378 Avebury. — The BecTchampton Avenue. 



himself to be only a supposition. . . The end of the Beckhamptou 

 avenue being fanciful, it is not impossible that the same fancy may 

 also have been at work in constructing other parts of it." 



Now, Mr. Jackson is led to attach greater weight to the testimony 

 of Aubrey than to that of Stukeley on the grounds that he visited 

 Avebury seventy years before Stukely did (p. 3^3, note), that he 

 " visited it frequently" (/6.), that he noticed of the earthwork that 

 it was an ill-shaped monument " (p. 324), whilst Stukeley gives it 

 as perfectly circular, which it is not, and that he depicts the Kennet 

 avenue as '^ running straight" from Abury to Kennet (p. 324), 

 whereas, according to Stukeley, " on coming out of Abury it curved 

 a little/' 



Now, in presuming to traverse the above grounds of Mr. Jackson's 

 preference of the authority of Aubrey to that of Stukeley, I do so, 

 not as venturing for a moment to place my own authority in com- 

 petition with that which justly attaches to the venerable name of 

 Canon Jackson, but solely on the ground that during a residence in 

 Avebury of sixteen years, I have had unusual opportunities of ob- 

 servation on a subject on which I have taken a very deep interest. 



I am led, then, to question whether Aubrey did make frequent 

 visits to Avebury, and still more strongly to question his accuracy 

 of observation when he did make his visits ; and this on the following 

 grounds : — 



At the very outset of his remarks upon the subject he writes, 

 "Abury is four miles west from Marlborough" (p. 319), whereas 

 it is full six miles distant, and but little short of this " as the crow 

 flies." 



Then he writes (p. 323) " Southwards from Abury in the ploughed 

 field near Kynet, doe stand three huge upright stones, perpen- 

 dicularly, like the three ^ stones (within the earthwork) at Abury ; 

 they are called " The Devill's Coytes." Now these stones instead 

 of being southward of Avebury and near Kennet, are in fact west- 

 ward from Avebury, and near Beckhampton ! 



' I presume these to be the three stones then forming the centre of the north 

 cii-cle or temple. 



