By the Rev. Bryan King, M.A. 



383 



of nearly equal width ; a little further to the westward again from 

 this stone, in the farm-yard of the manor-house called " Avebury 

 Truslowe " there ai'e several large stones ; whilst at the edge of the 

 pond at the road-side near the corner of the field in which the large 

 stones of Beckham pton stand, there are sevei-al large sarsen stones, 

 one of five feet six inches, another of five feet in length and others of 

 nearly the same size. Then, some years ago, I availed myself of 

 the opportunity when the field had been recently ploughed, and 

 found several "sarsen chips " {i.e., small fragments of sarsen stones) 

 near the north-east corner of the field in question, and other similar 

 ''chips" about mid- way between that corner and the "cove; " and 

 others also a little beyond, or westward of, the cove itself; all these 

 giving their mute testimony to Farmer Griffin's destructive handi- 

 work ; for I have the assurance of my neighbour Mr. Kemm that 

 such " chips " are only found in those places in which large sarsen 

 stones have been broken up. 



I have already spoken of the almost continuous line of sarsen 

 stones for about half-a-mile in length in this westward direction 

 from Avebury, along the presumed route of the Beckhampton avenue ; 

 and when I state — as I now do advisedly — that on no other line out 

 of Avebury, besides that of the Kennet avenue, is there one-tenth 

 proportion of sarsen stones as now exist on this precise line, I am, I 

 think, entitled to ask, whether the evidence of the former existence 

 of the Beckhampton avenue is not irresistible, and whether the 

 merely negative evidence on the point of one so utterly careless and 

 untrustworthy as I have shewn Aubrey to be, is entitled to the very 

 slightest weight. 



Bryan King. 

 Avebury Vicarage, 



Sept. IQth, 1879. 



