331 
Alotes on Durrington. 
By the Rev. C. S. Ruppie. 
S Durrington parish is bounded on the south by Amesbury 
parish it may be said to be near Stonehenge: and it has 
on its down evidences of this proximity in the many barrows which 
Mr. Long has deseribed in vol. xvi. of this Magazine. It may also 
be seen in the map there reproduced from Hoare’s “ Ancient Wilts” 
that a huge sarsen stone is marked on the southern border of the 
parish on a line from the river to the avenue of Stonehenge, and 
at no great distance from Durrington Walls. This stone has long 
been called the Cuckoo Stone. Whether it was removed from, or, 
as is more probable, was dropped on the way to Stonehenge, must 
be uncertain. It must have been very near the old Wiltway, one 
of the ancient tracks which skirted the upper part of Durrington 
Walls before it was ploughed up. The Wiltway turned at a right 
angle out of Packway, the old road from Bulford ; and was the way 
to Wilton. Besides the barrows there were in 1864 in an arable 
field approaching our Winterbourne boundary remains of about 
thirty graves of common people; but only two of them even then 
nearly perfect. These were where the body had been laid north to 
south, looking northward, upon the chalk rock which there 
was about a foot’ below the surface. Flints had been set like 
low wall around the body, and apparently above it. The teeth 
of one skeleton were in full number, but the cusps had worn off 
pad every tooth was level. In the skull was a triangular flint ; 
but if it belonged to a weapon, and had caused death, it was one 
of the rudest ever fashioned. 
Durrington Walls, somewhat horse-shoe shaped, are based at 
tl ir narrow end upon the river. As they are arable they have 
never been ‘explored. The Avon bed there might, perhaps, repay 
excavation. 
