Chance

Eweleaze Barn, quadruple bell-barrow (SY/650871) 1 mile S of Winterborne St Martin, by track from B3159 SW to Friar Waddon.

Though still (1975) awaiting proof by excavation, this group of mounds appears to be the only quadruple bell-barrow in England. There is a fifth barrow, a bowl. a few yards further S and in the same alignment. All 4 bell-barrow mounds are
62-84 ft. in diameter and 7-8 ft. high. The ditch which appears to enclose all 4 is 15 ft. wide and separated from them by a berm 8-9 ft. broad. Date, c. 1,700 1,400 BC.

Guide to prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas 1976

Deverel Barrow, round barrow (SY/819990) 1 mile NE of Milborne (A354), between Dorchester and Blandford; between Bagber and Deverel Farms. Finds in Dorchester Museum and Bristol Museum.

This barrow has a modern wall built around it. It was a bowl-barrow, with a mound 3 ft. high and about 40 ft. in diameter.
It was excavated in 1824 by W.A. Miles (whose initials can be found carved on the two large stones on the mound). Near, but not at the centre, a cremation was found in a collared urn. This gives the barrow a date c. 1,700-1,400 BC. Later, c. 1,250 BC. over 20 cremations were added to the mound which may have been enlarged to receive them. Many of these had been deposited in Middle Bronze Age barrel and bucket-shaped urns: most were found in pits, with stone slabs covering them.

Guide to prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas 1976

Clandon, round barrow (SY/656890) 2.25 miles SW of Dorchester, 0.25 mile E of Winterborne St Martin and the B3159 from Upwey to the A35. Finds in Dorchester Museum.

This is a large bowl-barrow, over 80 ft. in diameter and nearly 20 ft. high. It contained one of the richest and finest groups of grave offerings in Wessex. The barrow was dug in 1882 and its main burial never reached. Above this, however, there was a pile of flints among which were a bronze dagger, a lozenge-shaped gold plate, a shale mace-head with decorative gold studs, a cup carved from a lump of amber and a pottery incense cup. These belonged either to the primary burial or to a cremation added later. Above these there was another cremation deposited in a fine collared urn, and near the top there were 2 skeletons in stone-lined graves which may be Romano-British or pagan Saxon.
The gold lozenge plate should be compared with that from Bush Barrow, Normanton (Wiltshire). Parallels in shale to the amber cup have been found in Wiltshire (in Salisbury Museum) and also in amber from the Hove Barrow (Brighton Museum).
The mace-head is one of the most remarkable objects of this period in Britain. It is cushion-shaped, perforated to fit on to a wooden handle and with five gold-covered conical plugs let into it. It suggests that at least 1 burial in this barrow is that of a chief. Date, c.1,700 1.400 BC.

Guide to prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas 1976

Bradford Barrow, round barrow (ST/981046) 3.5 miles NW of Wimborne Minster (A31, A341), 1.5 miles NW of Hinton Parva (B3078): track from Witchampton.

This is perhaps the largest bowl-barrow in Dorset. It has a diameter of over 100 ft. and a height of 20 ft. There is a surrounding ditch. Its conical outline might suggest that it is Roman. Otherwise, it would belong to the period 1.700 1,400 BC.

Guide to prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas 1976

A little confusion as to the barrow which contained the carved stone of daggers and axes.

Badbury Barrow, round barrows (ST/948035) 4 miles nw of Wimborne Minster (A31, A341), 1 mile ese of Tarrant Keynston (B3082), on s side of B3082. Finds in British Museum.

There are 2 bowl-barrows close together, on either side of the track to Shapwick, and there is a third. Straw Barrow, 300 yds. to the s. One of these is the barrow from which, in 1845, a large block of sandstone was removed, bearing carvings of daggers and axes like those at Stonehenge. This same barrow had at its centre a heap of sandstone blocks surrounded first by a ring of flints and then a stout wall of sandstone blocks. Chalk covered the mound. In or under the central stone heap were at least 3 skeletons, 2 furnished with food vessels. There were also more than 15 cremations, but not all these were contemporary with the inhumations. There were several collared urns with them. The carvings of daggers and axes would date this barrow to the period 1,700-1,400 BC. Since Straw Barrow has many sandstone blocks scattered over it today, it is possible that the details described refer to it rather than to one of the others. One of the latter is also known to have contained a Middle Bronze Age urn with cremation, indicating a date of c. 1,250- 1,000 BC. All are about 60 ft. across and 2 3 ft. high.

