ments at Lepard Hill, Ronk's Wood, and Perry Wood. These hills are in a line from Cruckbarrow to Elbury Hill, and lie in St. Martin's parish. The trenches, or cross-cuts on Lepard Hill and Ronk's Wood were most probably made or altered in Cromwell's time, as his army lay in those parts before the great battle.

A gauntlet sword was, a few years back, presented to the Worcestershire Museum, stated to have been found in the bank of an old hedge situated on the west side of Lepard Hill, in a meadow called Pike Field. It is long and two-edged, and was, as appears by the shape of the handle, made for thrusting only. This sword is evidently of Indian manufacture. Similar ones are used by the Mahrattas to this day. There are some of them in the Tower of London. If the sword in question really was found as above stated, and was used at the Battle of Worcester, it must have been obtained from some collection, as that species of weapon is not described among the English war implements of that or any other period.

TROTSHILL.

At a short distance eastward from Elbury Hill, there is a farm in Warndon, commonly called Trotshill, or Troshill. It is named Tootshill in Isaac Taylor's Map of Worcestershire, published in 1772, and in Carey's largest Atlas of Worcestershire, published in 1810; Trotswell, in Nash's " History," and Trotshall in the Ordnance Map.

There is a parish called Trotescliffe, Totesclivet, or Trosley, on the Pilgrim's Road, near Wrotham, in Kent. Between these latter places human bones have been found, buried in chalk, supposed to be ancient British remains ‡.

ELBURY HILL.

This hill was probably named from El, and Bury or Burrow.

* Otherwise Lypiard, Lappaworthin, or Lappeworth.

66

+ Domesday Book."

See" Gentleman's Magazine" for August, 1841.

Mr. Bryant says, that El, Al, HA, sometimes expressed Eli, was the name of the true God; But with the Zabians it signified the Sun; whence also the Greek "Hλos, and 'Héλos. That El and Elion were titles by which the people of Canaan distinguished their chief deity. That El was particularly invoked by the eastern nations when they made an attack in battle; for at such time they used to cry out El-El and Al-Al, which Mahomet could not well bring his proselytes to leave off, and therefore he changed it to Allah, which the Turks at this day make use of when they shout in joining battle; and that such invocation was not unknown to the Greeks *.

Elbury Hill lies about a mile and a half to the east of Worcester, in the parish of Claines; the summit contains the site of an oblong square camp-in fact, all the upper part of the hill is of that shape. The sides of the hill are very regularly sloped, and the corners beautifully rounded. The camp appears to be about two hundred yards long on the northern side, one hundred on the eastern, one hundred on the southern, and one hundred and fifty on the western side. Within these few years it has been planted with gorse. This camp completely overlooked, and would defend the city, and was an excellent signal station to communicate with Ostorius's supposed fort on the west, Tutnall on the north, Cruckbarrow on the south, and the Round Hill at Spetchley on the east.

Although the name of this hill is most probably of much greater antiquity than the time of the Romans, yet it is very likely that it was occupied by them as an outwork from the city of Worcester, for a Roman military way called Portfield's Road, ran from the city to the hill, and about two miles eastward of it a jar containing Roman coins was found at Bredicot .

"Caph,

As

* Bryant, Vol. i., pp. 13, 14, 15, 16; and in page 95 he says, Cap, and Cephas signify a rock, and also any promontory or headland. temples used to be built upon eminences of this sort, we find this word often compounded with the titles of the deity there worshipped, as Caph-El, CaphEl-On," &c. Now it is rather singular that the peasantry of Worcestershire call any high or monstrous-looking animal or thing a great Caph-El, or Kefel, to this day. They also call any poor, slow, stupid, and ugly animal a Dumel. There is a field called Dummel in Arley, in Warwickshire.

+ See pp. 9, 23.

See p. 95.

This hill, although it has been but very little noticed, was most probably the keystone of all the ancient bulwarks of the town and its vicinity. A large fire on this central elevation would be seen at almost every part of the count y, and it was probably one of the chief of the "high places" for druidical worship. On the eastern side of the hill there is a spring of water, by which its occupants were probably supplied.

Until within the last few years a wood ran up to one side of the hill. In the British time the camp was most probably surrounded by a forest, like Gadbury Banks, before described. Elbury Hill is called Ellbury Wood in Isaac Taylor's map of 1772, Helbury Hill, in the "Stranger's Guide to Worcester*," and likewise in the Worcester Miscellany t," and Elbury Hill in the

Ordnance Map.

There was, in the Anglo-Saxon times, a place called Ellesbeorh and Hallesburg (Ellesborough) near Twyford and Evesham on the Avon§; and an idea has been entertained that Ellesbeorh (Ellbury) means Oldbury or "Ancient Town," but the AngloSaxon charters have a distinct name for the latter places, such as Ealdanburh (Aldbury) Worcestershire, Ealdandic (Old Dike), &c.]

