92 RECENT DISCOVERIES AT OKEFORD FITZPAINE. 



continuity had been broken up by the inroads made by the 

 village excavators, for, perhaps, many years in taking away the 

 chalk as circumstances required. On examination I found these 

 depressions or trenches were full of human bones, and so thickly 

 did they occur that by the aid of a small pointed stick I was 

 enabled to lay bare five skulls in the space of five minutes, with 

 every variety of bone belonging to the human body in the most 

 perfect state of preservation, as evidenced by the specimens now 

 before the meeting. The bodies appear to have all been laid 

 with the feet pointing to the east, and the trenches were covered 

 with large flat table flint, some specimens of which are on the 

 table, there being no depression, mound, tumulus, or barrow 

 on the surface to indicate the presence of such remains. I may 

 be permitted to state that the impression conveyed to my mind 

 is that it was the scene of some tribal conflict or village mas- 

 sacre, or the sudden surprise of some outpost, for the site is 

 within view of Hod and Hamildon encampments, and about half 

 way between these encampments and Wrawlsbury Eings, on Bull- 

 barrow. I base my hypothesis or theoiy of a massacre on the 

 fact that the interment seems to have been of the most hurried 

 character, and such as would ensue after the carnage of a sur- 

 prise, or of a battle, as the bodies seem to have been literally 

 crammed into the trenches, and I am certain the bones of 

 children were present, and from the thin nature of some of the 

 skulls, I am of opinion the remains of women were mingled 

 with those of the men. I would call your attention to the 

 remarkable character of the skull marked No. 1 — the high 

 nature of the frontal bones, the large eye orbits, and the contour 

 of the whole. Close by the side of this Goliath lay two other 

 skulls, numbered 2 and 3, which fell to pieces when exposed to 

 the air. These are much smaller, and may have been the skulls 

 of women, for amidst the general remains of these three indi- 

 viduals were the bones of what I consider to be an infant. No 

 trace of pottery, ornament, coin, harness or weapon could be 

 found, although I made diligent search for any such remains as 

 would give a clue to the antiquity or age of the interment. I 



