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Fieldnotes by Chance

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Stonehenge Car Park Post Holes

Visited Stonehenge for the Autumn Equinox 2016 and had a look for these.
Couldn't find any trace and when I questioned an E.H. bod, he told me they were safely buried for prosperity.
"We know exactly where they are and we intend to reinstate them in due time", I was told.

Marlborough Common Golf Course Barrows (Round Barrow(s))

This group of barrows have been greatly reduced by the landscaping of the golf course. You can make out the shape of one or two but they have been much altered.
If you walk around the hedge behind the golf course, there is a complete bell barrow where all the spirits hang out.
This corner of the common was traditionally where all the gypsies, travellers and migrant farm workers use to stay when they travelled through the Marlborough area.

Hartshill Barrow (Round Barrow(s))

Visited July 2014

Not much more to add to the fieldnotes below. Very neglected round barrow with rabbit burrows on one side. Center clearly dug into with no attempt to repair. Barrow made up of stones and loose earth. On an old O.S. map of the area, two tumuli are marked, the other being further down the hill, next to the road, but this is not recorded on pastscape or the later O.S. maps.

Fenny Drayton (Round Barrow(s))

Visited July 2014

This is a classic drive-by TMA site. Again, the site has not been documented as being a Bronze Age bowl barrow as it appears to never have been excavated. Whatever it is, it is strange. I defiantly got a vibe of "who are you?" when I started walking on top of it. This mound is right next to a gate into an arable field and could just be a pile of soil but why would anyone leave it positioned where it is such an obstacle? I took a few pictures as I moved around it and it looks like a round barrow that has been added to. From some angles it is a convincing bowl barrow, but the side nearest the road and gate look like they have been a later addition. The top of the mound has been elongated and is now flat. There looked like a hollow to the south west where soil had been scoped out of the field, maybe to add to the mound. I could feel a slight ditch under my feet on the north and east sections but nothing on the west or south, nearest the road.

Pastscape seem undecided as to it being a windmill mound but there seem to be better locations to build a windmill further up the hill. The road next to the barrow is classified as Roman and links to the Watling Street. This road is defiantly ancient and judging by the about of small ponds either side of it, was a drovers road or some form of animal rearing area. Whether this was pre or post medieval is debatable.

There are/where several barrows close to this site. As these were dug into at a time when scientific investigation techniques where undefined, the results from such digs are inconclusive. Some sites appear to have been reused in the pagan Saxon period, while others have simply been classified a Saxon in origin. There is clear evidence that the area was cultivated or used during the Neolithic, so this could easily be a Bronze Age bowl barrow built by the proceeding generations. Once again, modern excavation is required to answer the questions posed by sites like this, and as that is money driven, we will probably never find out.

Fenny Drayton church is worth visiting and the village, then known as Drayton-in-the-Clay, was also the birth place of George Fox, founder of the Quakers, so, uh ...... hats off to him, "Thou seest how young people go together into vanity, and old people into the earth; thou must forsake all, young and old, keep out of all, and be as a stranger unto all."

Peckleton Barrow (Round Barrow(s))

Visited July 2014

Naming this Peckleton barrow rather than Kirkby Mallory was a mistake, as it is nearer the later and a stones' throw from the racetrack of Mallory Park.

It seems that although this site looks and feels like a barrow, it has never been excavated and so no datable artifacts have been recovered. Regardless of this, someone decided to plant around the site with oak trees as a foam of protection against being ploughed up and this has preserved what remains to this day. A footpath runs right next to the site and on my visit, this path had been re-positioned to run through a glorious potato crop. Maybe the trees were planted when the field changed from being pasture to arable. Whatever the reason, this site looks secure against modern man.

The barrow was covered with nettles but I moved over the top looking for any signs of excavation or intrusion, although it looked clear. There seemed to be a rounded crown to the top and a slight ditch was visible between the oak trees. The back of the barrow sat next to a hedge, but this had been planted well away from the ditch outline which made me think the barrow pre-dated the hedge line. It certainly looked like a barrow rather than a heap of rubble and soil that had been dumped in a field. Currishly the footpath is shown on the O.S. map as passing the barrow on the east, but now it passes on the west.

