136 KNOWLTON CHURCH AND EARTHWORK. 



By the bye, Mr. Warne calls the lane up which we must have 

 come " Lombard-street-larie." There are some "banks "on either 

 side of it certainly. He directs attention to that barrow which he 

 terms "an immense one," but does not pronounce it of a long or 

 round type, an important factor in deciding anything about the age 

 of these circles, particularly of the one which remains nearly intact 

 before us. If it could be called a round barrow it would belong, 

 according to the acknowledged antiquarian formula, to the " round 

 skulls " the later race of the inhabitants of this part of Britain. 

 General Pitt-Rivers considers it a round barrow, and, of course, I 

 bow to his opinion but I wish the mounds were free from the 

 disfigurement of trees which, so usually ornamental, are quite out 

 of place on these vestiges of antiquity. 



I have two more complaints to make about the way in which 

 these relics of the past are kept. One is the great length of the 

 grass in the circle before us. It absolutely prevents the obtaining 

 correct impressions of this old-world treasure. We cannot trust the 

 eye, but must go to our books to learn " that the vallum (or mound) 

 has a narrow terrace raised near to its summit on the inner side " 

 also " that the fosse (or ditch) shows signs of much disturbance." 

 Every one can, however, make out that the work is in Warne's 

 " words " carefully planned. Its diameter from north to south is 

 76 paces, and from east to west 78. The entrances are on the 

 north-east and south-west sides. Warne thinks the former " to be 

 of later date not original." The area measures, he says, 1 acre, 

 3 roods, 20 perches call it two acres for convenience. " The surface 

 of the ground is broken and uneven. A part of the mound on the 

 north side has been taken away. They say several spear heads of 

 iron were discovered in the process." These could not have been 

 the property of either the long or round skulled races, nor have 

 been used in defensive warfare. For here comes in my chief 

 remark, this earthwork never could have been used for defence. 

 You ask why ? My answer is : Look at the position of the ditch 

 inside, not outside, of the mound all round. Now reflect a 

 moment. Would any human beings who had reason enough to 



