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Cissbury Ring

Hillfort

Folklore

Camden points out [..] a confusion in the case of [..] a place in Sussex, 'a military fort compass'd about with a bank rudely cast-up, where the inhabitants believe that Caesar intrench'd and fortify'd his Camp. But Cisbury, the name of the place, plainly shews it was the work of Cissa; who was the second King of this Kingdom, of the Saxon race, succeeding Aella his father.

Camden's eighteenth century editor interpolates an account of another* Caesar tradition in Sussex: within a mile of Findon 'is an ancient Camp, about two miles distant from the sea. It is call'd Caesar's-hill, because the people imagine it was Caesar's Camp; and they pretend to shew the place where Caesar's tent was. Notwithstanding which, the form of it shows that opinion to be ill grounded; for, being roundish, it seems rather to have been a British work.'
p224 in
Local Caesar Traditions in Britain
Homer Nearing, Jr.
Speculum, Vol. 24, No. 2. (Apr., 1949), pp. 218-227.


*surely the same - because Cissbury ring is very close to Findon.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
10th December 2006ce
Edited 29th September 2008ce

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