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 A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE are divided between different ownerships, which is the case here, the Manor farm holding only about 5 acres of the northern end. It would appear as though the manor had planted its homestead and the moats belonging to it within the area of some earlier work. The interior ram- part is only strongly seen on its western side, where there is also a con- siderable stretch of a second rampart outside the moat, which here has much water in it. The southern portion of about 10 acres is all pasture ; a great close known by the name of ' Obness.' The stretch of rampart to the south of it is very large and fine, with an apparent entrance towards its east end. At the west the corner of the work is gone, but the lines curve round northwards towards the upper portion, with the bank again large and the ditch in parts about 18 feet wide. The ground slopes away gently from the south side of the work. There are no signs of any outer rampart anywhere about this southern portion of the work. The present occupier speaks of finding a number of flints in his moat quite recently, which he describes as curiously shaped and cut. These may have been implements. He intends to try to recover them. Parts of the farm buildings are about two centuries old. There are three curious works in the low and once marshy lands watered by the Ivel and its branches. (7) Shillington. — Half a mile to the north-west of the high hill on which the church stands there is an entrenchment, obtusely semi- oval in plan, known as ' Church Panel.' It encloses a squat knoll, a little less than 3 acres in area, which must once have been an island in the midst of former swamps. The rampart is strong, and continues round the curving sides outside its fosse, which is 30 feet wide. A stream, 8 to 10 feet broad, flows past its straight north-eastern flank, banked up along a great part of its course, both within and without the enclosure. The knoll is highest at its south-east end, and is there scarped down to the ditch to a depth of some 10 feet, but falls gradually towards the north-west, where a large interior bank is added round the lower portion of the work. An old watercourse, strongly banked, runs past this end, touching the outer rampart. The neighbouring fields are crossed in various directions by wet ditches and banked-up streams, and 200 yards to the north a larger stream, 12 to 15 feet wide, runs past, diked up well above the level of the low-lying lands. In flood times all this low ground is covered and the knoll alone stands out. But for the banks which confine the streams it would lie continually under water. There is a small oblong sinking, near a disused gravel pit on the top of the knoll, which should be examined for foundations. The place has very much the appearance of an old refuge station in the fens, such as Alfred may have made at Athelney. Homestead enclosures were associ- ated with more serviceable land. (8) Hicham Gobion. — Here is a somewhat similar work lying very low in the fields a quarter of a mile to the north of the church. It is called ' The Camp,' and is roughly triangular in shape, fenced in by a 276