The Tenth General Meeting. 



21 



gramme announced rather a long journey. After visiting Etchil- 

 hampton Church, where they were met by the Rev. Henry Methuen, 

 the party proceeded to All Cannings Church, where that gentle- 

 man's venerable father, the Vicar, was so good as to attend and 

 offer explanations. A considerable time having been devoted to 

 the inspection of these two churches, it became necessary to shorten 

 the projected drive. Tan Hill and Rvbury Camp were therefore 

 omitted, and it was agreed to follow a straighter course to Walker's 

 Hill. 



With respect to this eminence, Mr. Matcham has kindly favoured 

 us with the following remarks. 



" Walker's Hill forms a prominent feature in the hypothesis 

 propounded by the late Mr. Duke in his work entitled 'The 

 Druidical Temples of Wiltshire.' He there assigns his reasons 

 and proofs, that 'our ingenious ancestors pourtrayed on the Wilt- 

 shire Downs a Planetarium or stationary Orrery, located on a 

 meridianal line, extending north and south the length of sixteen 

 miles ; and that the planetary temples thus located, seven in number, 

 will, if put into motion, be supposed to revolve around Silbury Hill 

 as the centre of this grand astronomical scheme.' (p. 6.) Of these 

 'planetary temples' he finds that four were constructed of stone, 

 those of Yenus, the Sun, the Moon and Saturn ; and the remaining 

 three of earth — those of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter — resembling 

 the ' hill altars ' of Scripture. The Temple of Mercury, the orbit 

 of which planet was next in juxta-position to that of the Sun, was 

 in the opinion of this author represented by an earthen work 

 situated on the brow of a hill overlooking the vale of Pewsey, and 

 known by the name of Walker's Hill.' The work is described by 

 Sir R. C. Hoare (Ancient Wiltshire, vol. ii. p. 12) as a very large 

 barrow whose ridge or dorsum, is more acute than any he had yet 

 seen. The hill is intersected by two banks each having their ditch 

 toward the north-west.' Sir Richard adds in a note— This 

 long barrow is protected on each side by a strong vallum having 

 its ditch toward the N.W., which circumstance, as well as the 

 immediate vicinity of the tumulus to the British trackway, induced 

 me to suppose that this mound might have been raised by the 