Guide to prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas 1976

Flint mine complex of over c200 shafts,

Excavated by J F S Stone in the 1930s.

The shaft was ‘bell-shaped’ and antlers in the shaft produced a Carbon 14 date of c3300 BC indicating a Late Neolithic mining industry.

Site is cheifly associated with Beaker settlement

August 1st, Heytesbury 1803.
THE tumulus opened last Thursday in Upton Lovel parish, is situated a few yards north of the river Wily. It is of a pyramidical form, the base length 58 feet by 38 feet wide [g] and 22 feet in the slope, and stands from east to west. The northside of the barrow is extremely neat, the fouth side is much mutilated. On making a section lengthways on the barrow, at about two feet deep we found in a very shallow cist, human burnt bones piled in a little heap; and at the distance of a foot a considerable quantity of ashes which contained small fragments of human bones; above, and at two feet distant from the bones were found the following articles of pure gold, which are neatly wrought, and highly burnished, viz. about thirteen gold beads made in the form of a drum, having two ends to screw off and perforated in the sides; [i] 2ndly, a thin plate of the same metal 2.25 inches by 5.25 inches; this is very neatly ornamented, as you will see by the annexed drawing: [k] 3dly, a beautiful Bulla (as I conjecture) of a conical form; [1] the inside of this is a solid cone of wood, the gold -which completely covered it is very thin ; at the base are two holes for a thread or wire by which it was suspended; near the above were found four articles, viz. two of each, that appeared once to have covered the ends of slaves. [m] Among the gold ornaments lay several flat pieces of amber, the eighth of an inch in thickness, and about an inch wide ; there were all perforated lengthways, but were sadly broken in getting out. What is very extraordinary, there were also nearly one thousand amber beads of different sizes. Close to the pile of ashes we found a very small urn, a lance-head of brass, and a pin of the same metal. The urn is of a very extraordinary form, appearing exactly as though it had been stuck all over with small black grapes. In this barrow, contrary to the usual method of interment on the Downs, which are on or in the native soil, we found the cist nearly on the top; and this deviation was probably occasioned from the wetness of the foil, being near the river, or it might have been the manner of interring their great chieftains. From the vail quantity of beads, it might be conjectured that a female had been interred here, but it is well known that our British chiefs wore pearls, beads, etc. On some of the coins of Conobeline we fee beads or pearls on the head. We find in other respects similar method of interment to what we find in many other barrows ; the small urn, lance-head of brass, brass pin, etc. are common. From the profusion of valuable ornaments, for valuable they must have been at the period of their interment, we might rationally conclude this barrow to have been the sepulchre of some great chief; in all probability a chief of the Belgic Britons.

