Records of Finds not mentioned elsewhere. 411 
enquiries, and found that the bones had all been carefully collected, broken up, 
and bagged for sale. Having obtained a glance at them I was surprised to find 
that they were the relics of a gigantic human being. I visited and dug up the 
cist and obtained more bones, a few well-formed flints, and some pieces of British 
ware. I found no part of the skull, owing probably to its being reduced to 
atoms during some previous ploughing. 
On examination the skeleton was found to be that of an adult male, showing 
signs of very great muscular development, the femur measuring 203in., the tibia 
163in. 
The flints show late workmanship; the pottery shows signs of the wheel, 
proving the interment to be of the late Neolithic or early Bronze Period. 
Probably these remains were once entombed within a tumulus which has 
become obliterated by frequent ploughings.* 
British Urns at Temple, near Marlborough. 
As the neighbourhood of Temple has been the principal stone quarry for the 
adjacent roads of the Marlborough Highway District for many years past, there 
remains hardly a sod which has not been turned over. I might mention that 
this valley is strewn with sarsen stones—the hills are studded with tumuli—and 
an important flint manufactory was situated on both hills overlooking the valley 
(Glory Ann). The neighbourhood has been most prolific in British and Roman 
remains. In 1886 I heard of many “earthen pots” having been dug up.t In 
1887 I dug up a British culinary vessel with a coin.{ In 1888 I obtained five 
urns.§ I have also obtained many Roman coins, two pairs of Roman shears, a 
bronze celt, horseshoes, &c. In May, 1890, a skeleton was found under a sarsen, 
but was not retained, and on May 19th, 1892, two small British cinerary urns 
were found, of which the following is an account :—These urns were discovered 
close to a large sarsen stone about 2ft. 3in. beneath the surface, surrounded by 
ashes. They both contained crematory ashes and charred bones, are lathe-turned 
and composed of a coarse local brownish clay. In shape they resemble a water 
jug, z.e., they bulge in the centre and contract at the rim +o the size of the base. 
They stand 1ft. Gin., and Yin. inches high respectively. Unfortunately they were 
too brittle to be dug out whole, but I have easily restored them. 
* It is sad to reflect that many earthworks are gradually being lost for ever, 
but not from natural causes. Many a tumulus has sunk beneath the plough, 
and I regret to say many of the most attractive have been most abominably 
mutilated by antiquaries, eager to lay their hands on whatever the spade turned 
up, and never even thinking of returning the excavated soil to its former position. 
It is not uncommon to see an elegant bell-tumulus, which took the builders 
weeks to form, with a deep gaping trench through its centre, giving it the ap- 
pearance of being a soil bank, or rubbish heap, instead of being a silent and 
beautiful record of an ancient sepulture. Surely the same steps should be taken 
to suppress this open vandalism as are taken to protect the sarsen structures. 
+ See Marlborough College N. H. Report, No. 37, p. 150. 
t Ibid, p. 151. 
§ Ibid, No. 38, pp. 108 and 109. 
