402 List of the Long Barrows of Wiltshire. 



blue colour and very brittle as if from the effect of heat. The only- 

 relic with them was a rude and heavy opalescent flint ; whether the 

 apparently chipped edges were intentionally given to it may be 

 doubtful ; it is 2 Jin. long, lfin. wide, and thick. Other extensive 

 excavations were made in the most likely situations without finding 

 anything except in one place the bones of a fox a few feet deep." 



This barrow, one of the finest and longest in the county, is in excellent 

 condition. It lies on gently sloping ground, not at the top of a hill, 

 and in spite of its great size is not at all conspicuous. It has lately 

 been planted with a row of trees along its crest. As its name implies 

 it is close to the remarkable bank and ditch known as " Old Ditch " 

 that traverses the down for some miles to E. and W. of the barrow ; 

 as noticed by Hoare " Old Ditch " makes a decided curve when it 

 reaches the mound in order to avoid it. 



The ditch of the barrow is very well defined on the north side, but not so 

 well on the south, for " Old Ditch" passing the barrow on that side 

 has somewhat obscured it. O.M. 54 NW. ; A. W I. 90 ; Arch, xlii., 

 175, 180, 191, 192 ; W.A.M., xiii., 231 ; Bull, de la Soc. d'Anthrop., 

 2 S., ii., 357, 676, fig. ; Mem. Anthrop. Soc, iii., 65, PI. i.,fig. i. ; 

 MS. Cat. 235. 



Tilshead. 4. "White Barrow." Length 255ft. (Hoare); E. and W. 

 Opened by Hoare and Cunnington but without success, only a few 

 pieces of stag's horns and the usual " line of black earth " being found. 

 This barrow, with 2| acres of land adjoining, is now the property of 

 the National Trust. Hoare speaks of it as having been "lately 

 covered with a plantation," but this has long since disappeared, and 

 the whole barrow was for some time under cultivation. In spite of 

 this it may happily still be described as in good condition with well- 

 defined ditches ; it is now down to grass, and under its present 

 ownership will not be ploughed again. O.M. 53 NE. ; A.W. I. 91 ; 

 Arch. xlii. 180. 



Tilshead. 5. "Tilshead Lodge Barrow," W. of Tilshead Lodge, N. of 

 the Tilshead — Chitterne Koad. (This road is not shown qn Hoare's 

 Map.) Length 173ft. (Hoare); E. and W. Opened by Hoare and 

 Cunnington ; they found a secondary burial of a skeleton under the 

 turf near the E. end, and noticed the usual stratum of black earth on 

 the floor of the barrow, but failed to find the primary burial. It 

 was re-opened by Thurnam, who found the primary burial of two 

 skeletons as well as secondary interments, but no details of the dis- 

 covery seem to have been published. 

 The following is the entry in the MS. Cat. in reference to this barrow : 

 " No, 230. Ancient British. From Long Barrow near Tilshead 

 Lodge, exhumed by Dr. Thurnam, Sept. 1st, 1865. From a skeleton 

 in the contracted position at the base of the barrow, near the east 

 end. This and the skeleton from which skull 231 was taken no doubt 

 formed the primary interment. No. 231. Ancient British. From 

 the same barrow as No. 230, and from a skeleton forming part of the 