William Cunnington, Archaeologia, Vol. 15, p.122-26

TUMULUS XX (AW 98) Copy of a letter to H.P. Wyndham Esq July 28th 1803.
Sir I have this day opened a barrow in Upton Lovell it is situated in the meads a few yards north of the river Wylye. As the discoveries in this barrow are more important in their nature than any other ever yet made I hasten to inform you the particulars. This Barrow of a pyramidal form or rather like the common of houses, pointing East to West, is in the base 52 by 32 feet, the slope 22ft, the length on the top 22 feet. The North side of the barrow is extremely ? the south side is much mutilated. On making a section lengthways of the barrow, at about two feet deep we found in a very shallow cist human burnt bones piled in a little heap, and at a foots distance a considerable quantity of ashes, which also contained small fragments of human bones, upon which and at two feet distant from the bones were found the following articles of pure gold, which are neatly wrought and highly polished, viz about ten gold beads* made in the form of a drum ? two ends to ~off and perforated in the sides..see Plate XI fig 5 ~.a thin plate of the same metal# nearly 9 inches by 6 inches long , this is very neatly ornamented as you will see by Plate XI fig ?. by a beautiful Bulla of a conical form, see fig 3 in the same plate- and inside this is a solid cone of wood, the gold which completely covered it is very thin, at the base are two holes for a thread or wire by which it was suspended see fig 4. near the above were found of gold four articles viz.. two of which that appeared once t have covered the ends of staffs (some of my friends say they are small boxes. see plate XI fig 1 and 2. Among the gold ornaments lay several flat pieces of amber, about the eight of an inch in thickness , and about an inch wide, -they were all perforated lengthways but were sadly broken in getting out. (see plate two fig 2 when joined they were the exact form of those found in Deverell Barrow only bigger). What is every extraordinary there were also nearly one thousand amber beads of different sizes see Plate X fig 2.- Close to the pile of ashes we found a very small urn see Plate X fig 1. Also a lance head of brass and a pin of the same metal-see the same plate. The urn is of a very extraordinary form, appearing as though it had been studded all over with small black grapes. In this barrow, contrary to the usual custom of interment on the Downs, which is generally on, or in the native soil we found the cist nearly on the top of the barrow and this deviation was probably occasioned by the wetness of the soil, the barrow being near the river. We find in other respects a similar method of interment to what we find in many other barrows, the small urn, lance head of brass, brass pin etc are common. From the profusion of valuable ornaments, for valuable they must have been at the period of their interment, we might naturally conclude this barrow to have been the sepulchre of a great chief of the Belgic+ Britons. + Mr Coxe objects to the word Belgic, suppose we say a British chief near the time of Caesars invasion.

William Cunnington, Manuscript Letters, Vol., p.35-6

On the northern banks of the river Wily is a barrow, which from the nature and richness of its contents we have denominated the GOLDEN BARROW. It was opened for the first time in the year 1803. At the depth of two feet we found a little pile of burned human bones placed in a shallow bason-like cist., and at the distance of one foot from the bones was a considerable quantity of ashes intermixed with small fragments of burned bones. About two feet from the pile of bones, the following articles were discovered. 1. Thirteen gold beads made in the form of a drum, having two ends to screw off, and perforated in two places on the sides for the purpose of stringing. 2. A thin plate of the same metal, six inches in length, and nearly three in width, richly wrought, and perforated at the four corners. 3. Another ornament in form of a cone, decorated with circles and zigzags, and fitted closely to a piece of dark wood, like ebony, on which the marks of the pattern still appear impressed ; the bottom part of this article is also perforated. The above are all of pure but thin gold, neatly worked, and highly burnished. The large flat plate must have been, like the cone, strengthened by a strip of wood behind; and the whole, by their several perforations, are strongly marked as forming the decorative accoutrements of some distinguished British chieftain. Besides the above, were two small articles in gold, resembling little boxes, about an inch in diameter, with a top, in the form of a cone, to take off. I cannot conjecture to what purpose these were appropriated, as they bear no sign of perforation. The whole of these have been correctly drawn of their original size, and form the interesting contents of TUMULI PLATE X. Besides the above precious articles of gold, we discovered some large plates of amber, similar to those delineated in TUMULI, PLATE ITI. and above a thousand beads of the same substance, and of different sizes; also a curious little cup, studded over with projecting knobs, which appear to have been first made in the form of glass stoppers to a bottle, and afterwards inserted into -the circular holes of the CLIP, which had been previously drilled -fur receiving them : between these grapelike protuberances are other perforations, which still remain open. Such was the result of our researches in the year 1803 ; but not being completely satisfied, and still thinking that the primary interment had escaped our vigilance, I was anxious that a further trial should be made, which took place in July, 1807, and was attended with success ; for, on the same level, and within a few inches of the very spot where the golden trinkets and the amber beads had been found, we discovered two cups, the one placed within the other. The largest of these was covered with a profusion of zigzag ornaments, but on taking out, was unfortunately broken to pieces ; the smaller one, containing about a pint, is quite plain, and in good preservation. These cups, together with the necklace of amber beads, and a small lance head, and pin of brass, which were found near the pile of ashes in the same barrow, form the contents of (TUMULI, PLATE XI.) Still pursuing our excavations to the floor of the barrow, we there found an oblong cist, about eighteen inches deep, which contained a simple interment of burned bones, unaccompanied with either arms or trinkets. This was certainly the primary funereal deposit ; but, however rich in materials, or elegant in form, the articles found nearer the surface of the barrow may be deemed, their high antiquity cannot be disputed ; for although the grape cup exceeds in beauty and novelty of design any we have as yet discovered, the other two cups of unbaked clay, and rude workmanship, bespeak the uncivilized aera to which the construction of this sepulchral mound may be justly attributed.

