British Dwelling -Pit at Beckhampton. 



67 



or were deserted for a more temperate and less exposed climate." 



In a field near Oxford there is an assemblage of many dwelling- 

 pits of exactly the same size and shape as the one at Beckhampton, 

 some of them single round holes, and others double and intersecting ; 

 together forming a large British village. 



I have no doubt there are many more of these pits on Mr. 

 Wentworth's down. His shepherd informs me that he can point 

 out many places where the same hollow sound is produced by riding 

 or driving over the ground as that which indicated the spot where 

 the present dwelling was found. 



These will, I hope, be shortly explored by some of the members 

 of our Wiltshire Society, and I have little doubt that they will be 

 rewarded by some of the richest finds that have been discovered for 

 many years. 



Dr. Stevens, of Reading, has kindly sent me the particulars of 

 some similar pits, opened by him near Hurstbourn, Hants. 



Although the articles found in these pits were very similar to 

 those at Beckhampton, the pits were probably constructed by quite 

 another tribe of people, as they differ entirely in their formation 

 from the sharp round form of the Beckhampton dwelling. 



I quote the following description, given by Dr. Stevens, of these 

 pits: — u The number found was six, but these were evidently only 

 a portion of a considerable village. These pits were of various 

 diameters, but about 4ft. deep ; they were all entered by an alley, 

 or sloping passage, graduating downwards from the level of the 

 native soil into the pits ; the alley about the same length as the 

 diameter of the pit, and averaging about 13ft. 



" One of these pits contained the remains of bones of ox, deer(cervas 

 elephas), sheep, dog, and rabbit; a quantity of calcined stones,, 

 probably pot-boilers ; rude Romano-British pottery ; a bodkin of 

 bone ; a bone knife ; flint flakes ; and sandstone grain rubber. In 

 another pit, which we thoroughly investigated, w as found a sand- 

 stone grain rubber, and around the fireplace, which was of flint 

 stones, and in the centre, bruising stones ormullers; also pot boilers ; 

 bone needle with eyelet; bone bodkin; marrow scoop; a chalk 

 whorl; a whetstone; also flint flakes and cores." 



