Gents Mag 1776 p.310

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	Gentleman's Magazine 1776 p.310
ruins   Quamps   Dalton Hall
	Ruins at Quamps Mr. URBAN, IF you think the following piece of antiquity worthy of a place in your Magazine, you will oblige the writer by inserting it. Conjectures of its age and use have been formed, but the decision is left to antiquarians by profession; some of whom, it is hoped, will favour the public with their sentiments concerning an article in their way, which is, perhaps not frequently to be met with. Lancaster, July, 6. W.C. Account of some remarkable Foundations of Walls, discovered on clearing a Field called The Quamps, in Dalton Hall, Demesne, (near Burton in Kendal,) in the latter End of the Year 1774. See the following Figure. THE fence of the field, a, a, a, a, sketched out by the eye, is a hedge, as are all the fences in that neighbourhood. The black lines, b, b, ,b, are the ground plot of the wall. They were all thrown down, and grown over in many places with bushes; but the foundation stones appeared to be laid by a line, and the two outside faces were about three yards distance. The intermediate spaces were filled up with any kind of cobbles, &c. These foundation stones were large lime-stones, with which that part of the country abounds, and generally as big as two or three men could move; but no mortar was discovered, nor any marks of the hammer, except in some freestone ones at the corners. The dotted lines, c. c, c, (drawn by the eye,) had much the same appearance as the rest; but the marks of a regular wall were not so evident there; and I believe the plan does not notice all the vestiges that were remaining of this kind. The annexed dimensions are not very accurate, as they were taken after the stones were removed. There were openings like common gateways into these enclosures, and some stones were found at the edges of these gateways, near a foot under the soil, with holes in them, such as are now in use for gates to turn upon by means of iron pivots. There are two springs in the field at d and e. The spring d is never dry; that at e, not certain how it is. The area at f is low and soft in the bottom; as if it had been a receptacle for water. The field containing these walls is pretty level, and on an eminence of the most western of a number which had formerly been covered with an extensive oak wood, and which again were bounded to the eastward with large moors reaching many miles north and south. The field has as spacious a view to the west and south, as most which are found in this hilly country. But its prospect is obstructed by an eminence about a quarter of a mile to the south-west, on the top of which, some say, there were very lately a small mound and trench. Also, at about an equal distance to the north east of these walls, were dug up, at the same time, the foundations of an enclosure of a like kind, near forty yards square, divided into two unequal oblongs, and whose walls were above three yards thick. And in a line with this, the Quamps, and the mound, is an appearance of other walls, though of inferior dimensions, which are yet unmolested. There are remains of two old halls within a mile of these ruins, and one of them has a large enclosure adjoining to it that is moated round. These remains and tradition, however, discover nothing, relating to them that is any way worth notice; neither is there the least tradition concerning the walls in
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