Sir Richard Colt-Hoare, 1810, Ancient Wiltshire, Vol.i, p.98-100

A Bronze Age bowl barrow measuring 24 paces in diameter by 8ft high with no visible ditch. A dog digging on surface of it disturbed long bones, rib fragments and other bones of at least one adult inhumation, possibly two.

The Barrow in good condition though a depression down the south side suggests some attempt had been made at excavation in antiquity or possibly the 19th century.

A mass grave containing the remains of seven skeletons; three adult males, a teenage male and three children, all buried in a normal sized grave. One man died between the ages of 30-45, and had a healed broken leg. Buried close to his head were the remains of three children, one of whom had been cremated. One child was aged between 2-4 years, another was aged between 5-6 and the third was aged between 6-7 years at death, and would seem to have been inserted into the grave at a slightly later date. The remains of the teenager (aged between 15 and 18) and the two men (aged between the ages of 25-30) had been rearranged. Some bones had been placed around the corpse of the older man. The skulls of the younger men and the teenager were very similar in shape and it seems likely that the males were all related. Alongside the burials were 8 Beaker pots, seven of which were decorated all over, six with cord, one with plaited cord. The eighth pot was fragmentary. There are 5 barbed and tanged arrowheads, flint scrapers and flakes, plus a boar’s tusk. A rare bone toggle with a delicate central suspension loop was found in the grave.

The enamel on the Boscombe Bowmen’s teeth indicates that they may have come from Wales.

Source – Wiltshire Sites and Monuments Record Number SU14SE171

The Boscombe Bowmen is the name given by archaeologists to a group of early Bronze Age individuals found in a shared burial at Boscombe Down near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

The grave contained a total of seven burials: three children, a teenager and three men. Analysis of the skulls suggests that the men and the teenager were related to each other. The eldest man was buried in a crouched position with the bones of the others scattered around him and their skulls resting at his feet. They became known as the Bowmen because several flint arrowheads were placed in the grave. Other grave goods included a boar’s tusk, a bone toggle, flint tools, and eight Beaker vessels, an unusually high number.

Lead isotope analysis of the men’s teeth has indicated that they grew up in the areas either of modern Wales or in the Lake District, but left in childhood. This was thought to be contemporary with the major building work of erecting the Sarsen Circle and the trilithons at Stonehenge but new research indicates that these burials occurred shortly after Stonehenge Phase 3ii.

The Bowmen were found in 2003 during roadworks being carried out on behalf of the military contractor that operates the Boscombe Down airfield. The burials are thought to date from around 2300BC, making them broadly contemporary with the Amesbury Archer who was found nearby.

Source – Wikipedia

An Early Bronze Age burial was found on a development site during May 2002.
The grave of a mature man (35 – 50 years old) accompanied by stone arrowheads, stone wristguards, which identify him as an archer dated to about 2,300 BC. There were stone tool kits for butchering carcasses, and for making arrowheads. As well as the archery equipment, the man had three copper knives and a pair of gold earrings. It is believed the earrings were wrapped around the ear rather than hanging from the ear lobe, or were hair tress decorations. He had a bone pin that may have held a leather cloak or mantle. Within touching distance of the man’s face were two Beaker pots, a spatula for working flints made from red deer antler, boar’s tusks, a cache of flints, and a nodule of iron from a strike-a-light,, The cache of flints included tools, such as knives, scrapers, as well as arrowhead blanks and unused flint flakes. Some, perhaps all of these things are likely to have been in a small bag or container. Another Beaker was found behind the man’s back, along with more boar’s tusks and another cache of flints, many of which had been used. Scattered over the man’s waist and legs were 17 barbed and tanged arrowheads. Two more Beaker pots lay by his bottom and feet. By his knees was another ‘bracer’, a third tanged copper knife, and a slate belt? ring.

