ON THE TRACK OF THE u OLD MEN." 
227 
on proceeding further with the clearing, the remaining larger 
portion was found close under the door or window on the west 
side of the ruin. The two fragments were carefully pieced 
together, and the mould was found to be fifteen inches long at 
the top, with a width of twelve inches at one end and eleven at 
the other. It was bevelled, so that the bottom length was twelve 
inches with a width of nine and eight inches respectively. The 
depth of the mould was five inches. It had evidently been 
subjected to heat, for it was cracked in several places. It is 
curious that this mould is precisely of the same dimensions as 
that at Gobbett. 
In clearing out this ruin, no timber, iron, or industrial object was 
found. There was no paving, the floor being composed of granite 
gravel, which in the dry makes a good hard working bottom. 
There is very little doubt that these cavities are ancient 
mortars, and were used by the "old men" for breaking up the 
slags, so as to get at the prills or globules of tin contained in the 
same, or for pounding up the larger nodules of stream tin. They 
are not moulds ; for they are too numerous and their interiors 
are too smooth to have been the receptacles of molten metal. 
The stones containing them are sound and solid, whereas the 
rectangular mould stones are usually cracked and weakened by 
heat. They cannot have been the bottom stones of primitive 
stamps, for if formed in the process of stamping they would 
have partaken more of the shape of a stamp head which certainly 
has never been round and pointed. They cannot have been 
formed by revolving crazing-mill spindles — their shape and number 
on a single stone forbids this. Had they been formed in this 
manner, ridges must have been produced in the hollows ; there is 
however no sign of this, for the interiors are quite evenly smooth. 
The traditionary idea among the moormen is that they were 
used for beating up the tin. This confirms the supposition that 
they were used as mortars. The pestle was probably of iron. 
None of these instruments have been found in the ruins. These 
cavities thus far have been noticed at Week Ford, Har Tor, 
Eiddipit, and Gobbett. At the latter place they are associated 
with the remains of a crazing-mill, thus strengthening the idea 
that at this place, at any rate, they were used as mortars for 
breaking up the tin-bearing slags, the mill being employed in 
grinding down the tin stones preparatory to washing and smelting. 