There are Ellbatch Coppice in Broadwas; Ellbatch Wood on the north-west side of Woodbury Hill; Ellwood east of Clent; Ellbatch Orchard, and Far and Near Ellbatch Band in Abberley; Upper and Lower Ellbatch Coppice and Ell Meadow in Hartlebury; Elsborough in the Berrow; Ell Bank Piece in Northfield; Ell Wood in Romsley, in Hales Owen; and Allsborough Hill¶ near Pershore. There also are Ellbarrow near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, Ellwall in the parish of Goodrich, Co. Hereford, and Upper, Far, and Lower Elkin** in Solihull, Co. Warwick.

Under the name of Ambrose Florence, published 1828, pp. 130, 131,

+ Published 1829, Vol. i., No. 2, p. 68.

+

66

Domesday Book" mentions Elburgelega in Herefordshire.

§ See" Codex Dip.," No. 1368 and 61, 61 App., Vol. iii.

Ibid., No. 570, 422, 422 App., Vol. iii.

Most probably meaning Elsburrow Hill.-See the "Fairy Mythology." ** The names 66 Elkin," or little gods, or of kin to the gods, appear to con

ASTWOOD

Is a hamlet or tithing in the parish of Claines, adjoining to Elbury Hill. As there are a great many places in this county that have names commencing with Ast, an inquiry into the etymology of the prefix does not seem altogether uncalled for. Bryant and others would trace the derivation to the Greek éσría, and Latin vesta, a word signifying fire or sacred hearth; but we shall probably be more correct in referring it to the Saxon "east," the east; the prefix indicating that such places lie eastward of some more important locality. To this conclusion we are drawn by the analogy of other names: for instance, on the north side of Worcester is a place called Northwick; on the south side Southbury or Sidbury; Westwood* lies west of Droitwich; Aston, Easton, or Eston Episcopi (White Ladies' Aston) is about four miles east of Worcester, and Astley, Eslei, Estley, Asteleye, or Astleye, lies on the east side of Abberley Hill. It must, however, be remarked that Astwood, the place in question, is not east, but N.N.E. of Worcester, and N.N.W. of Elbury Hill; and this is an instance, like the following, of a place compounded with Ast or Est, not appearing to be east of any neighbouring place of consequence; namely, Aston or Eston† township, in the parish of Blockley; Ast-Lench or East-Lench, in Church Lench; Astwood on the north-east side of Droitwich, in Doderhill; Astridge or Ashridge, in Powick; Astwood Hill, in Inkberrow; Great Asthill, Little Asthill, and New Asthills, in Upton Warren; Upper Aston in Knighton; Astwood, on the west side of the Ridgeway, in Feckenham; Aston Field in Rushock, Astley Ground in Beoley, Astmore Common in the Parish of Kempsey, Astwood in Hanbury, Estbury in Hallow, in Grimley, and the parish of Eastham (Estham in "Domesday Book").

See the Folk-lore.

nect our fairy mythology with that which was more ancient, And some other of the above names of places of small note, which have not the word "bury" or "borough" attached to them, may have been given in reference to the fairies.

See "Codex Dip.," No. 574, as to Westwudu.

+ It is called Eastún (Aston Magna) in the "Codex Dip.," No. 117. "Domesday Book" also notices Estun and Estone, in Worcestershire; and Heming's "Cartulary," p. 434, mentions Austan (Aston Parva), and Eastune, Eastun, and Estun, in p. 56, &c.

Still it is possible that the tithing of Astwood is indebted for its designation to the fact of its being east of Northwick, which appears to have been the chief of the nine hamlets of which the parish of Claines is composed, and is the only one of them mentioned in "Domesday Book." The non-appearance, however, of any name in "Domesday" is no proof of its non-existence when that survey was made, as Anglo-Saxon charters and grants sufficiently testify.

Having thus given preference to the more obvious etymology, it may, on the other hand, be remarked, that as Astwood lies between those ancient places called Elbury Hill and Barrow Cop, is is just possible, if there really were any "sacred hearths" in this country, that the name may have come from " Ast,” “Asta*,” or Estat," which Bryant says signified fire, and also the deity of that element; and that the Greeks expressed it 'Eoria, and the Romans, Vesta. That " Esta" and "Asta" signified also a sacred hearth; and that, in early times, every district was divided according to the number of the sacred hearths, each of which constituted a community or parish. That the most common name was Asta." That these were places of general rendezvous for people of the same community; that here were kept up perpetual fires; and that places of this sort were made use of for courts of judicature, where the laws of the country, Oéμiσtes, were explained and enforced. Hence, Homer, speaking of a person

"Domesday Book" has Astenewic and Astune, in Yorkshire; and Astenofre, in Herefordshire.

"Est" is a prefix to many names in foreign parts.

There was, in Northamptonshire, in the Anglo-Saxon times, a place called Asctun (Ashton). See "Codex Dip.," No. 575; and in a confirmation of that charter, No. 908, there is a place called Astún (Aston). Now, if these mean the same place, we appear to have a corruption of the name Asctun into Astún; and it tends to raise a question, whether the general name Aston does not mean Ashton. There now are, however, several places called Ashton, and one called Aston-le-Walls, in Northamptonshire. Also, see what is before stated as to Astridge or Ashridge, in Powick. It is called Astridge in the Tithe Commutation; but, in the "23rd Further Report of the Commissioners for Inquiring concerning Charities," it is spelled Ashridge.