70 Ancient Stone- Work on Lang ley Burrell Common, 



So it seems that in John Aubrey's time all the stone- work ought to 

 have been visible. 



Some human bones have been found scattered here and there, 

 much broken and splintered. If there ever were an interment in 

 the centre of the internal area, the skeleton would have been broken 

 into when the drive was made. The presence of bones above ground 

 may favour the conjecture that the body was laid upon the pitching", 

 and a cairn or barrow raised over it. Some paved burial places 

 remain in Cornwall. 



There was originally a circular plateau of earth enclosing the 

 stones, as appears in "Fig. II. ,1 where A is the work just now laid 

 open ; a great quantity of the soil has been removed, but the outline 

 remains. From the circumference of the plateau radiated five or 

 six terraces of earth, about 6ft. broad, like the spokes of a wheel, 

 with dykes on either side, and ran in right lines across the country. 

 One of these terraces is still perfect, a b, on Fig. II.; it is carried 

 for 120 yards in a continuous line, and diverges in an obtuse angle, 

 and, being broken by low ground and old earthworks, disappears for 

 100 yards, but is then taken up again and carried on through other 

 fields to c d e % The carriage drive to the rectory runs over another 

 terrace, g A. A third, A h, as also a fourth, A/; and a fifth, A M 

 were levelled by living men. The sixth, if it ever existed, cannot 

 be traced, but should have run south-east. These terraces are called 

 by the old people " The Paths" and were much higher in their 

 young days. They may have been " Sacra Vice" converging upon 

 one sacred centre, the sepulchral shrine of the chief of some 

 warrior tribe, in prehistoric ages. 



The plans of reference, illustrative of this paper, were drawn by 

 the Rev. C. Clarke, Vicar of Langley Ftzurse, who also printed off 

 the plates, and has presented them to the Wilts Archseological 

 Society. 



There are other ancient earthworks, mounds, and terraces on 

 different parts of the common, which require careful examination 



J. J. D. 



1 In the diagram of the points of the compass on this plate the position of the 

 letters E and W must be reversed. 



