16 Mr. H. C. LawLor^on 



search. The trench was accordingly filled in and carefully 

 resodded. The same negative result awarded oui- excavations of 

 trenches 2 to 6, the only noteworthy feature being that while 

 the depth of the undisturbed till below the ,urass was mostly 

 15 to 18 inches, at the outside end, as we approached the vallum 

 the surface of the till descended somewhat steeply. Thus the 

 surface of the till underneath the soft top soil of the surface of 

 the whole enclosui^e reseml)les the shape of an inverted saucer, 

 of which the centre is some 10 feet higher than the edges. The 

 depth of the soft top soil at the outer edges increases to 

 from five to six feot deep, so th;it the visible surface also has 

 the inverted saucer shape, although to a much less extent. 



The circular trench round the cromlech was dug so as to 

 approach the latter not nearer than 20 feet. In it nothing of 

 interest was found, and all were filled in and resodded. 

 Our object in sinking the circular trench so far from the 

 cromlech was to avoid any possibility of loosening the founda- 

 tions of the great stones. This caution was necessary, as had 

 there been any previous disturbance of the fii-m till in the 

 immediate vicinity of the stones, such as the presence of a cist or 

 urn chamber, there would have been some danger in excavating 

 to any depth too close to the stones. As the woik proceeded, 

 however, it became evident that there was little danger, as the 

 upright stones are well and truly set on the hard till, and no cist 

 or chambers exist round the outside of the monument. We sank 

 narrow trenches radiating inwards from the circular trench with- 

 out finding anything of note, except at one point only. In the 

 trench north-east of the cromlech we found at 15' down, spread 

 on the hard till, a layer of brown black sooty remains of fire. 

 We followed it until it disappeared, exhibiting the fact that it 

 only extended some three feet in diameter, with a depth of only 

 about ' one ' inch. The lire remains were evidently extremely 

 ancient, as it required a glass to see that they contained fragments 

 of burned ^wood. No remains of bone could be detected in the 

 black soil, but a stone hammer, the only implement or fragment 



