Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, Articles, &c. 345 



Wilton House. Reproduced from pen drawings on the rolls themselves are, 

 The Earl of Pembroke presenting his commission to his commissioners 

 in presence of his son ; Bird's-eye views of Wilton and Paignton(Devon) ; 

 Wilton House, East Front and Entrance, showing the original forecourt; 

 several reproductions of portions of the rolls ; and a plan of the fields of 

 the manor of Stoford, showing the lands of one tenant. 



In addition to these full-page illustrations a number of little pen 

 drawings of the manor houses and Churches are reproduced in the text 

 from the rolls. Of these the houses have distinctly more character than 

 the Churches, and are much more convincing. The Churches include 

 Wilton, S. Newton, Fugglestone, Chiltnark (with a tall spire), Stanton, 

 Mildenhall, Pewsey, Dinton, Patney, Winterbourne Bassett, Berwick St. 

 John, Wylye, Bishopstone, and Damerham. The manor houses of 

 Knighton, East Overton, the fine front and forecourt of Ramsbury, 

 Wardour Castle, and the House and Park in the Forest of Grovely are 

 shown. 



It should be mentioned that the full indexes of persons and places are 

 the work of Mr. T. H. Baker, who also undertook the larger portion of 

 the actual work of transcription from the original rolls. 



In the course of a long review in The Reliquary for October, 1909, 

 vol. xv., p. 279, Dr. Cox, than whom none is better qualified to express 

 an opinion on the subject, says : — " Having a close acquaintanceship, at 

 first hand, during many years, with actual manor court-rolls, and surveys, 

 I have no hesitation whatever in saying that this work is the most im- 

 portant contribution made to the subject for upwards of a hundred years." 



Noticed also in Guardian, Sept. 22nd, 1909. 



Avebury Excavations, 1909. By H. St. George 

 Gray. British Association Report. 8vo, pp. is. 



The Committee on the Age of Stone Circles in the two pages which 

 they prefix to Mr. Gray's account of the work done say, " The main 

 result achieved from the deep cuttings in the fosse is a confirmation of 

 the opinion arrived at last year as to the probable date of the monument. 

 Additional positive evidence has been obtained from the objects discovered 

 in the lowest layers of silting, and on the original bottom of the ditch. 

 These in all cases are objects such as are characteristic of the Neolithic 

 period, and although it would be hazardous to state definitely that they 

 must be of Neolithic date and cannot belong to the Bronze Age, the 

 negative evidence, afforded by a total absence of copper or bronze, and 

 of objects which are certainly of Bronze Age, affords powerful con- 

 firmation of the probability of the earlier date being the right one." 



On the floor of the ditch, at a depth of over 17ft. below the present 

 surface a chipped flint knife of Neolithic type was found and close to it 

 a deer horn pick, and three other antler picks were also found on the 

 bottom of the ditch. In the second cutting two shoulder blades of ox 

 were found on the bottom of the ditch (a depth of 20ft. 6in. below the 

 present surface at the point nearest the road), which are supposed to 

 have been used as shovels. The width of the flat bottom of the ditch 



. XXXVI. — NO, CXII. 2 A 



