THE HELSTONE. 39 



long, by 30ft. to 50ft. wide, of moderate height, with a trench 

 along the sides, but not at the ends in fact pear-shaped 

 usually lying east and west, the chambered east end being 

 wider and higher; but one in six lie north and south. They 

 were always associated with giants by local tradition, and that 

 name often survives as a place name. A very interesting 

 account of a chambered long barrow opened in Somerset in 

 1909 may be seen in a little book " Records by Spade and 

 Terrier " by the Rev. J. Wickham. Canon Greenwell describes 

 13 which he opened in Yorkshire; but the most complete 

 excavation ever made was that of Worbarrow on Handley 

 Down by the late General Pitt- Rivers. 



Chambered ones naturally occur more frequently in stone 

 districts, sarsens being often utilised for their construction; 

 but at Worbarrow, in North Dorset, there were traces of 

 wooden supports. The plan varies, the simple ones having a 

 passage leading to an inner chamber, sometimes divided into 

 several cells. No sculpture is found as in Scotland, Ireland 

 and Brittany, no metal, and as a rule no sign of cremation. 

 Leaf flint arrow-heads and scrapers, bone implements, and a 

 little coarse pottery, with bones of animals, such as deer, wild 

 boar and cattle, are occasionally found. The numerous 

 skeletons lie in a contracted position, but human bones are 

 often found piled up promiscuously, possibly from the chamber 

 having been used as an ossuary, or this may be due to rifling 

 by treasure hunters. 



Skulls (dolichocephalic) are the important factor, for, 

 taking the length as 100, they average a breadth index of 69, 

 much longer and narrower than any present race in Europe. 

 The height of these men was not more than 5ft. 4ins., often 

 less than 5ft. The Iberian type still to be noticed in the 

 West of France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Wales, is 

 supposed to have descended from the builders of Avebury and 

 the long barrows. 



The finest dolmens (3,000) are in France; but England is 

 noted for its great circles, such as Avebury and Stonehenge. 



