PARISH OF GANTON'. 173 



a mother and her children ; and it is at least supposable that they 

 were killed at the time of her interment ; though of course it is 

 quite possible that they may all have died at the same time, either 

 by disease or by the mischances of war. The occurrence of the 

 same facts in other barrows^ and indeed the comparative frequency 

 of their occurrence, make the supposition that the children had been 

 killed at the time of their mother's death or burial the more 

 probable. There is another explanation of the occurrence of the 

 fragmentary bodies discovered in this barrow, which perhaps may 

 be thought as probable as that their condition was caused by the 

 introduction of secondary interments. They may have been the 

 remains of bodies previously deposited at some other place, and 

 afterwards brought to this barrow for final interment. The system 

 of twice burying the body has not been an infrequent one, and the 

 practice of some modern savages may be cited to show that it still 

 exists. The question is however more fully discussed in other parts 

 of this volume, to which the reader is referred. In the barrow 

 under notice, it should be remarked, were some lines of chalk 

 rubble, arranged in a sort of rude wall-fashion. Some flint chip- 

 pings were dispersed amongst its material, and also a rough flint 

 flake, very carefully chipped at one end to a sharp point, so as to 

 form a drill or piercing implement ; there was also a round piece of 

 sandstone, 2| in. in diameter, which had been much used in the 

 process of pounding or grinding. 



The two barrows next to be described were situated about 

 200 yds. north of the last, and in near connection with one before 

 mentioned as having been removed about 30 years ago ; the 

 three had formed a small group in themselves. 



XXVII. The first, and smallest of the three, was 48 ft. in diameter, 

 3 ft. high, and was made up of flint rubble and mould ; and from the 

 very dark colour, due to the presence of a large quantity of decayed 

 vegetable matter, it is probable that the mould had originally been 

 turfs. At the centre, Ih ft. above the natural surface, was a deposit 

 of burnt bones, with some unburnt ones in company with them. 

 The burnt bones comprised the remains of at least two bodies, for 

 portions of two distinct lower jaws formed part of the deposit ; and 

 a critical examination shows the bones to be those of a very large and 

 strongly-made man, and of another smaller person, probably a woman. 

 Amongst the bones were fragments of a large cinerary urn, the rim 

 of which had been ornamented with alternate series of vertical and 



