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entire at its base to show the original contents of calcined bones. It 

 was singular to notice how the cists were packed with clay, through 

 the continued action of worms and weather, even the long bones of 

 the skeletons being completely filled up with hardened mud inside. 

 Some objects of interest rewarded careful search. Of iron, some 

 arrow heads and a knife j whilst stains of rust on both the humeri of 

 one skeleton showed that a weapon had been laid across the chest, 

 but this had disappeared. Of copper, the chief matters were a lady's 

 case for nick-nacks, two dress pins, and a ring ; there were several 

 rough flint scrapers, and perhaps a couple of dozen small, smooth 

 pebbles from the beach, together with a curiously wrought piece of 

 chalk, the size of two fists, shaped somewhat like an hour-glass, with 

 a shallow saucer at one end, the ornamentation consisting of Vandyke 

 incisions all round the surface. Some of these specimens have been 

 placed by the Earl of Ilchester in his Museum of Curiosities at 

 Melbury. It might be worth the while of Archaeologists, could 

 permission be obtained from the owner of the soil, to explore the 

 mound connected with the Cromlech, at Gorwell, about a mile and a 

 half from Abbotsbury. 



I need not dwell upon the well known facts relating to the 

 Benedictine Monastery founded here in 1044, but may pass on to 

 state what is less widely known, that diggings undertaken during 

 the last few years have laid bare sufficient traces, of the Abbey 

 Church especially, to inform us of the size and style of that building. 

 Through the kindness of Lord Ilchester these remains will be pre- 

 served for the inspection of the public, as will also such as exist in 

 the Churchyard. Here the southern wall was raised upon the lower 

 courses of the north wall of the Abbey Church, and vestiges of at 

 least two side chapels are still observable, the encaustic pavement 

 being yet upon the floor. The new piece of ground given a year or 

 two ago by Lord Ilchester for an additional burying place turns out 

 to have been an ancient graveyard. Interments are numerously 

 found uncoffined at from three to six feet below the surface, 

 generally in cists of rough stones laid side by side on edge, and 

 covered with similar slabs. The leaden pipe that conveyed water to 

 the Monastery runs athwart the plot, and in one case the feet of a 

 skeleton had been removed to make room for this to pass. Some of 

 the skulls, I have remarked, are singularly low in the frontal develop- 

 ment. In digging a grave lately, no fewer than 16 skeletons were 

 found within those various precincts, possibly the remains of some 



