Pre-historic Interments near Porton, Wilts. 411 









of remarkable geometrical correctuess. Canon Greenwell, in his 
British Barrows, states on pages 6 and 7 in regard to enclosing 
circles on the Yorkshire Wolds :— 
‘‘T have met with this feature in the form of a circle of flint stones, and 
of a circular trench. In both cases there was a space left vacant 
The same peculiarity is found to exist in the barrows and cairns of obtieg 
parts of England and Scotland, and indeed, this incompleteness appears to 
be almost invariable in connection with sepulchral circles.” 
We must, however, await another drought before we can be 
absolutely sure that these circles at Porton are exceptions. 
In the centre we found the interment in a grave about 8ft. long, 
4ft. wide, and 4ft. deep. The skeleton was in a crouched position, 
lying on its right side, with its head due east. The bones were 
much decayed, and the skull had collapsed through the under-side 
having perished, but all the teeth were in an exceptionally good 
state of preservation, and remarkably fine : indeed, when I compare 
these magnificent molars, so perfect after some three thousand years, 
with the miserable substitutes with which so many are now-a-day 
~ compelled to be content, and remember the amount of misery and 
torture which one has had to endure before even this degree of 
proficiency has been attained, the happy lot of this ancient 
Wiltshireman is to be envied, at least in this respect! 
The remains were evidently those of a fully-developed person 
of from 18 to 25 years of age. Nothing was found in the grave 
except a small piece of worked flint. This may have been part of 
an arrow-head, which possibly caused the death of the individual. 
Mr. Doran Webb has the remains of the skull. 
Another single brown circle was visible close to the line, the 
centre of which would come within the railway company’s boundary, 
and I fear that the interment is under the tail of the embankment. 
On another occasion, when passing in the train, I noticed in the 
arable field on the east side of the line two or three slight mounds 
just to the north of the Horse Barrow, which were evidently small 
barrows that had been ploughed down; and having obtained 
permission from the owner, Mr. Carter, of Parkstone, I undertook 
the excavation of these. 
bo 
E 2 
