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Transcription

[Page] 67
[Continued from page 66]
comprising all the country, which lies within a
girdle of mountains from Criffel to Ettrick Pen.

Middlehill Fort
On the Southern extremity of the Doe's Hill at an
elevation of some 840 ft. [feet] above sea level is situated
a fort. It lies on falling ground looking
straight down the glen of the Winterhope Burn
and over [blank] miles of intervening land to the
Solway. In shape it resembles a human ear,
an irregular oval with a greater convexity on the
E. [East] than on the W. [West] side, lying with its main axis
N. [North] and S. [South] and measuring some 200 ft. [feet] by 130 ft. [feet] (O.S. [Ordnance Survey]
measurement). It is surrounded by a rampart
of earth and stone with a trench in front of it.
deepest at the N. [North] or higher end where it measures
26 ft. [feet] in width and 6 ft. [feet] in depth and gradually vanishing
as it passes down the slopes on either side. The
entrance has been from the W. [West] 10 ft. [feet] to 12 ft. [feet] wide
and opened into the lower side of the interior.
The surface is very uneven and the area has
been considerably excavated below the natural
level. On the left of the entrance is a large
circular hollow measuring some 54ft [feet] by 80ft [feet]
contained between the rampart and a low
stony bank. There appears to be a second
and less important entrance from the SSE [South South East] also
opening into an excavated area. Crossing

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