PARISH OF WESTOW, EAST RIDING, 493 



excavation consequently being- of two levels on the bottom. 

 Ag-ainst the edg-e of the higher part, their lower ends being- 

 placed on the bottom of the deeper stage of the excavation, were 

 three slabs^ placed in a continuous line^ of the same kind of stone 

 (oolitic sandstone) as that in which the excavation was made. 

 They were of difierent sizes ; that furthest to the south was 2 ft. 

 9 in. long" and 2 ft. 3 in. high, the next 2 ft. 8 in. long* and 

 2 ft. high, the third and most northern one being l^^ft. long" and 



2 ft. high. They all, therefore, rose above the level of the bottom 

 of the upper stage of the excavation, and one of them above that of 

 the natural surface. I will not pretend to give any explanation of 

 the purpose of these slabs thus carefully placed : it may be they 

 were simply set against the edge of the hollow, from which they 

 had been taken, as being the least troublesome way of disposing of 

 them, the object of the excavation being not so much to obtain 

 width as depth. The deeper part of this trench was filled with 

 burnt earth and stones to within 6 in. of the line of slabs, where the 

 deposit was found to be untouched by fire ; but above the level of 

 the deeper part the whole trench, up to the level of the natural 

 surface, was filled with burnt matter ; no bones, however, were met 

 with in any part of the excavation. This trench continued towards 

 the north for a distance of 2 ft. 9 in. beyond the end of the line of 

 slabs, and had an extension, running at a right angle towards the 

 west, for a distance of 8 ft., of the same width (2 ft. 9 in.) and 

 depth (2 ft. 1 in.) as the trench itself. This extension was also 

 filled with burnt matter uj) to the level of the natural surface, but it 

 contained no bones. To the north of what may be called the elbow 

 of the trench was a deeper excavation, which went down 12 in. 

 lower into the rock ; the bottom being about 3 ft. below the level 

 of the surface of the ground. This was found to be the commence- 

 ment of the mesial deposit which ran through the central part 

 of the original mound, and within which the burials were contained. 

 The beginning then of the burial deposit, which was just within 

 the eastern end of the mound, consisted of a trench 4|^ ft. wide and 



3 ft. deep ; it was filled in with burnt earth, stones, and charcoal, 

 and this reached up to the present surface of the barrow. A few 

 calcined bones, not certainly human, were met with close to the 

 east end, but not in any quantity and much scattered. The 

 excavated part gradually lessened in depth towards the west, until, 

 at a distance of 12 ft. from the commencement, it lost itself in the 

 surface. Above this trench, and beyond its limits westward, 