In conclusion I'd say yes to it being a barrow, for size, position, and the general ambiance of the site. Not that spectacular but who knows what secrets this site may reveal if properly excavated.

Sutton Cheney Barrows (Round Barrow(s))

Visited July 2014

Made a point of checking out these two barrows as they were the only ones in the area that had officially been declared "round barrows" rather than "mounds". It would seem they only got to be officially recorded because they were dug into by Sir John Evans in 1851 and an artifact ended up in the Ashmolean.
Willful neglect seems to be the order of the day around these parts when it comes to antiquates, a local tradition that lives on into the present day.

Of the two barrows, the one furthest north at SK 41410079 is barley there. I could just make out a slight dome in the crop height after standing on a gate and looking over the field. I guess the trees around the mound were felled and the whole site ploughed level. Maybe you can see more when the crop is cut but not at this time of the season. It did make a perfect placement for a barrow and the drovers track (a gated road) that runs between the two barrows felt old, although the Romans are credited with most of the roads around here.

The second barrow is in the garden of the old vicarage. I read somewhere that Sir John Evans was the local vicar in 1851 which was probably why he dug into the barrow in the first place. From the lane, you can't see much of this except mature trees and a high hedge. A gate is placed next to the barrow but access is private. The lane seems to have been widened at some time, with the side of the barrow and ditch being cut into. Again, unless you knew where to look and from what angle, this site is well hidden.

I decided to chance my luck and made enquires to a guy on the front driveway in a large motor home. Initially he seemed a bit hesitant, saying the lady of the house would be back in an hour, but I persisted in my request to photograph the barrow and after checking with the kids playing in the garden, he allowed me access. I walked around the barrow taking pictures and asking the kids what they knew of the site. The side nearest the house had been utilized as an Anderson shelter in WWII but positioned as not to destroy the barrow itself. (Nothing on Pastscape about this addition). I remarked about spirits, but they seemed quiet happy and proud to have this barrow in the back garden. This monument survives well and had a contented vibe about it, which is far more than can said of some of the antiquities in the area.

Hardly worth a visit in itself, but maybe for the drive-by TMA types after visiting the Bosworth Battlefield or Bosworth country park.

Durrington Down Group (Round Barrow(s))

The area around this barrow group is not public access and the day I went to look around, there was a tractor working in the opposite field. I was a foot and worked my way down the wooded area which leads to the barrow cemetery. Until recently the whole cemetery had been covered by a plantation.

Although I could make out some of the barrows in the rough grassland that has now replaced the woodland, I couldn't get close enough for a good investigation. There seemed to be one big barrow on the crest of the ridge and several smaller ones running in a line, down from it. You would get a much clearer picture in the winter months when the grass has died down.

ACCESS
Not a public assess area but try parking on the hard standing at SU 11673 44455, just off the Packway.

Best day to visit any MOD area on the Salisbury Plain training area, is Sunday, after church.

Larkhill Camp Long barrow

One of at least nine Long barrows which survive in the Stonehenge area, this barrow has suffered a lot of reduction in height and now stands only a meter tall. There is no record of any excavation or knowledge of it's contents but it would fall into the Early and Middle Neolithic periods (3400-2400 BC), due to it's overall size and shape. The fact it survives well means it will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. Maybe one day it will be excavated with the latest techniques and solve another piece of the Stonehenge mystery.

One of the better preserved and easily accesable Long barrows within the Stonehenge area is the Knighton Long barrow which is directly behind the Larkhill Camp at SU 12801 45355. Follow the byway off the Packway at SU 11743 44472 to get to this.

The Long barrow which foams the key of the Winterbourne Cross Roads Group is also well worth checking out if there is room at the pull in on the A303.

