616 Notes on Barrows in South Wilts. 



Barrow l. 1 Bulford. 



The first barrow to receive attention was one which is a quarter 



of a mile east of the Sheep bridge over the Nine Mile Water, and 



is marked 1 on the Sketch Map which accompanies this paper. 



A trench 5 feet wide was cut on the south side and the heading 



carried to the centre, following the level of the virgin chalk all 



the way. The chalk dipped suddenly after a few feet had been 



cut from the outside, but afterwards continued level to the centre, 



where the height was 13 feet. The radius of the barrow seemed 



to be approximately 70 feet. Nothing of any sort was met with 



until within 6 or 7 feet of the centre, when a skeleton of an infant 



was met with ; after which other infantile remains were constantly 



come upon as the centre was approached, until the number amounted 



to seven, ranging in age from a newly-born infant to a child of 5 



or 6, judging by the condition of the teeth and of the embryo ones. 



These remains occurred amongst a mass of brown earth about 5 or 



6 feet thick which had been placed over the centre of the barrow 



site ; they occurred at all heights up to 5 feet.and were in all positions 



as if they had been carelessly thrown into the heap whilst it was 



being made. At the lower part of this mound of brown soil the 



skeletons of three men were come upon, laid upon a mass of large 



flints, which were in the same plane as the level of the virgin 



chalk. They had been carefully arranged equidistantly from each 



other, heads to the centre, laid on their left sides, the legs and 



bodies tightly doubled up. When examining these I was surprised 



to find that the forearms of all the three were missing i.e., the ulna, 



radius, and all the hand bones. They were very finely developed 



men, and I greatly regret not having taken measurements, but 



am able to state that the skulls were brachycephalic. The flints 



upon which these were resting proved to be the upper part of a 



large mass filling a cist which existed below, the dimensions of 



which proved afterwards to be 8 feet long, 4 feet 5 inches wide, 



and nearly 7 feet deep, its direction being towards S.SE. Its sides 



and corners were sharply cut in the virgin chalk, the sides of 



1 Barrows 1 — 4 are in Bulford Parish. Ordnance 6in. Survey, Sheet 

 XLVIII. 