Another burial was found 5m to the east of the ‘Archer’. A pair of gold ornaments was found resting against his jaw.

Source – Wiltshire Sites and Monuments Record Number SU14SE169

The Amesbury Archer is an early Bronze Age man whose grave was discovered during excavations at the site of a new housing development in Amesbury near Stonehenge. The grave was uncovered in May 2002, and the man is believed to date from about 2300 BC. He is nicknamed the “archer” because of the many arrowheads that were among the artifacts buried with him. Had he lived near the Stones, the calibrated radiocarbon dates for his grave and dating of Stonehenge suggest the sarsens and trilithons at Stonehenge may have been raised by the time he was born, although a new bluestone circle may have been raised at the same time as his birth.

The burial
His grave had the greatest number of artifacts ever found in a British Bronze Age burial. Among those discovered were: Five funerary pots of the type associated with the “Beaker culture”; three tiny copper knives; 16 barbed flint arrowheads; a kit of flint-knapping and metalworking tools, including cushion stones that functioned as a kind of portable anvil and that suggests he was a coppersmith; and some boar’s tusks. On his forearm was a black Stone wrist-guard. A similar red wrist-guard was by his knees. With the second wrist-guard was a shale belt ring and a pair of gold hair ornaments (the earliest gold objects ever found in England).

Research using oxygen isotope analysis in his tooth enamel suggests that the man may have originated from an alpine region of central Europe. An eroded hole in his jaw showed that in life he had suffered from an abscess, and his missing left kneecap suggests that he had an injury that left him with a painful lingering bone infection.

Second burial
A younger male believed to be related (they shared a rare hereditary anomaly, namely that both had calcaneonavicular coalition (fusing) of the calcaneus and of the navicular tarsal (foot bones) was interred nearby. This man however appears to have been raised in a more local climate. The former was estimated to be about 40 at the time of his death, while the latter was in his early twenties. The graves were discovered only a short distance from the Boscombe Bowmen who were excavated the following year.

The importance of the burials
The Archer was quickly dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the British press due to the proximity of the famous monument and some have even claimed he may have been involved in its construction. However, this cannot be known for sure and more recently archaeologists have reconsidered the idea. His is just one high profile burial that dates from the time of the stones’ erection, but given the lavish nature of the grave his mourners clearly considered him important enough to be buried near to (if not in the immediate area of) Stonehenge. Tim Darvill regards the skeleton as possibly that of a pilgrim to Stonehenge to draw on the ‘healing properties’ of the bluestones.
However his grave is of particular importance because of its connections with Continental Europe and early copper smelting technology. He is believed to have been one of the earliest metalworkers in Britain and his discovery supports interpreters who claim that the diffusion of Beaker Culture pottery was the result of population movement, rather than just the widespread adoption of an artifact ‘package’.

His skeleton is now on display at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum in Salisbury.

Source – Wikipedia

An unexcavated and so undated, ditched bowl barrow with a striking conical profile.

The barrow mound stands 4.75m high, surrounded by a 4m wide by 0.7m deep ditch, from which material was quarried during the initial construction of the monument during the Bronze age. There are indications of an outer bank, surviving as a slight earthwork 4m wide and giving the barrow an overall diameter of 42m.

The profile of the mound displays a distinctly stepped line, very reminiscent of Silbury Hill. This is the result of the construction of a second conical mound on top of the original round barrow. This alteration may be associated with the gentrification of the area, and was intended to provide a prospect mound from which to view Lake House and its surrounding parkland.

Although altered, this barrow and its contents have survived, which unfortunately cannot be said for many of the other round barrows which once dotted the grounds of Lake House, but which are now destroyed.

A Neolithic long barrow with an enclosing ditch observed on an Ordnance Survey aerial photograph when the area was surveyed in 1970

This barrow appears as a listing on the Neolithic Wessex map and was visited by O.G.S. Crawford in the 1920’s.

Area is currently part of MOD ranges and public visits are not allowed.

A multiple round barrow cluster together with a square enclosure, located to the West of the twin Milston Down Long Barrows.

Unfortunately for visitors they are directly behind a series of MOD ranges and closer inspection is usually prohibited.

