146 YORKSHIRE. EAST RIDING. 



the skull was an oval hole, north and south, 5 ft. by 3^ ft., and 

 2ift. deep, containing nothing- beyond earth and chalk, the 

 materials of which the barrow was formed. At the centre were 

 two holes, li ft. apart, lying- in a direction north-east and south- 

 west ; one was 5 ft. long and 3i ft. wide, the other 4i ft. long and 

 3 ft. wide, both being 2^ ft. deep, and having their long diameter 

 north-west by south-east. Like the first-mentioned hole, they 

 contained nothing except earth and chalk. 



VII. The first of the three barrows opened by Messrs. Porter and 



Monkman was 60 ft. in diameter, and had been ploughed down 



to a height of not more than li ft. About 18 ft. from the east 



side of the mound, and laid upon the natural surface, was found a 



large deposit of broken human bones, the remains of not less than 



eight bodies, as was proved by the presence of portions of as many 



different skulls. All these, together with some animal bones \ were 



scattered about in the greatest confusion, and, in the opinion of the 



explorers, had been deposited so originally. It is of course possible 



they might be the remains of bodies which had been disturbed by 



the insertion of secondary interments and re-buried ; still, if this 



had been the case, we should scarcely have expected to meet with so 



many bodies; nor indeed did the examination of the barrow show 



that there had been any disturbance sufficiently extensive to 



occasion the removal of so many as eight previously buried bodies. 



At the centre of the barrow and upon the natural surface there was 



a large quantity of dark-coloured and perfectly plain pottery, the 



remains of many different vessels which had, it was evident, been 



placed there in the fragmentary condition in which they were 



found. They were spread over an area of about 6 ft. square. A 



few pieces of a human skull were also met with close to the centre. 



To the north, south-east, and south-west of the centre were three 



holes, marking the angles of a triangle ; they were sunk 1|^ ft. 



below the surface, and contained nothing in addition to the chalk 



which had been dug out in sinking them. Close to the north hole 



was the skull of a pig, some other animal bones, and a round flint 



scraper. West of the centre was the body of a young woman, from 



20 to 25 years of age, laid in a slight depression of the surface, on 



the left side, with the hands up to the face. The head was protected 



by two large blocks of flint, placed roof-fashion over it. Near the 



* The bones are of one goat or sheep, and of three pigs. 



