172 



Notes, Archaeological and Historical. 



[The above copy of a Latin deed and its translation is endorsed :— " Cirograph 

 temp. Edwd. Ilnd. The advowson of the Church of Blundcsdon Saint Andrew- 

 near Swindon, Wilts. I gave the original to my cousin, George Akerman, of 

 Blunsdon in 1845. J. Y. A[kerman."J It is now in the Society's Museum 

 " Cuttings and Scraps, 0."] 



Devizes Castle Moat. 



The Devizes Gazette, February 28th, 1895, has a letter on " Norman Devizes," 

 by Mr. H. G. Barrey, discussing Mr. Waylen's account of the Castle, and stating 

 that the railway tunnel is cut in the made soil of a huge ditch— a " Belgic 

 Ditch " — now filled up. The lines are laid, he says, 45ft. below the present 

 bottom of the " moat," and yet the " Engineer is said to have reported that in 

 no case had his work touched the bottom of the trench." 



Opening of Barrows, &c, near Haxon. 



In June, 1851, I opened a long barrow east of Combe, about half-a-mile from 

 Beach's Barn, and nearly south-west from Everleigh Church, which had been 

 ploughed over for some years, and reduced in height to little more than 4ft. 

 There was no central interment, but at the east end we found a very great heap 

 of large flints, beneath which were many skeletons in complete disorder. A 

 perfect lower jaw with sixteen teeth was brought away. With only two men it 

 was impossible to examine the barrow in the day, so it was reluctantly left. 



In September, 1894, I visited the neighbourhood again, hoping thoroughly to 

 complete the examination. On this occasion Mr. B. H. Cunnington and Col. 

 Dunn were present. We were wrongly directed to a large barrow under culti- 

 vation on Haxon Down. In this a considerable section was made without 

 definite results, but on the floor of the barrow there was an abundance of wood 

 ashes, and scattered throughout the earth were numerous flint-flakes, with some 

 good examples of scrapers, also, just under the surface, a large four-sided conical 

 weapon or bludgeon. 1 The evidence was in favour of its being a cremated in- 

 terment. On the following morning we were again disappointed. A barrow > 

 under cultivation, three-fourths of a mile east of Combe, was attempted, and this 

 proved to be a round barrow which had been previously opened ; near the centre 

 were many portions of a skeleton, and a fragment of thick Ancient British urn. , 

 On the afternoon of the same day we were directed by Mr. Burry to a field about 

 two hundred yards south of Beach's Barn, and adjoining the old Salisbury and i 

 Devizes Road, where large flints were frequently ploughed up, and where, ex- 

 tending over several acres, there are indistinct traces of long angular banks, and f 

 much general irregularity of the surface, showing that there had been former 

 occupation. In two excavations on this spot we soon had abundant evidence of 

 a Romano-British station. Every shovelfull of earth contained fragments of 

 pottery, stone roofing-tiles, brick-tiles, flat-headed nails, &c. f with occasional 

 pieces of Samian ware, though genuine examples were rare. The pottery was 



1 These implements are now in our Museum. 



