70 ANTIQUARIAN INVESTIGATIONS ON DARTMOOR. 



feet wide, though much obscured by the encroaching vegetation. 

 The stones which have been recently torn out of the moss, have 

 been piled up in a wall-like form; which will readily account for 

 the disfigured character of some of the relics. 



TheTRACKLiNEsare greatly similar in construction to the track- 

 ways, but less extensive. They have been, hitherto, invariably 

 observed in connection with ancient dwellings and sepulchral re- 

 mains, and in great probability served for bounds or pathways, 

 connecting and inclosing dwellings, while the former might have 

 been designed in like manner to facilitate the intercouse between 

 villages and towns. 



Numerous examples of the tracklines occur in various parts of 

 the moor. At Torhill, near Rippon tor, they intersect each other 

 at right angles in such numbers, that nearly the whole of the east- 

 em slope is partitioned into squares, conveying in a striking man- 

 ner the idea of an ancient rural settlement. This notion is strongly 

 supported by the appearance of hut circles, which are found in 

 many of these primitive divisions. 



But the tracklines are generally observed, as it might be ex- 

 pected, of more irregular forms. On the N. W. side of Cawson 

 liill, they are seen in a winding or serpentine form. They also 

 occur in irregular forms on the sloj^e of the hill, south of Wistman's 

 wood ; and near Littleford tor, two dwellings are connected by a 

 line which forms the segment of a circle. On the S. side of 

 Ilaytor, more in the neighbourhood of Torhill, they are again 

 observed in rectangular outlines. 



The trackways possess no characteristic whicli would lead us 

 to assign their construction to the Roman period of Brilisli his- 

 tory ; nor have we historical evidence that any of their roads ran 

 through Danmonium in a direction corresponding to that of the 

 Dartmoor trackways. Neither arc there in them any marks of 

 modern construction as fences or boundary lines ; the remains of 

 the oldest wall-fences on the moor being constructed in a manner 

 so strikingly different, as to be evident to any observer of common 

 penetration. Similar remarks will apply to the tracklines in a 

 great degree, and as they are found so intimately connected with 

 ruined dwellings, and otiier remains of a remote aera, the inference 

 seems just that would assign them to the same people and the 

 same period. But as tiiis relic of antiquity has hitherto received 

 so little investigation, our opinions on this subject are not advan- 

 ced without hesitation, and require further researcli before they 

 can be considered sufficiently established. 

 To he continued. 