Barrow Hill (Buckland Dinham) (Long Barrow)

I was fortunate enough to visit this site in low light which showed up a depression where the barrow was reported to stand.
If the reports of it being constructed as a 'vaulted tumulus' similar to Stoney Littleton are correct, the chambers may have extended into the hill.

Not much to see here but I could clearly make out the Murtry Hill stones (see picture)

There was a map of the site by the cycle path but I got the impression that the Saxon cemetery and the position of the Long Barrow had been swapped to put off anybody who might use a metal detector.

Buckland colliery is situated on the opposite side of the hill from the barrow site. Two shafts were sunk in 1879 but they filled with water and no coal was ever produced. The long barrow may have been built over a blind well connecting an underground waterway.

ACCESS
The easiest and quickest route to this site is via the footpath at ST 75083 49920, just past the Great Elm railway bridge.
The barrow was situated at the top of the hill, behind what is now a wooded area, but was originally the old quarry mentioned in the Pastscape record.

Decided I would take the longer but downhill walk to this site. Can't say I would recommend it to anyone else who would choose to visit, unless they had the time, as it was much easier to visit from the gate by Great Elm.

Murtry Hill (Long Barrow)

Ended up doing this site backwards. I photographed it before asking permission. Just as well because when I did go down to the farm, I was told by the neighbour that the farmer was very ill and bed-ridden.

These stones have a very powerful vibe and I could easily understand some of the sites folklore. There is a mound of earth within the compound, which may have been the original covering. The Pastscape notes say that the barrow was opened in 1803-4 which would imply that the structure was undisturbed enough to still contain primary deposit of human bones, and secondary cremations, possibly in urns. If correct, the site may have attracted visitors long after the Neolithic and possibly into the Roman period.

When I visited the visibility was perfect and you could easily see the Barrow Hill Long Barrow. The hilltop occupied by the church in Buckland Dinham was also very prominent in the landscape and I wonder if that too had a place in the prehistoric landscape, being link together by the A362. The springs at the bottom of Buckland Dinham hill are also worth visiting.

ACCESS
Site is on the crest of a hill by Nightingale Lodge and in sight of the Barrow Hill Long Barrow, with the A362 at the bottom of the hill. The surrounding parkland is now a country club and golf course with a footpath up the drive next to the stones.
The area is fenced off and stands like an island amid a sea of corn. I spoke to the estate manager about access after my visit. He had a laugh when I ran some of the folklore stories past him but he hadn't seen anything himself. He was cool about me going to visit but warned me to look out for the ram which the farmer keeps in the stones compound.

Fromefield (Long Barrow)

Found some of the stones from this barrow and can confirm the continued presence of the erected "Capping Stone" said to cover the five cambers from this long barrow. I spoke to the current owner of 'Stonelands', the property listed on the Pastscape index, who told me that the area had been redeveloped and their stones had now been incorporated into the newer property next door called 'Leystones', and that I should talk to Mr.Cuss about the stone in his garden. Although I got no response on ringing the bell at 'Leystones', I did walk past their stones on the driveway up to the house and I could see Mr. Cuss's stone through the hedge. I took pictures from different angels and went on to ring Mr.Cuss's bell.

Couldn’t put an age on Mr.Cuss but I reckon he had a telegram from Liz on his mantelpiece. He was the very same Mr.Cuss mentioned in the 1965 excavation, a former gardener at Fromefield House. He repeated his statement and "still had not found any re-interred bones". I asked to take some pictures of his stone, but he refused. It was a very hot day and I think he wanted to get inside for his tea. He was kind but I didn't linger and bid him good day.

The stone on this property seems to be right next to a hedge and behind a poly-tunnel. The site looked safe and loved, and in a strange way the poly-tunnel acted a bit like the long barrow. I couldn't find the other stone mentioned, in the garden of 'Ormonde', but I left the site having felt I had achieved the object and gained an insight into the sort of stone I was searching for, a tangible glimpse of the craftsmanship and finish this tribe of Neolithic people left behind.

