradition, Owen Glendower occupied Ivington ? " To the long-drawn struggle between the Roman forces and those of Caractacus we may owe the original fortress, as its general features are com- mon to Celtic strongholds. Midsummer Hill. See Eastnor. Much Marcle : Oldbury Camp. — This remnant of a camp occupies the southern extremity of Marcle Hill, about 8 miles south-east of Here- ford. The position is defended naturally by the fall of the hill, which is fairly steep upon the west, but on the east and south is only of a gentle slope. The entrenchments are all but destroyed, but may have consisted of a fosse with the ballast thrown inward to form a rampart on all sides, though the fosse and rampart are now only to be traced upon the north, cutting off the inclosure from the higher land on that side ; there are, however, slight traces of the fosse and rampart upon the south-west. The scarp, which alone exists upon the south and much of / the east side, could have formed no / great defence by itself, as the fall of the hill is slight, though the camp of Dinedor, 7 miles west-north-west, also lacks the complete rampart, sug- gesting the possibility that in both cases that important feature of defence was omitted ; it seems, however, more probable that, though once provided, the rampart has been destroyed. The position commands aviewfarther north- east and south-east for many miles, but not so much in other directions. The entrance was at the north- west, and is still well marked by embankments on either side covering the approach. Oldbury Camp. See Much Marcle. ^^ /^ III! Il Jll> O = t: m W X„„> ftCALC OFlrccr o 100 too stfo Oldbury Camp, Much Marcle " It is believed that Owen Glendower, in the height of his success against Henry IV, about 1 401, took possession of this camp, and retained it, sallying forth and gaining the victory over Mortimer immortalized by Shakespeare. He is said immediately after the battle to have sent men to occupy the old strongholds of Ris- bury. Croft Ambrey, and Wapley ; but whether they or Ivington owe any part of their defensive works to Glendower is uncertain. See Traw. Woolhope Field Club (18 8 1-2), 216. 218
