234 • TtTMUU OF TKE NORTH DISTRICT. 



With scarcely an exception, the tumuli of these districts con- 

 tain burials by cremation with or without an urn, whilst upon 

 the limestone districts urn-burial is rather of rare occurrence, 

 imless indeed the urns have been destroyed by subsequent 

 interments. 



I have therefore divided the sepulchral remains of the 

 Island into classes, according to the districts in which they are 

 situated, trusting that at some future period a chronological 

 arrangement may be completed. 



On the month of May, 1857, I accompanied the Eev. N. 

 Bond to see some barrows and small mounds which are 

 situated upon his propei*ty at the north extremity of Holme 

 Heath, where a bank divides it from a fir plantation.* On tho 

 following day the examination of them was commenced. It 

 was observable that those trees which had been planted upon 

 any of these mounds, were of much larger size than the 

 generality of those upon the level ground, hence indicating 

 the presence of some genial soil beneath. 



I counted as many as a hundred and twenty systematically 

 arranged in parallel rows, which averaged from three to four 

 paces apart, the mounds also being about that distance from 

 each other, in some they were three paces, in others four; 

 their size was about six feet in diameter and one foot high. 

 Upon digging into many of them, I found that they aU alike 

 contained the remains of burned furze in the state of charcoal, 

 the stems and thorns being preserved in a carbonized state. 



A reference to the plan will give a better idea of their 

 position than can be given by description. 



The three rows which commence on the south-side of the 

 bank are four paces apart, and run a distance of sixty-six 

 paces direct towards the barrow, b, from S.S.W. to N.N.E. 

 Those to the North- West are greater distances from each other, 

 varying from six to nine paces apart. The two on the North- 



* The labourers employed in the formatiQU of tliia bank some years 

 ago, camg ui)ou a deposit pf VrQDze celts. 



