ANCIliNT CHAMBERED TUMULI. .51 



their edges. Most of them are about three feet high, and 

 from three to five broad. They are of a rough oolitic 

 stone, füll of shells, and must have been brought from 

 about three miles distant. None of them present any 

 iraces of the chisel or other implement. The spaces be- 

 tween the large stones are filled up with dry walling. The 

 roof is formed of large slabs of stone, which are laid across 

 and rest on the uprights. There were two Chambers on 

 each side of this gallery ; two of them have been destroyed. 

 These side Chambers are of an irregulär quadrilateral form, 

 with an average diameter of four and a half feet, and are 

 constructed of upright stones and dry walling, roofed in 

 with flat stones. 



It seems to have been the custom to dose up the en- 

 trances of these side Chambers with dry walling, after in- 

 terments had been made in them. This was the condition 

 of that Chamber which was opened in 1821. The roof 

 also was constructed with overlapping stones, so as to 

 form a dorne, like the construction which appears at Wel- 

 low, and at New Grange, and Drowth, in Ireland ; and 

 Dr. Thurnam observes that very probably the whole 

 structure had originally this character, as the tumulus 

 appears to have been opened and ransacked previous to 

 1821. 



It will be seen, on cornparison of the plans of the two 

 tumuli, that their internal structure is different in the ar- 

 rangement of the cells. Those at Wellow are directly op- 

 posite, and at regulär intervals, forming, so to speak, 

 transepts, to a central passage ; but at Uley they are 

 grouped together in pairs, being likewise opposite, and this 

 latter tumulus contains only two pairs of cells. In both 

 these tumuli the central passage does not extend the entire 

 length of the tumulus by many feet. The construction, 



