PARISH OF 8HEBBURN. 145 



The trench, with its filling-in of burnt earth and ehalk, its 

 potsherds and charcoal, presents a very interesting 1 subject for 

 speculation. It will be seen from the description of many of the 

 barrows noticed in this volume, that enigmatical holes, usually filled 

 with earth and stone that have not been burnt, are of frequent occur- 

 rence, but trenches or holes filled up with burnt matter are by no 

 means so common, though occasionally met with. Deposits of 

 burnt earth &c. upon the natural surface, together with fragments 

 of domestic pottery and bones of animals, have been found in 

 some of the wold barrows ; and these probably originated in the 

 self-same funeral practice as gave rise to the trench in the barrow 

 lately under notice. Were they connected with a feast held at 

 the burial, or on later commemorative occasions ? May the broken 

 vessels and animal bones be regarded as favouring such a view ? 



PARISH OF SHERBURN. Ord. Map. xcv. s.w. 



The three barrows next to be noticed were not opened by 

 myself, but by the Rev. Frederick Porter, Vicar of Yedingham, 

 and the late Mr. Charles Monkman of Malton, both of whom 

 have had some experience in the examination of barrows, and 

 whose accuracy of observation may be fully depended upon. I 

 include them in the present description because they are situated 

 in the immediate vicinity of a large series opened by myself, and 

 also because the skulls and other remains found in them have : 

 come into my possession. 



At a short distance to the north-west of these barrows, and 

 close, to where the long barrow shortly before noticed once stood, 

 was a round one, which was opened by Mr. Ruddock in 1851. 

 An account of the contents is given by Mr. Bateman in his Ten 

 Years' Diggings, p. 230, where it is recorded that fifteen skeletons 

 were found at the centre. I examined it again when it was 

 being removed for agricultural purposes. It was 80 ft. in diameter, 

 and within it, with a radius of 30 ft., was a circle of chalk stones* 

 which had an opening 9 ft. in width on the east side. Eighteen 

 feet south-east of the centre and 1J ft. above the surface was a 

 body, on the right side, the head to W., the hands up to the 

 face. Twenty feet south-south-east of the centre and lying on 

 the surface was a skull which had evidently been disturbed at 

 an early period ; no other bones of the body were present. Below 



