346 Notes on the Border of Wilts and Rants. 



thickness. One of the many traditions about Stonehenge is that 

 the great Sarsens came from Andover, and this Park Gate stone, in 

 order to help the the tradition, is quoted as having been on its way 

 thither but abandoned. Some years ago, remembering that there 

 is a village in this county, not far from Amport, called Sarsden, it 

 occurred to me as possible that Sarsen stones might take their name 

 from Sarsden village, if only any such kind of stone could be found 

 in or about that place. I named this to my late friend and neigh- 

 bour, Mr. Poulett Scrope, an eminent geologist and an enthusiastic 

 supporter of our Society. He had not thought of this before, but 

 was so taken with the idea that we immediately organized an ex- 

 cursion together to hunt for Sarsden stone. We spent the best part 

 of a day about the place without finding, or being able to hear of, 

 anything of the kind. From the geological age and character of 

 the ground it was hopeless to expect any original quarry of that 

 sort of stone, and nobody could tell us of any loose blocks, great or 

 small, lying about, as they do by hundreds in certain places upon 

 the chalk. I therefore name our disappointment in order to save 

 others the trouble of going to that place on a similar errand. 



Winterslow. 



Resuming our boundary walk we pass by Winterslow, about which 

 there are one or two things to be mentioned. 



One of the old British burial mounds opened here some years ago 

 yielded an article with which the Ancient Britons are not generally 

 depicted : a specimen of very fine linen. In a grave, under an arch 

 made of dry flints without mortar, were found the burnt bones of a 

 corpse wrapped up in linen so delicate as to resemble a veil of the 

 finest lace. 1 In another mound there was a curious find of a large 

 store of silver pennies, ranging from Saxon times down to King 

 Stephen. They were neatly and accurately cut in halves and 

 quarters. The cross often marked on the reverse of money of our 

 early pennies was intended to facilitate the breaking up of the silver 



"Archaeological Journal." 



