486 LONG BARROWS. 



compacted— SO closely, in fact, that working it was almost like 

 quarrying stone — gave place to loose oolitic rubble, which lay in a 

 deposit 3i ft. broad, running, for about 40 ft., east and west, from 

 the east end of the mound and along the central line of the barrow. 

 This deposit was 3 ft. in height, and had above it a layer, 2 ft. in 

 thickness, of earth and small stones, while it rested upon a thick 

 stratum of yellow clay which itself was laid upon the natural surface. 

 Under this oolitic rubble, and lying upon the clay, were found the 

 orisrinal interments : the mode of burial and the state of the bodies 

 proving to be very remarkable. Amongst the loose rubble were 

 deposited the remains of at least fourteen bodies, not laid in any 

 order, but with the component bones broken, scattered, and lying 

 in the most confused manner ; half a jaw, for instance, upon part 

 of a thigh bone, and a fragment of a skull amidst the bones of a 

 foot, whilst other portions of apparently the same skull were found 

 some distance apart. Nor was this disarrangement due to any dis- 

 turbance of the barrow after its erection : on the contrary, there 

 were most certain indications that the bones had been originally 

 deposited exactly as they were found. From the dislocated and 

 broken state in which they occurred there can be little doubt that, 

 before they were entombed, the flesh had been removed ; and this 

 fact suggests a theory which will presently be considered. The 

 opening was cut into the before-mentioned deposit of oolitic rubble 

 somewhere about its middle point, and as the investigation was 

 carried on towards the east, there were found signs of burning, at 

 first slight but gradually becoming more evident, attested by the 

 occurrence of burnt clay, stones and bones, together with charcoal, 

 until at the east end the oolitic limestone had become lime and all 

 trace of bone had disappeared. Beyond the limits of this line of 

 burnt stone and clay (which was, as before mentioned, 3| ft. wide), 

 the contiguous and enclosing material on each side of it showed 

 only very slight traces of burning. The transition, indeed, was 

 very marked, and the passage from matter burnt in the highest 

 degree to that almost untouched by fire was as distinct and well- 

 defined as it could be. The same feature will be found to have 

 existed in other long barrows presently to be described. 



As the exploration advanced from the point where the cutting 

 first touched the line of rubble (there unafi'ected by fire) towards 

 the west, the deposit of bones, which were also unburnt, became 

 gradually more sparing, until, before reaching the end of the 

 rubble, all remains of them had ceased. At its west end the line 



