Cliflon College Scientific Society. 25 



ment at Glastonbury, came to the said forest to hunt, Axbridge 

 being then a royal borough. The king, three days previously, 

 had dismissed St Dunstan from his court with great indignation 

 and lack of honour, which done, he proceeded to the wood to hunt. 

 This wood covers a mountain of great height, which, being sepa- 

 rated at its summit, exhibits to the spectator an immense 

 precipice and horrid gulph, called by the inhabitants, " Chedder 

 Clyfl's." When, therefore, the king was chasing the flying stag 

 here and there, on its coming to the craggy gulph, the stag rushed 

 into it, and being dashed to atoms, perished ; similar ruin involved 

 the i^ursuing dog«, and the horse on which the king i-ode, having 

 broken its reins, became unmanageable. In an obstinate course 

 it carries the king after the hounds, and the gulph lying before 

 him, threatens the king with certain death — he trembles and is 

 at his last shift. In the interval, his injustice recently oftered to 

 St Dunstan occurs to his mind — he wails it, and instantly vowed 

 to God that he would, as speedily as possible, recompense such 

 injustice by a manifold amendment, if God would only for the 

 moment avert the death which deservedly threatened him. God 

 immediately hearing the preparation of his heart, took pity on 

 him, inasmuch as the horse instantly stopped, and to the glory of 

 God, caused the king, thus snatched from the perils of death, 

 most uufeignedly to give thanks to God. Having returned to his 

 house, that is, to the borough of Axbridge, and being joined by 

 his nobles, the king recorded to them the cause of the adventure 

 which had happened, and commanded Dunstan to be recalled with 

 honour and reverence, after which he esteemed him in all transac- 

 tions as his most sincere friend.' 



The forest is also famous for its having been the battlefield of 

 many fights between the Eomans, the Saxons, and the Danes. 

 The remains of their earthworks and camps are still to be seen. 

 The earliest known inhabitants of Cheddar were the Ha?dui, a 

 Celtic tribe, and if the destroying hand of cultivation in these 

 days had but spared them, abundant traces of their houses and 

 abodes might even now gladden the eye of the antiquarian. 

 There are, however, some British tumuli scattered over the country 

 adjoining the Cheddar Cliffs. At Priddy Hill one was opened in 

 1825, when it was found to contain the ashes of burnt bones and 

 a few beads, like those from Egyptian tombs. 



Nearly at the top of the road leading up the cliffs, and on the 

 left side, far up the rocks, is a small cave in which some human 

 skulls were found. An old labourer informed us that he remem- 

 bered seeing them carried past his house on the way to some 

 museum, so that the discovery is within the recollection of the 



