Opening of a Round Barrow^ dr. 81 



on the summit. The barrow was circular, and as usual sur- 

 rounded by a depression caused by removal of the earth to 

 form the central elevation. Its diameter to the outside of 

 the depression was 57 ft., and it was about 5 ft. in height 

 before it was opened. At the time it was erected it was doubt- 

 less higher than this, but settlement and long exposure to the 

 denuding influence of wind, rain, &c., would much reduce its 

 original height. 



When the party arrived workmen had already removed much 

 of the centre of the barrow, excavating a trench down to the 

 broken chalky surface. The whole of the material was a dry 

 crumbly black earth on the top, and below that the earth was 

 largely mixed with small chalk rubble. About a foot or 18 in. 

 above the undisturbed surface of the floor was a decided layer of 

 carbonaceous matter, varying from an inch to 2 or 3 in. in thick- 

 ness in places, and extending so far as we could ascertain to the 

 boundary of the barrow. In this carbonaceous material were 

 found a few fragments of bronze, too obscure to determine as to 

 what they were, though they were probably ornaments ; also 

 some lumps of a greenish and imperfect glass, fused. These 

 apparently represented glass vessels, possibly containing unguents, 

 &c. Besides this were found small fragments of pottery of un- 

 certain age, but very crude, and a small piece of ironstone and a 

 second bit of the same, fused. Now, as this ironstone is not 

 found in the immediate locality, it may probably have been 

 placed there in conjunction with a piece of flint, as was fre- 

 quently the case under such circumstances, as it was generally 

 supposed that the departed spirit required the means of making 

 a light to guide it on its way on the dark unknown journey 

 before it. 



After examining the excavation, we decided to drive a trench 

 to the margin of the mound, which we did in a westerly direction. 

 About ten feet from the centre we came upon a cinerary urn, 

 resting upon the base of the interment, mouth upwards, and 

 nearly filled with charcoal. This charcoal was placed in this 

 urn after the cremation had taken place, and, in fact, was all 

 that was left of the body over which this particular mound had 

 been erected. The mound was made up of black earth and 

 rubbly bits of chalk, in which we found a few fragments of bones, 

 not human, and chipped flints, which were undoubtedly of greater 

 age than the barrow itself, and which would have been uninten- 

 tionally collected when rearing the mound. The fractured bones 

 of animals and the little bits of pottery of varying tints and 

 thicknesses were no doubt the remains of the funeral feast 

 already referred to. In almost all barrows that have been ex- 

 plored such objects have been found, so that the custom was a 

 very general one. The cinerary urn which we found does not at 



