522 LONG BARROWS. 



examination, however, showed very plainly that the transverse 

 walls were merely thrown up to facilitate the operations of the 

 people constructing the barrow, and for their own greater conveni- 

 ence and safety. Along the middle line of the barrow, at all 

 events for a certain part of its length if not for the whole, a row 

 of large flag-stones had been placed upright, and against them on 

 either side other large stones were arranged sloping, in a roof- 

 shaped fashion, towards the central ones, forming what may be 

 called the back-bone of the mound. 



In the whole of this large barrow but one place of primary inter- 

 ment was discovered, and though it is possible that others may 

 exist, I think it is scarcely likely that they do, for it was tested in 

 a number of places without any indications of other burials being 

 met with. This one, in the shape of a chamber, was placed 24 ft. 

 from the west end and on the north side of the barrow, from which 

 it had a passage leading into it. The chamber, constructed of large 

 and thick oolitic slabs set upright, was 7 ft. long and 4 ft. wide, 

 having a direction nearly due north and south. It was about 3 ft. 

 8 in. high, measuring to the point where the roof commenced to 

 narrow. The passage, 2^ ft. in width, was difficult to define as 

 regards its length, for some of the stones had been removed, but 

 it appeared to have been as long (7 ft.) as the chamber itself ; nor 

 could it be ascertained whether it opened out to the exterior of the 

 barrow or not. At the place where the passage joined the chamber 

 there was a kind of doorway, made by a large flag-stone set on 

 edge, which crossed the entrance at a height of 1 ft. above the 

 floor ; the object of this was probably to aid in supporting the 

 roof of the chamber 1 . The passage was flagged, the floor being 

 on the natural surface, but the chamber was not flagged. The 

 chamber was first discovered many years ago, when the barrow was 

 used as a quarry by a man who had contracted to build the walls 

 of the fields enclosed from the common. Working one day upon 

 it and getting out some large stones, he all at once dropped into a 

 cavity, and found himself to his horror amongst a mass of human 

 bones. He had broken through the roof of the chamber, which 

 had been constructed, on a not uncommon plan in early burial- 

 places and habitations, by placing flat stones gradually projecting, 

 the one beyond the other, until they joined at the centre, forming 



1 A good idea of the chamber and passage will be got from an engraving in the 

 fifth volume of the Journ. Anthrop. Institute, pi. v. fig. 3. 