The Somerset Historic Environment Record site gives a map of the developed area with an image of the long barrow superimposed on the new street plan.

Beacon Hill (Round Barrow(s))

At first glance this site looks like a strip of round barrows running along the crest of the hill, but on closer inspection a distinct grouping can be made out. On the pasture east of the wood, three round barrows curve round in a arc with two more lining up in the wood. One of the barrows from this grouping was excavated by Skinner in 1820 and contained a coarse urn, 16" high, 12" wide at mouth with chevron decoration, half filled with a cremation of a young woman.

There are nine other barrows, six of which seem to be paired up one the western end of the wood. Between these stand three barrows in a E-W line. This is where the Beacon was said to have stood. A large circular earthwork, presumably of later date, encircles these three barrows and centres on a single standing stone.

The standing stone is a mystery and looks like it has been moved onto the barrow at a later date, but may have been originally placed elsewhere within the barrow grouping. The O.S. map of the wood gives three parish boundaries meeting on the Fosse way just west of where the barrow stands.

The Romans made several roads around here but to drive the Fosse way directly up the hill and between the two barrow groups was clearly designed as a statement on a conquered territory. The iron-age hillfort of Maesbury Castle lies 3km to the east.

Although the road layout of the old Frome road is roman, there would have been a prehistoric trackway running along top of the Mendip Hills directly in front of the cliff face. The quality of the stone from these hills ensured the extensive re-engineering of the road network, together with extensive building work.

The woodland trust own and manage Beacon Wood with support from the Beacon Hill Society. The wood was brought by the trust in 1993 with funding from Mendip District Council. The woodland has developed over the last 200 years on land that was formally un-enclosed.

The core of this hill is the oldest in Somerset and was laid down by volcanic activity 420 million years ago. Stones formed from lava (called andradite) were overlaid with fragments of explosive debris and ash (called tuff). A layer of Red Sandstone was deposited some 380 million years ago when the climate was sub-tropical desert. Rheon layers of limestone were deposited when the area was under a tropical sea. It is very unusual to see a mix of these types of stone in one small area.

The present crest of the scarp contains rounded pebbles of polished white quartz, known as conglomerates; the rust red colour results from the oxidation of iron minerals under arid conditions. Continued earth movements caused folds and faults to occur and the Mendip Hills were uplifted about 280 million years ago.

ACCESS
No problem parking as there is a pull in just off the old Frome road at ST 63701 46110. An alternative is over the road from this where a small section of the Fosse Way remains as a minor trackway.

White Horse Barrow (Round Barrow(s))

Possibly the highest round barrow in Wiltshire, overlooking Adam's Grave.

Although now destroyed, this may have once been a chambered round barrow judging by the amount of sarsen scattered around the site. Whoever desecrated this barrow made a point of tearing the internal structure apart.

ACCESS
The area around Adams Grave and the Ridgeway car park has been updated.
The old footpath route has been removed and a new set of gates lead the visitor around Walker's Hill Barrows and along the field boundary onto the White Horse Trail. This is a much improved surface and could possibly carry a wheelchair or pushchair.

Old Bath Road Barrow (Round Barrow(s))

From a distance this round barrow looks well defined and does not seem any different from the rest of the humps and bumps that scatter this section of the downs. Only when you get up close can the modern brick and concrete be seen, revealing this barrows' mutilated core. I've seen lots of disfigured barrows, most the result of ploughing, some the result of quarrying and some the result of ancient treasure hunters. This one stands out though, not as the result of what was originally inside but what was placed inside in modern times.

This barrow has the misfortune to overlook Yatesbury Field on the north, West Down to the east and North Down to the south. During the dark days of 1940 when invasion by Nazi Germany was a real possibility, this site was chosen as a Royal Observer Core lookout post and its Bronze Age contents sacrificed for the good of the nation. When Sir Edmund Ironside, Commander-in-Chief Home Forces, laid out plans for the defence of Britain, this area was designated a stop-line where the opposing forces would be expected to fight to the death to stop any advance north.