A group of barrows situated at the Northern end of the Bulford MOD camp.

Many were excavated by William Hawley in the years prior to the first world war. Some barrows were destroyed or much reduced when the Bulford camp was expanded during the 1914-18 war, before any preservation of the monuments was considered.

Later classification of these barrows, on the Wiltshire sites and monuments record, give them under the title of the Sling Plantation Group.

Three round barrows lying to the south of Ogbury Hillfort, all of which were opened by Duke in 1731-2.
Durnford 1 and 2 are clear to see but Durnford 3 only survives as a slight amorphorus earthwork.
Either Durnford 1 or 2, contained possible secondary cremations, the other an inhumation accompanied by a spear. It is not certain whether this burial is Bronze Age or Saxon in date. Both Durnford 1 and 2 mounds have an indentation in the top, possibly the result of the eighteenth century excavations or erosion by modern visitors.

Details of barrow on Pastscape – Monument No. 218265
A Bronze Age bowl barrow forming part of the Little Down Barrow Group. The barrow was designated as Durnford 1 by Grinsell (1957) and survives as an earthwork 20 metres in diameter and 1.5 metres high and is visible on aerial photographs.

Details of barrow on Pastscape – Monument No. 1461386
A Bronze Age bowl barrow forming part of the Little Down Barrow Group. The barrow was designated as Durnford 2 by Grinsell (1957) and survives as an earthwork 18 metres in diameter and 1.5 metres high and is visible on aerial photographs.

Details of barrow on Pastscape – Monument No. 1461384
A Bronze Age bowl barrow forming part of the Little Down Barrow Group. The barrow was designated as Durnford 3 by Grinsell (1957) and field investigations in 1972 found it surviving as a slight amorphorus earthwork 0.4 metres high.

A Bronze Age ditched bowl barrow lying to the south of Ogbury Hillfort.

This barrow was opened by Hoare, who found a primary inhumation, a large amber bead and perforated animal teeth necklace.

When the site was visited by the Ordnance Survey in 1972, it had been partly ploughed but has since been fenced off for protection.

The Canton of Neuchâtel lies in the far western part of Switzerland between the French border and the Lake of Neuchâtel. It’s capital is the City of Neuchâtel.

The area was ruled for many years by the dynasty of Count Ulrich von Fenis who took over the town and its territories in 1034.The dynasty prospered and by 1373 all the lands now part of the canton belonged to the count. In 1405, the cities of Bern and Neuchâtel entered a union. The lands of Neuchâtel passed to the lords of Freiburg about a century later, and then in 1504 to the French house of Orléans-Longueville (Valois-Dunois).

When the house of Orléans-Longueville became extinct with Marie d’Orleans-Longueville’s death in 1707, the Principality of Neuchâtel (German: Fürstentum Neuenburg) went to King Frederick I in Prussia of the Berlin-based Hohenzollern, who then ruled Neuchâtel in personal union. Napoléon Bonaparte deposed King Frederick William III of Prussia as prince of Neuchâtel and appointed instead his chief of staff Louis Alexandre Berthier.

In 1814 the principality was restored to Frederick William III. A year later he agreed to allow the principality to join the Swiss Confederation, then not yet an integrated federation, but a confederacy, as a full member. Thus Neuchâtel became the first and only monarchy to join the otherwise entirely republican Swiss cantons. This situation changed in 1848 when a peaceful revolution took place and established a republic, in the same year that the modern Swiss Confederation was transformed into a federation. King Frederick William IV of Prussia did not give in immediately and several attempts at counter-revolution took place. In 1857, Frederick William renounced his claims on the area.

The canton is well-known for its wines, which are grown along the Lake Neuchâtel, and for its absinthe. The Val-de-Travers is famous as the birthplace of absinthe, which has now been re-legalized both in Switzerland and globally.

Lake Neuchâtel has been lived by and on for millenia. The latenium is an archeology museum located in Hauterive, a suburb of Neuchâtel.

Canton of Geneva

Although listed as a department on TMA, Geneva is actually a Republic and well as one of the 26 Cantons within the Swiss confederation.

