By William Long, Esq., M.A. 



road.^ The stones composing this avenue 

 were, according to Stukeley, "of all shapes, 

 sizes, and height that happen'd, altogether 

 rude." Some which he measured were 6 feet 

 thick and 16 in circumference. " If of a flattish 

 make, the broadest dimension was set in the 

 line of the avenue, and the most sightly side 

 of the stone inward. The founders were sens- 

 ible, all the effect desired in the case, was 

 their bulk and regular station."^ 



The Beckhampton Avenite. 

 The Beckhampton avenue which, according ^ 

 to Stukeley, formed the tail of the sacred rep- g 

 tile, and like the other, was composed, as he 2 

 calculated, of 200 stones, left the vallum nearly o 

 at the W. point, and passing by the south side •« 

 of what is now the churchyard, took the di- g 

 rection of Beckhampton. It was about the ^ 

 same length as the Kennet avenue, and nar- 2 

 rowmg graduallj^ ended (as he believed), m a |. 

 single stone in a low valley on the down between a 

 the Devizes and Calne roads, near a fine group 2, 

 of barrows.^ Stukeley speaks of ten stones | 

 of this avenue known to have been standing > 

 within memory, between the exit of the g 

 avenue from the vallum and the brook. Four 



329 



I 



' " Mr. Butler of Kennet informed me, in 1829, 

 that these stones were removed by order of the Trus- 

 tees of tlie Turnpike Road for the roasou alleged by 

 Mr. Shepherd, viz. ; because horses used to shy at 

 them ! Mr. Butler did all he could to dissuade the 

 Magistrates and Farmers from destroying them, but 

 they were inexorable." — (Key. J. B. Deanc, 1857.) 



'^ Stukeley's Abury, p. 30. Aubrey's sketcli of this 

 avenue ([il. ii. fig. 2,) was doubtless drawn from me- 

 mory, and hence its obvious inaccuracies. 



^ Of ton barrows composing this group, four only 

 have escaped the plough. 



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