Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/207

 17* THE HISTORY Book X. of Kerfal, is returned towards the fouth by the hills of Brough- ton, and is again diverted to the eaft and again beaten back towards the north by the high grounds of Saiford. But thefe fpeedily fubfiding into a valley, the waters jHirfue the direction of the ground, and efcape round Saiford to the town of Manchefter. Some fite therefore was abfolutely neceffary that fhould rife over the reft of the ground, and naturally command the valley around it. But as none fuch prefented its ufeful elevation within the whole circuit of the vale, art fupplied the omiffion of nature, railing the prefent mount, and fetching the materials for it from the fandy bed of the river. This the particular nature of its fi- tuation evinces, placed as it is in the narrow point betwixt two reaches of the river, and fecuring the ayenue into the ample and beautiful horfe-fhoe which is defcribed by them. And this the particular nature of the foil demonftrates, fb different as it is from the native foil of the fields around it, and fb plainly a mixed collection of water-fand chequered with little fragments of reddiih rock. Clofely conne&ed with it was 1 fimilar fortrefs in its neigh- bourhood. This is a rounded knoll, which is denominated dftle-hill, and which appears at a little diftance from it upoa the curving fide of the Kerfal-heights. The foil is a coile&ion of gravel and fand, having an area of half an acre above* fteep banks of twenty fifteen and ten yards in height on every fide* and boggy grounds on three fides around it. Upon the fourth* which had not the advantage of a defcent from it, and had even the ,difad vantage of a fmall gentle defcent to it, are two large ditches, an outer one and an inner, and are about twelve eight and fix yards in depth, and twenty fifteen and twelve in breadth! And where thefe terminate was the road of entrance into the fort. Such is the little fortrefs upon the fide of the hill* very near to Bents-houfe upon Kerfal-moor but nearer to the Grand Stand ; and it has a fhong fpring of water breaking out a little above and defcending along the fide of it. And fuch is the fort* refs which the Romans muft have formed with the fame views with which they planned the ftation upon Hill wood, and for the