its northerly side, which slopes down to a creek of valley, cending from Stiveson towards Shrigley hall, a remarkable ngth of deep fosse. It is almost in continuation with the cient road, which ascends at the end of Stiveson from dlington; but disjoined from it, at the White Hart public use, by the restoration of the earth to its surface, for the vel of the high road from Coney green. On the back of the sse, at a small but increasing distance, runs the present road om Stiveson to Pott, beneath which is the deep, separating ollow under Stiveson and Beesta.

The dimensions of this fosse are twelve yards in breadth, om bank to bank. Ascending gently the brow of the hill, a int half-oval figure of earthen line occurs, at seventy-two aces on the right; and, at twenty-eight more on the left, the races of a line may be seen, crossing down to the creek of ollow in front. Arriving, at one hundred more, to a descent of he brow on the contrary side, another vestige of a line occurs unning parallel with the last; but shorter than it, in conseuence of the contraction of the hollow at the foot. At one undred paces more, the hill expires into the level of the valley; vhich admits, crosswise, another little creek of hollow, passing rom Beesta to the Oakrits, under two inferior members or rojections of the Mill hill, and the gentle rise on which Shrigley hall is built, in front of that eminence.

Particularity here, though tedious, is unavoidable, if happily, after all, it can place the subject within the grasp of the ideas. Lest words however should fail, a sketch in an engraving is innexed.

Towards the point of valley, in which the present fosse expires, four other series of lines or fosses irregularly converge, in a rather open area of ground; making altogether the number of five.

A winding passage to the right, comprising the small breadth of the valley, each side of which is defined by a vallum and fosse, conducts shortly to a point, from which two lines divide. The first ranges southerly and serpentinely, across the intermediate hollow, up the steep of Beesta, into the bisecting road, described to pass under Hill Top; though long cut off, by different modern inclosures, from any communication with it. The second penetrates, under the two before-mentioned projections of the Mill Hill, on the side of Shrigley hall, in a south-eastern circuit,to the village of Pott. The base of the first of these projections, at the same time, is strengthened by a considerable breadth of fosse and vallum; and vestiges of the same are visible, on the ascent of the second.

Returning to the open space, allotted for the conjunction of the five lines of embankments or excavations before mentioned, the features of the fosse are renewed, along the rise of the brow ascending to Shrigley hall. At a small space in this, a fifth branch discovers itself. It consists, in the first instance, of a mound and fosse, bordering both sides, and running across the section of the OBLATE HILL, page 160, as further corrected in the present article. These traces, however, are almost immediately impaired. After crossing, notwithstanding, a level and verdant area, forming the summit of the present section, and

stretching diagonally from the White Hart to the Oakrits, they are renewed in the form of a rugged egress, between excavated banks, into the high way from Stiveson to Coney Green, at a point denoted by a modern and handsome white gate. And the destination of this line of agger becomes at once most clearly obvious, when, upon crossing the said high way a little further to the north, a corresponding road is seen to direct itself towards the valley of Ridicot, mentioned in page 34, and consequently conducting to Adlington and Poynton.

In resumption of the main and uniform line of fosse, from which the last branch of agger or road was said to deviate;— it pursues the inclination of the brow towards Shrigley hall, with the additional indication of an agger on one side, for nearly one hundred and fifty paces. A small avenue is continued from its end, across an angular level, to the front of Shrigley hall, skirted with trees, and bounded on two sides by a series of water pits, one on the northerly, and two or three on the south.

The origin of this concentration of lines was, doubtless, derived from the first and most important excavation of the fosse at the White Hart. Subsequently, it appears to have been used as a road, in common with the other ramifications from it, though long now apparently blocked up and laid aside. Its prime purpose was, however, unquestionably that of a military trench or defence. The confluence of so many other lines too at this place, considered simply as passages or ways, denote incontestibly an importance, which can be resolved into no