Geneva was an independent republic until 1798, but had been an “everlasting ally” of the Swiss Confederation since 1584. During the Napoleonic wars, Geneva was occupied and annexed to France. After its liberation in 1813, Geneva joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815 as the 22nd canton, having been enlarged by French and Savoyard territories at the Vienna Congress.

The canton of Geneva is located in the southwestern corner of Switzerland and is considered one of the most cosmopolitan areas of the country. As a center of the Calvinist Reformation, the city of Geneva has had a great influence on the canton, which essentially consists of the city and its hinterlands.

The municipality of Troinex, original site of the Pierre-aux-Dames stone, lies on the southern limits of the Canton.

Guy’s Rift, Slaughterford, Wilts: An Early Iron Age Habitation By T. F. Hewer.
[[Reprinted by permission from the Proceedings of the Speleological Society of Bristol 1925, p. 229—237.]

While attempting to gain access to a rift at Slaughterford, Wilts, in 1922, Capt. Guy St.Barbe dislodged a quantity of earth in which he found numerous human bones and remains of various domestic animals ; he spent some days in carefully collecting all available material and submitted a report to Sir Arthur Keith. In spite of Capt. St. Barbe’s vigilance at this time, some boys visited the spot and removed a large number of bones; fortunately, however, most, if not all, of these found their way to the Devizes Museum. In the autumn of 1924. Sir Arthur Keith requested the Speleological Society to assist Captain St. Barbe in the excavation of the site. In January, 1925, the work was begun.

The site consists of a seventy-five foot long vertical rift in the oolite cliff at the top of a steep slope overlooking the river, 520ft. west of B.M. 198.4. near the Slaughterford Paper Mills, on the 6-inch Ordnance Survey Map, Wilts, Sheet XIX., S.E. ; the site is here marked “Cloud Quarry,” but it does not seem to be known by that name at the present day. Extensive quarrying of the oolite along the top of this hill was performed several hundred years ago, and it is said that stone for building Malmesbury Abbey was obtained here.
The rift nowhere reaches the surface of the ground above, as it is covered by 10ft of undisturbed rock. The northern end has been fully exposed by quarrying so that it is impossible to say whether the rift became much wider at that end, what the original entrance was like, or where it was situated.
The lower levels of the rock, which are of superior quality, have been undercut, thus producing a cave-like appearance; this is represented by the dotted line on the plan. The floor of the rift was some 12ft. above the level of the ground, so that it could only be entered by a somewhat perilous climb up the face of the cliff. Plate I. is a view of the north end of the rift; the trees in the foreground stand within the quarried area; the undercutting at the foot of the cliff and the precarious nature of the overhanging strata are plainly visible.

Excavation
The material fallen from the end of the rift was sorted and excavation of the undisturbed floor begun; this was attended with great difficulty on account of the darkness and narrowness of the passage, the average width being less than 2ft. The stratification was as follows:—

(a) Two feet of dark earth, with the debris of countless jackdaws’ nests.
(b) A layer 1ft. deep, containing charcoal, burnt bones, pottery, and human remains, etc.
(c) Barren clayey soil with loose stones and boulders extending to the ground level.

A trench was also dug to a depth of 8ft. at the south end of the cliff; this showed that his end had also been quarried, and no signs habitation were found.

The main rift could be entered at the south end, but it was not possible to get right through on account of some large boulders with which it was not safe to interfere. The earth deposit ended at a point 29ft. from the north end so there was no object in attempting to force a passage.
The small rift was explored and opened up at its north end, so that it became possible to crawl through; it was in a “chamber” here that Capt. St. Barbe found some fragments of flint, including a rough blade; similar flints are to be found on the field above the cliff, and, in the absence of any possibility of this part being occupied at any time, they must have fallen in during quarrying operations.

Finds.
These include those found originally by Capt St Barbe, those obtained during the excavations, and the bones which were sent to Devices Museum; for the last I am deeply indebted to the Committee of the Wiltshire Archaeological Society who have kindly presented them to the Speleological Society.

Human Remains.
Four adults and three children. It was possible to reconstruct a large part of one of the adult skulls, and it is on this that Mr. L. H. Dudley Buxton has written the report which is published in this issue. Many other bones, besides skull fragments, were found, but these present no points of particular interest. One of the adults, judging from a mandible which shows signs of absorption, was an old man; the other three were probably middle-aged; the children were aged about four, six, and eleven years respectively, these figures being arrived at by examination of unerupted teeth.

