Clifton College Scientific Society. 81 



THE TUMULUS OP WESTBURY. 



This barrow, jjerhaps the most prominent one in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of Bristol, is situated about a quarter of a mile beyoad 

 the village of Westbury-on-Trym. Ascending the hill where the 

 Passage Road branches off to the lett, a footway to Filton goes 

 straight onwards, and, about the distance of -100 yards along this 

 path, it passes within thirty feet of the barrow which is on the right- 

 hand side. Tlie tumulus consists of a large moucd, standing in 

 "Miltut Field" (which adjoins Mr. Green's shrubbery), and is per- 

 fectly circular, having a diameter of twenty yards, and an elevation 

 of seven feet ; it is overgrown with long grass, and set with twenty- 

 three tall Sc'tch firs, in shape it comes under Sir Richard Colt 

 Hoare's class of broad barrows. Seyer very briefly mentions it in his 

 " Memoirs of Bristol," and also states that " in making a ditch in the 

 same field, in 1815, many Roman coins were found, and a skeleton, 

 having the knees gathered up to the head, which is considered the most 

 ancient and barbarian mode of burial." These remains, however, 

 can have no connection with the tumulus, but this appears to have 

 been all that was ever written about it, for there is no account of its 

 having been opened. 



In December, 1873, I obtained leave to open it, and, with two men, 

 commenced cutting a passage, four feet wide, from the south side to 

 the centre. Here the opening was enlarged, extended to the east and 

 west, and sunk below the level of the field. The barrow was found 

 to be made of small loose stones of the neighbouring rock, — carboni- 

 ferous limestone, and seems to have been unshaped, but used in their 

 natural rough condition. Nevertheless, the barrow was very care- 

 fully built, the stones being piled up and embedded in a reddish 

 earth. From the compact state of its structure, the mound appears 

 never before to have been disturbed. During the course of digging, 

 we exhumed many scattered bones of animals, some flint flakes, 

 together with charcoal and ashes. Many empty snail-shells were 

 found, at a depth of six feet, and they probably entered there to 

 hibernate. 



All these remains occurred at intervals, and were distributed over 

 different parts of the barrow. Some of the bones are very interesting, 

 and from them various inferences are deducible. They consist mostly 

 of teeth, femora and other bones, in an advanced state of decay. 

 Among others, we came across a A'ery perfect tooth of a wolf, also 

 teeth of the horse, hog, red deer, etc. Some of these assa beliiarum 

 appear to have been burnt, as they are blanched, while others retain 

 their natural colour ; and there thus appear to have been successive 

 burials. 



The number of flint flakes was small. Some of these are mere 

 chips, struck off in shaping ; but two of them are roughly worked 

 scrapers, and bear evidence in fevour of a high antiquity for the 

 tumulus. They are quite white, owing to long exposure. Ko trace 

 of pottery or metal was seen. 