The WWII structures are well preserved if very overgrown. I did not get into the slip trenches to examine the insides of the bunker as the site smelt like the dumping ground for dead badgers. The remains of the barrow are cut into by the old coach road and I wonder if the height of the barrow was extended by the spoil from the core digging.

Access
I parked up at the Knoll Down lay-by just off the A4 and walked down the old coach road which is now a bridleway. This site was one of the many barrows that are spread over the West Down area. On the south side dry valley below this barrow, runs the Knoll Down earthwork and further south and directly opposite are the two West Down Gallops Barrows.

West Down Roman Road Barrows (Round Barrow(s))

Of the three barrows listed here, only the larger Bell Barrow survives and this too has been partly ploughed out to the north. Thankfully this northern area has now been set aside and planted up with young Beech trees. The east side of this barrow contains a row of mature beech trees which although interfering with the original ditch, do give the barrow a feeling of shelter and was welcome shade on a hot Lammas day.

The most striking feature of this barrow is the upright sarsen mounted on its summit. Closer examination revealed two more sarsens dumped in the barrows ditch. I read on Pastscape that a lot of the barrows around here had sarsens mounted on them. This may be the result of antiquarian digging, as it seems some of the barrows were originally built over earlier structures or pits. When the barrows were first cut into, the sarsens were probably covering the original feature. One of the barrows to the north, West Down Gallops Barrows, was noted as having a sarsen.

Access
Park in the lay-by on the A361 near to where the Roman Road cut across it. Follow the Roman Road up the hill and the barrow is in the clump of beech trees to your right.

West Down Gallops Barrows (Round Barrow(s))

These barrows look easy enough to spot from the O.S. map but the layout of the gallops and field boundaries seem to have changed since the map was printed. The changing use of the land and the management policies followed preserve some sites while others are destroyed forever. These two barrows seem to have survived well, as compared to the earthworks which surround them. I could only spot the Knoll Down Earthwork when I visited, mainly because it was halfway down a hillside and is impossible to plough out. The same cannot be said of the ancient field boundaries which surround these two barrows, which can now only be seen from the air or Google Earth.

The two barrows are covered in thick, course grass which I believe is a form of primitive barley. I don't know but the area around the gallops looks like unimproved grass land and it is certainly not a good quality pasture suitable for sheep grazing. This felt like a fragment of ancient agriculture and made me wonder as to its purpose in the Bronze Age. If the Beckhampton Avenue did start/end here, what relation did these barrows have to it? Silbury Hill is directly between here and the Sanctuary and the top of Silbury seemed level with this point.

Access
I got the impression by the number of dog walkers I met that although this is not public access land, walkers were tolerated while there was no horse riding activity. I walked around the headlands from the Roman Road to the car park at Knoll Down. Car parking is provided on the A361 lay-by and the lay-by off the A4 at Knoll Down. Beware of thieves in both of these areas and lock away valuables or take them with you.

North Down (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery)

This site covers a large area with the busy A361 Beckhampton to Devizes road running through the middle. Sections of this road may well be pre-historic and if you follow lay-lines through long barrow orientations, the pre-historic mind set would suggest this to be a major route into Avebury.

Dividing the area up into walkable sections, the most convenient place to park is at SU 05894 67518, marked on the O.S. map as Three Barrows. Although not an official parking place, (the official one being a mile or so further east towards Beckhampton), this spot would allow you to walk and view the cluster of barrows around the original Long Barrow. This field is usually pasture and the barrows can be viewed up close without damage to a crop. Bare in mind this is not public access land. The barrows in this cluster have been excavated by different people over the course of hundreds of years with the result leaving them much reduced in height and shape. The same is true of the barrows on the opposite side of the A361 to the north, which stand out as islands in a sea of corn.

