44 Notes on pre-Norman Sculptured Stones in Wilts. 



In Celtic Cornwall they are found in eighteen localities, in Wales 

 there are sixty-four stones, and in Southern Scotland they are 

 numerous, whilst the finest and most elaborate of all are found in 

 Ireland, where as many as two hundred and fifty sepulchral slabs 

 and forty-five high crosses are known. 



During the extensive works of restoration and re-building at 

 Ramsbury in 1891, however, no less than six of these early sculptured 

 stones were found, either built into the foundations of the south 

 pier of the chancel arch and the east wall of the south aisle adjacent 

 to it, or lying buried close by, near the line of what seemed to be 

 the wall of an earlier Church, running outside the present south 

 wall of the chancel. 



The largest of the stones (A) had to be sawn in two parts to be 

 removed and the bottom of it is broken into several pieces. The 

 upper part is, however, but little injured and is richly sculptured on 

 all four sides. Unfortunately, however, the stone is temporarily 

 placed in such a position that a photograph could only be taken of 

 the one side here given, and its size and weight were too great to 

 allow it to be moved without danger of chipping the broken pieces 

 of the base. Two of its sides are covered with interlacing knot- 

 work of the same pattern, of which I am only able to give here 

 tracings made from rubbings, and as the position of the stone made 

 it impossible to get a rubbing of the bottom on one side it appears 

 blank in the illustration. The fourth side of this stone is covered 

 with fine interlacing dragonesque work, of which a plate is given 

 from a drawing by Mr. Romilly Allen. 



Stone (B) measures 35iin. in height by 15in. wide at the base on 

 two sides and 14in. on the others, and an inch less at the top, which 

 has four dowel holes, each 45in. deep. All four sides are covered 

 with sculpture and are all perfect except the lower half of one side 

 which has been much defaced. As will be seen, two sides are covered 

 with interlacing work, and the other two with three circular me- 

 dallions of beasts biting their own tails. This stone doubtless formed 

 part of the shaft oE a cross, perhaps of the same as that of which 

 (A) formed the base. 



The other cross stone is that marked (C), much smaller than the 



