' O O Oc 



u 



t/if^fo^e^ 



*-^"'=" (REMOVED) 



'■^^ rr. . 



A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



partially disintegrated rock (slate). These graves were mere hollow excavations, the walls sometimes 

 sharply cut. This appears to have been the more evident where the soft slaty rock was firmest. 

 The bottoms of the excavations were deepest towards the centre, and they were filled in with the 

 debris which had been taken out of them, together with numerous large, rough, worn blocks of 



limestone, that must have been 

 purposely brought from one of 

 the neighbouring limestone hills. 

 These stones, according to the 

 late Mr. Spence Bate, were used 

 as walling to the graves and as 

 coverings for the body, which 

 sf^„ was placed in the grave in a 



sitting posture. The graves 

 were very numerous, but, un- 

 fortunately, they were not ex- 

 plored in the interests of science. 

 All that Mr. Spence Bate could 

 do was to follow the excavations 

 of the contractor's workmen, and 

 rescue and note all he could 

 whilst the work rapidly pro- 

 ceeded. The longitudinal axis 

 of many of the graves was east 

 and west, but this was not in- 

 variably the case. 



Human bones were dis- 

 interred together with the fol- 

 lowing objects of bronze: — Por- 

 tions of mirrors (see fig. 2o), a small broken cup or pot, bracelets, fibulae, dagger sheath, and finger 

 rings. The circular and running scroll ornamentation of these are characteristically Late Celtic. 



The objects that were found made of iron were too decomposed to identify with confidence. 

 They consisted generally of irregularly-shaped nodules of rusted iron from which a point or sharp 

 tongue projected — others again appeared to be the remains of a pair of scissors and blades of knives 

 and of the tongues of knives that were driven into handles. Some of the latter had remains of wood 

 still attached to them. 



The black, yellow, and red pottery consisted of remains of bowls, jugs, a vase and drinking cups. 



In addition to the fragmentary vase a small perfect example was rescued from the destruction 



wrought by the excavators. The 



MENHIR 

 -• 4--3"»4'-0" 

 S'-6'HICH 



SO 



soo 



l_l 



scale of feet 

 Fig. 22. — Stone Row and mEnhir at Maddocks Down 

 (Reconstructed) 



bottom is flat, and about i^ in. in 

 diameter, from which it gradually 

 rises outwardly until just above the 

 middle, from which point it rounds 

 more suddenly inwards, to form a 

 constricted ring just beneath the edge 

 of the mouth, which turns outwards. 

 The diameter at the mouth is 3 in., 

 at the broadest part 3^ in., and the 

 height is about 4 in. 



The fragments of a low, broad, 

 glass bowl or basin were thrown out 

 of one grave ; these were of a beau- 

 tiful amber colour with iridescent 

 surfaces. The lower portion of the 

 vase was ornamented by a series of 

 raised lines radiating from the base, 

 but instead of passing directly to the 

 circumference, flowed diagonally out- 

 ward, as if they were formed as the 

 plastic material was revolved by the 

 Celtic glass blower. 



HoLNE Chase Castle (O. S. 

 cviii, SW). — A man digging out 

 a rabbit near this ancient camp in 



O- 



challacombe common 

 vi.s.e:. 



/a/2. 3' -S3'- 4^/2' 

 ^,. /aA S/'-/0'-/S/r 



TrggcTS 





^ 



Vi? 



10 s o 



lllllllllll 



10 



20 



30 



I 



scale: 



-Triangle on Challacombe Common 



50 FT 



I 



Fig. 23.- 

 368 