The barrows to the west of Three Barrows are easier to view due to the byways that run across the area. Following the byway that joins the A361 at Three Barrows north, turn right when you meet the Wessex Ridgeway trail and walk up to the plantation strip. On the left are the remains of a ploughed out Bowl barrow, Bishops Cannings 16. In 1951, a large sarsen was removed from this barrow when it was ploughed up. This may indicate that the barrow was built over the top of an earlier site, which was the case of Hemp Knoll Barrow, on the other side of the A361.

Once you reach the point where the Wessex Ridgeway trail meets the Roman Road, SU 04829 68005, turn left and follow the old Roman Road up in the direction of Morgan’s Hill. The barrows here are very impressive and well preserved but alas we know nothing of their contents. They were thought to have been dug into by Hoare and possibly later antiquarians but no firm records exist.

By now your mind will be on your car and the contents. When I travel around this area I usually do so on a bike and don't have to worry about parking or re-tracing my steps. You will find that the fields have large unploughed headlands and you can easily make your way towards Baltic farm and the byway back to Three Barrows.

An alternative parking place would be the Small Grain Picnic area, next to the North Wilts Golf Club SU 01949 67148. Although a safer place to park, the walk down to North Down is much longer but covers many more sites. If you decide to explore this side of the hill, check out Furze Knoll which is an unexcavated flint mine. On the North of this area is Ranscombe Bottom, a natural fold in the chalk and the source of the River Marden. This would have been a very sacred site to the ancients and a source of pure water for both them and their cattle. Worth viewing but not listed on TMA.

West Kennet Avenue Settlement Site (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork)

This site has mystery written all over it, one being why the TMA ed's have not listed it under the West Kennet Avenue.

For the past 78 years, all you could see of this site is the unique, flat topped concrete post that marks the area out from the rest of the Avenue. What a lovely Lammas surprise then to find a caged area with a possie of sweaty archo's crawling all over it's subterranean, back to natural, features.

Digging anywhere around Avebury draws the crowds and a "meeter and greeter" is a must if the archo's are to get down and dirty. I speak from direct experience of the Saxon car park dig in 1988 when every bus load of tourists walked over the site, asking questions and taking pictures, which added days to the dig schedule. It seemed the NT volunteers I spoke to had all been briefed from the same script and it was not until my third visit that I got the full low-down from "Dr.Nic". It would have been easier to update my knowledge by reading the daily blog set up to supply a less than eager world with the latest word, but it seems to have gone unnoticed on channel TMA.

Site Background

In 1934 and 1935 Alexander Keiller excavated the part of the West Kennet Avenue that runs immediately south from Avebury Henge and the stone circles. Along most of the length that Keiller dug, he found a large hole had been dug in the medieval period, the standing stone pushed over into it and then buried. Here Keiller re-erected the stone in its original position. In other cases only the original socket that the Neolithic people had dug to stand the stone upright survived. Here Keiller placed small concrete obelisks to mark where they had once stood.

But there was one location where Keiller found neither stone nor socket. Instead he found the remains of a large rubbish heap (or midden) together with a number of holes and pits that had been dug into the ground. The finds from this midden show that the site was in use at the beginning of the later Neolithic. This may have been at the time, or a little before, the very earliest parts of the henge and stone circles were being built. Keiller identified this as an occupation site. At least part of this must have been visible when builders of the Avenue put the sarsen stones in place because instead of putting up a stone here they decided to leave a gap and incorporate it into their scheme.

The current dig is part of the "Between the Monuments" investigation which is trying to identify where the ancient people who built Avebury, lived and worked. Between the monuments is a collaborative research project set up between the university of Southampton (Dr. Josh Pollard), university of Leicester (Dr. Mark Gillings), Allen Environmental archaeology (Dr. Mike Allen) and the national Trust (Dr. Ros Cleal & Dr. Nic Snashall).

Although it was very interesting to talk to "Dr.Nic", the results of this dig will not become clear until after the investigations are finished. I was granted permission to take photos of the site and some of the flint finds.

