Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ixv. (192 1), No. 13 



XIIL The Problem of Megalithic Monuments and their 

 Distribution in England and Wales, 



By W. J. Perry, B.A. 



(Read February 22nd, ig2i. Received for publication September 20th, 1Q21.) 



In a paper published by this Society in 191 5, under the 

 title of "The Relationship between the Geographical Distribu- 

 tion of Megalithic Monuments and Ancient Mines," I argued 

 that the distribution of megalithic monuments in different 

 parts of the world would suggest that their builders were 

 engaged in exploiting the mineral wealth of the various 

 countries and in searching for pearls. I stated, further, that 

 gold was evidently the most desired substance. Since this 

 paper was written much confirmatory evidence has come to 

 light. In 1916 Major Munn wrote to Professor Elliot Smith 

 and myself to say that he had been aware of the relation- 

 ship between megalithic monuments and ancient mines in 

 Hyderabad ever since 1908 ; for in the course of his duties 

 as Inspector of Mines to the Nizam of Hyderabad he had 

 noticed that stone circles and dolmens were invariably 

 situated close to mines of gold, copper and iron. Major Munn 

 published the results of his investigation in Hyderabad in the 

 Proceedings of this Society (14). * In my own work on " The 

 Megalithic Culture of Indonesia," published in 1918 by the 

 Manchester University Press, I have shown that the distribu- 

 tion of megalithic monuments in Indonesia corresponds to 

 that of the sources of gold and pearls. In 1919 Capt. Chinnery 

 published in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological 

 Institute an article entitled " Stone- Work and Gold-Fields in 

 British New Guinea," in which he stated that all the relics 

 of a bygone past that are to be found in that part of the 



* I should like here to acknowledge the help and advice that I have 

 received from Mr. J. Wilfrid Jackson, of the Manchester Museum, in the 

 preparation of this paper, as well as the help that Mr. W. H. Corkill has given 

 me in preparing the Maps. 



November 28th, 102 1. 



