422 Discoveries near Fonthill. 



Down till quite recently stone tiles were quarried equal to any in 

 hardness, evenness, and readiness of bed ; and it is probable that 

 tiles of the same quality have been obtained on the adjoining 

 Ashley Wood down. The iron implement found in the second 

 spit of the northern ditch of the camp bears a strong resemblance 

 to the picks still used in holeing stone tiles for nailing. It might 

 have been expected, however, that more tools would have been 

 found, and the evidence, as in the former case, is incomplete. 



In regard to the proximity of these sites to other sites, there 

 ai'e the remains of a British village a mile and three-quarters 

 away on the down facing the spot where the road from Fonthill 

 Bishop joins the main road from Amesbury to Mere; and along 

 Great Eidge above here a road is shewn as " Koman " on the 

 Ordnance Map, though from the erratic nature of its course, one 

 would be more inclined to put it down as a British trackway. 

 Earthworks, bar rows, and terraces all along this chalk ridge proclaim 

 the density of the British population in these parts ; and similar 

 remains mark the chalk escai'pments to the south. It would be 

 strange if the greensand country between should not have shared 

 in the population, even if its clays and stones proved no additional 

 attraction. It must be borne in mind that clay country is not 

 only less retentive of ancient earth-workings, but, being more 

 attractive to the farmer, is more subject to alterations at the hand 

 of man. At the same time the archaeologist rarely digs amongst 

 clay, where the conditions are so unfavourable to his pursuit, when 

 chalk country is close at hand, with its exceptional advantages for 

 archaeological work. 



15th Century site. Inner Ashley Wood Down. 



We now proceed to the site on the inner Ashley Wood Down. 

 An oblong mound, slightly hollow in the middle, gave promise of 

 a house, if of little more. A narrow section cut across it soon 

 proved that it was to be dated back to the Middle Ages. A wall 

 was struck on each side, and pottery, mostly thick with fine green 



