By the Rev. W. C. Plenderleatk 



267 



above them and against the king posts straight struts, hut in the 

 two central trusses these are united into one large curved brace, 

 coming right down to the level of the wall-plates. The walls were 

 all originally of narrow panel work raised upon a stone plinth about 

 3ft. high. This remains intact on the north side, and in the central 

 portion of the south side. But the westerly part of the south side 

 and also the west end of the barn have been re-built with weather 

 boarding, and the northerly portion of the south side and part of the 

 east end with masonry. The roof is of a high pitch, and is covered 

 with shingle. It is gabled at each end to about one- third of its 

 height, then hipped for most of the remaining portion, with another 

 small bit of gabling at the apex. The two northern porches have 

 been more or less rebuilt. With regard to the age of the original 

 construction it would be difficult to speak with any degree of certainty. 

 Mr. Talbot places it as early as the fifteenth century, and I do not 

 myself see any reason to doubt the correctness of this estimate. 



As regards the dwelling-houses of the village, I have already 

 spoken of the remains of the old manor house as the earliest of our 

 human habitations. But I was informed many years ago that a 

 house then in process of demolition dated back to a much earlier 

 period than this, and was in fact no less than twelve hundred years 

 old, as an inscription had been found upon it evidently intended for 

 a date, and consisting of the figures " 669." I ventured to suggest 

 that a previous " 1 " had been eroded by lapse of time, but my 

 suggestion was received with contempt; and the marvel may live 

 still, for aught I know, unforgotten and undoubted. 



But now I have to tell you of some even earlier human habitations 

 than this supposed seventh century house, which I fancied that I 

 had discovexed myself. For a long time I had been struck by the 

 look of some shallow depressions to the right of what is called 

 Cherhill Hill, just between the White Horse and the high road. 

 They looked to me for all the world like those ancient British dwelling 

 places of which we have examples on Martinsell Hill ; at Pen Pits ; 

 and some people even say on the higher part of our Cherhill Downs 

 themselves. And visions of successful diggings for querns and a 

 subsequent paper upon the subject began to form themselves in my 



