456 REPORT— 1902. 



of 1901 and of 1902 have now been left in as good a condition as possible, 

 and arrangements have been made with the tenant-farmer to keep the 

 field in which Arbor Low is situated free from cattle and horses until 

 Lady Day 1903, so that the relaid turf may have ample time to recover 

 itself. The weather during the explorations was most unpropitious, 

 there being only two thoroughly fine days. Heavy rain fell during a 

 large proportion of the time, which greatly impeded the men in the 

 filling in of the new excavations and in the returfing operations. This 

 year's photographs, in spite of the weather and of several having been 

 taken in drizzling rain, are on the whole satisfactory. 



I was unable to determine the magnetic declination of the compass, 

 hut Mr. Charles Lynam, F.S.A., kindly ascertained for me that it was 

 17° 53' at Buxton in 1901. 



An accurate model of Arbor Low is in course of construction and 

 will probably be completed by about the end of this year. I regret 

 that it has been impossible to finish it in time for exhibition at the 

 Belfast Meeting of the British Association. 



Excavations into the Fosse.— In August 1901, as already reported, 

 three cuttings were made across the ditch, viz., Section 1, measuring 

 .3"'-66 wide, at the south, close up to the S.S.E. Causeway ; Section 2, 

 3'"0.5 wide at the N.W,, with an extension up to the limestone sides of 

 the N.N.W. Causeway : and Section 3, also 3">'05 wide, midway between 

 Section 1 and the N.N.W. Causeway, in all 14"i-31 of fosse. This year 

 three further cuttings were made, comprising ll'O'GO of fosse. There- 

 excavation of each of these sections will be described in detail. 



Section 5, 3™"05 wide, is situated on the west, between Sections 2 and 

 3 of last year. Like Section 3, it proved to be very shallow, the lime- 

 stone rock being reached in the middle of the silting at a depth of 30 cm, 

 from the surface, whilst on the inner side of the ditch the depth was only 

 24 cm. ; the section was not therefore surveyed and plotted. The bottom 

 was fairly level, especially when compared with the bottom of the fosse 

 in all other parts except in Section 3. No relics were found in Section 5, 

 except one doubtfully artificial chert flake. The photograph, taken from 

 the N.W. vallum, of the general view of the barrow on the S.E. vallum 

 and portion of the circle, shows in the foreground in the right-hand corner 

 the position of this section in its returfed condition at the close of the 

 excavations. 



On the east by north, another cutting. Section 6, 3™ '05 wide, was 

 made across the fosse. Here again nothing of importance was discovered, 

 but the section was surveyed and plotted. In this part, the surface of the 

 turf of the silting at the lowest part was 2'"13 lower than the general 

 level of the ground immediately adjacent to the central stones. The 

 average depth of the section below the surface of the silting was l^-S? 

 and the maximum depth l™-77 in the N.W. of the cutting. The blocks 

 of limestone on the S.E. rise to a height of only 18 cm. below the surface 

 of the silting. On the E. and N.E. the median block of limestone which 

 ran across the section was divided from the limestone side of the ditch on 

 the E. by a vein of fine clay, yellowish-brown on the top and white below, 

 which occurred at an average depth of l'"-22 from the surface of the silting. 

 The surface mould in the middle of the silting reached a depth of 61 cm. 

 below which was the usual stiS" clayey mould mixed thickly with small 

 fragments of chert ; at the bottom the proportion of clay to mould in- 

 creased, and the silting became more stiff" and moist ; in fp,ct at the bottom 