One thing that came over clearly, and was pointed out by all the "Dr.s" and diggers, was the time and effort the Keiller team had put into both the 1930's excavation. They all commented on how carefully the area of the original diggers had been at uncovering artefacts and how carefully it had been back filled with the relevant strata and sub-soil.

The overall conclusion I gleamed was that it was more of a working site that habitation site. There were no bones, apart from more modern sheep ones and nearly all the other finds where the result of being washed down from the later settlement on Waden Hill above. The flints seemed to have been purposely buried in groups, not lost individually. Some of the flints were thought to be Paleolithic in age and again, purposely buried in pre-dug pits. The dig also revealed how the natural sub-terrain had been carved out by glacial action at the end of the last ice age, leaving a series of circle features.

If funding is forthcoming, the site may well be re-investigated at the same time next year. Watch this space.

Lutry Menhirs (Standing Stones)

If you ever find yourself cruising around the western end of Lake Geneva, why not heave to, and check out the stones at Lutry. Chances are that you'll be doing your cruising in a motorcar, which for this particular prehistoric site is a real paradox. Before any roads or tracks were used, the way the original builders wanted you to see the site was from the lake, but if it wasn't for the motorcar, nobody in the present time would have seen the site at all.

The stones, which date from the Middle Neolithic (ca. 4500-4000 BC), were partially destroyed by a flood and buried under a landslide from the river Lutrive which runs into the lake a couple of hundred meters to the west. The site had been undisturbed for millennia until discovered when the area was being developed for a car park. The stones were carefully excavated and re-erected on the present site in 1986. I had a look around but I could not see any indication to mark were their original position within the modern car park, unlike the post holes in the car park at Stonehenge.

There are now twenty three stones, which seem to form two parts. The first part is made up of twelve standing stones forming a straight line running east to west and this section contains the largest stones. The second section comprises smaller stones ranging from eighty to twenty centimetres in height which form a slight curve. As the stones were partially destroyed, there may have been a mirror of this smaller section on the eastern side.

All the stones are very thin making the stelae very slender. They all show signs of being shaped too, their rounded tops may have been formed to symbolize a head. The fourth stone from the east, on the second row has various engravings. The top has chevrons cut into it which have been interpreted as hair, lower down are five rings, interpreted as female breasts elements and finally at the bottom is a male element shaped like a bottle opener. This stone has been reproduced and takes pride of place in a glass case a little further away in the Simplon passage of the main shopping area. These markings could easily be nothing more than graffiti, carved by a bored adolescent long after the site had been abandoned and passed into ruin.

In some ways the Lutry menhirs are typical of a lot of the Swiss megalithic sites, but their discovery and restoration is unique. Where as most ancient sites have been persevered in some form or another by successive generations of farmers or towns people, the megalithic sites of Switzerland were completely abandoned in the mass exodus and scorched earth policy adopted by the Helvetians and their neighbouring tribes in 58 B.C.

Ludgershall 2 (Round Barrow(s))

I found this barrow powerful. Although it has been very badly damaged by the MOD track which cuts across it, the site had a welcoming feeling, female and homely. I got a feeling of a community gathering, meeting up here for ritual celebration. Maybe the celebration or ritual occurred in the middle of the hill, between the two barrows.

As in the other barrow, the Iron-Age Earthwork cuts into the barrow with no reverence to the ancestral territory claimed by the barrows position.
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Hail and Welcome

Chance was born in Ratae in the year of the Rat, and grew up in the territory of the Corieltauvi.

Now living days walk west of Wale-dich (Avebury), on the border between the Atrebates, the Durotriges and the Dobunni.

Practical experience of excavation on Neolithic, Bronze-age, Roman sites.

Interested in the various tribes, how they divided their land, their agricultural calendar, common beliefs and ritual systems.

Often attends the tribal meetings held at Avebury and Stonehenge.

Contact - Chippychance on UTube
http://www.youtube.com/chippychance

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