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THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 



the topsoil the original positions of the Avenue stone 

 pair were clearly indicated by two post-medieval 

 stone destruction pits, F.61 (northern) and 62 

 (southern). Oval, sub-rectangular, and somewhat 

 irregular in plan and profile, both were similar in 

 form to those excavated to the east in 1999. F.61 

 was relatively minuscule, only 2.0 x 1.5m across 

 and 0.2m deep, the pit taking the form of a shallow 

 sub-circular dish (Figure 4). It contained a burning 

 deposit comprising a layer of carbonised straw and 

 sarsen flakes. 



Fig. 4. Spread of burnt sarsen and displaced packing 

 stones in stone destruction pit F.61. 



F.62 was altogether more substantial, up to 

 4.0m in diameter. The base was stepped, being 

 deepest on the south, where a distinct sub- 

 rectangular area could be identified cut to a depth 

 of 0.6m below the surface of the chalk. This could 

 reflect an earlier episode of deliberate stone burial 

 ('half buryed') prior to the subsequent burning and 

 destruction. A thick layer of stone destruction debris 

 lay across the base of this zone, in turn sealed by 

 ploughsoil. 



In each instance traces of the original stone 

 sockets survived. In the case of the southernmost 

 setting, the socket (F. 96) had been severely 

 truncated by the digging of the sub-rectangular 

 burial/destruction pit on the north-western side of 

 the stone, cutting into its northern side and base. 

 To the north the shallow destruction pit had been 

 cut directly adjacent to the socket (F.82), which 

 was largely intact. The suggestion here is that the 

 stone fell or had been toppled at some point prior 

 to the destruction episode. In each case the 

 maximum diameter of the socket was in the order 

 of 1 .7m and depths of 0.7m (F.96) and 0.5m (F.82). 

 Portions of compact chalk rubble survived in both, 

 along with in situ and displaced sarsen packing 

 stones. With the exception of small quantities of 



lithic debitage, no artefactual material was present 

 in their fills. 



Although a considerable area had been 

 excavated to the southwest of the Cove (T.24), there 

 was no evidence for any continuation of the 

 Beckhampton Avenue, suggesting either a 

 termination or a break in the regular spacing of 

 stone pairs at this point (see below). 



The Cove and original Avenue 

 terminal 



An area of just over 1850m 2 was stripped around 

 and to the west of the one remaining Cove stone, 

 'Adam', in order to explore the features of the Cove 

 and assess the possibility of a continuation of the 

 Avenue to the south-west. Geophysical survey had 

 identified three substantial anomalies adjacent to 

 'Adam'. Upon removal of the ploughsoil, these were 

 revealed as sizeable stone destruction pits (F.71, 

 52 and 53) marking the locations of stones recorded 

 by Stukeley in 1722-4 as recently removed (F.52 

 and 53) and lying recumbent (F.71). Along with 

 'Adam', the stones that originally stood here formed 

 a rectilinear setting c.15 x 10m, aligned north-west 

 - south-east, with splayed sides, 'opening' to the 

 south-east (Figure 5). The size of the destruction 

 pits and remaining portions of the original stone 

 sockets ((F. 50/72 on the north-west, F.81 on the 

 south-west and F.87 on the south-east) indicate the 

 former existence of sarsen blocks equivalent in size 

 to 'Adam' (i.e. standing 3-4m above ground and, 

 accepting Cunnington's calculation of the weight 

 of Adam following the re-erection of the stone in 

 1912, weighing more than 60 tons (Cunnington 

 1913:6)). 



In each instance destruction pits had extensively 

 disturbed, though not totally eradicated, the original 

 stone sockets. On the northern side, little remained 

 of socket F.50/72, most of the feature having been 

 removed by the destruction pit F.71. This may 

 anyway have been extensively disturbed when the 

 stone originally fell. Only the extreme ends of the 

 pit remained, but these suggest the socket was 

 c.3.5m in length and up to 1.0m deep. In the 

 disturbed fill were sherds of medieval pottery and 

 abundant quantities of flint debitage. A large 

 weathering cone had formed around the socket after 

 the stone had fallen, and had partially silted by the 

 time the destruction pit was dug. 



F87 survived on the north-western edge of 

 destruction pit F.53, much of it having been 

 truncated by the latter which had been dug directly 



