NOTES ON A PRE-HISTORIC BURIAL-PLACE AT MEGDALE. 43 



would stop short with the natural surface, and not go below 

 it. The interstices of these ancient cairns are often filled 

 with black vegetable mould, and the removal of the stones 

 might well leave behind on the spot a thick deposit of this 

 mould, such as Dr. Moxon observed over the grave. The red 

 tinge mentioned by the Doctor, was perhaps the effect of fire. 

 The presence of charcoal and other signs of fire have frequently 

 been noticed in pre-historic graves. 



Apparently no implement or other object of human manu- 

 facture accompanied the skeletons; evidence, therefore, from 

 this source as to their antiquity is denied us. The pressman, 

 indeed, made this a strong point against these skeletons being 

 ancient, but pre-historic interments are frequently found to 

 lack such accompaniments. He also attempted to throw 

 doubt upon their orderly burial in consequence of their 

 muddled condition. It is obvious, however, that in a 

 space only two feet square, the bodies must have been 

 buried in a contracted attitude, which is the usual attitude in 

 ancient British interments; and the bones of such interments 

 always present a mixed-up appearance to the inexperienced 

 observer. The position of the skeletons, on the brow of an 

 eminence, was a favourite one for burial purposes with the 

 ancient Britons. 



With data so slender, it is hardly safe to attempt to assign 

 a narrower period for this sepulchre than that just broadly 

 expressed as pre-historic. All the skeletons appear to have 

 been together. It would help us if we could know whether 

 they were all buried at one time, or successively. If the former, 

 we should have good grounds for attributing them to the 

 Bronze Age; if the latter, we might be inclined to suggest 

 the preceding era of the chambered tumuli. But the half- 

 natural recess in which the skeletons were found was 

 so small compared with the grand chambers of these tumuli, 

 that we may well hesitate to associate it with them. It is safer 

 to assign it to the Bronze Age, to which the great majority of 

 our Derbyshire pre-historic burial-places belong. 