The human bones were found from the entrance of the rift to a point twenty-six feet in, where the passage became narrowed, and there was a turn to the left : no daylight penetrates beyond this point. At this corner there was a large flat stone lying obliquely across the passage, and it was under this that the frontal bone and other skull fragments of the eldest of the children were found.

Artifacts.
A few rough pot sherds with charcoal and burnt bones were present in the occupation level for a distance of twenty feet from the entrance. Only two pot fragments could be fitted together: they represented part of the brim and side of a vessel three inches in diameter; no part of the base was recognisable.

The paste is over three-quarters of an inch thick, coarse and black throughout, containing many white granules and fragments of snail shells; the pot is hand-made and devoid of decoration; the rim is slightly incurved, and the sides slope uniformly inwards without a shoulder; the outside is coated with a thin layer of oolitic mud which has evidently formed since the pot was deposited in the rift.

Rim fragments of two other vessels were found; the first is of the same material as that just described, but is thicker and belongs to a larger vessel; it bears two faint indented lines, but these do not seem to be part of any scheme of decoration; the rim is incurved, flat on top, and has a slight lip along the inner side. The second fragment is of finer material and belongs to a vessel roughly six inches in diameter; it also is hand-made, of a reddish clay, containing many granules and shell fragments; there are traces of a horizontal incised line one-eighth of an inch below the rim, marking it off from the body; the rim is incurved and flat on top. This pot bears some resemblance to a type found at Fifield Bavant, Wilts.
A few sherds of another vessel, with a thin layer of red clay on the outside, were also found; the paste is of the same nature as those described above, but is rather less thick.
All the fragments would appear to be ordinary domestic ware; they are certainly referable to the Early Iron Age, but whether Hallstatt, or early La Tene, it is difficult to say. The only other artefact was a chalk bead which consists of a roughly circular nodule of chalk, flattened unevenly on either side and bored cleanly through the centre.

Animal Remains.
A great many bones and teeth of ox, apparently belonging to one individual ; the distal ends of many of the ribs have been cut off by blows with some sharp instrument ; only a few of these show signs of charring by fire, but the long bones are split longitudinally. Wild boar and sheep bones are plentiful. Other animals include, badger, weasel and recent voles, mice and shrews, rats and (?)otter.

Several jaws of a large species of dog have been identified by Mr. J. Wilfred Jackson as being ” of the same type as those from Glastonbury Lake Village and the Early Iron Age sites at All Cannings Cross, Fifield Bavant, and Swallowcliffe Down, Wilts; it is the type of Canis familiaris described by Rutimeyer as “House-dog of the Stone Age,” and among present day races the type is represented by the hound or by the setter or pointer. There were no “fancy” breeds in prehistoric times, but dogs of general utility to the herdsman and hunter.”

The birds do not call for any special notice, as they are such forms as may be living in the district at the present time, viz.: Song Thrush, Redwing, Blackbird, Robin, House Martin, House Sparrow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Skylark, Brown Owl, Blackcock, and Pheasant. All identified by Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S.

The molluscan remains include : Pomatias elegans, Mull, Clausilia laminata, Mont., Polita cellarina, Mull., and Goniodiscus rotundatus, Mull.

Conclusions.
The rift represents part of a site occupied by people with an early La Tene or Hallstatt culture. Mr. Buxton’s observations upon one of the skulls (q,v) suggests that they may have been descendants of the old Neolithic people.
There is no evidence of a definite burial for any of the human bones, and, on the other hand, there has been no fall of rock within the rift which might suggest that their presence was due to a catastrophe; they certainly did not merely fall into the rift so it is only left to suppose that this was the back of a larger habitation, the major part having been removed by quarrying.

My very grateful thanks are due to Mr. A. Jones, of Manor Farm, Slaughterford, owner of the land, for his kindness and hospitality at all times, and to the Rev. H K. Ketchley, of Biddestone, for providing labour on two days when the work was particularly difficult.

Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 43, page 483-9 – Capt. Guy St.Barbe

A strange site which as been connected with the movement of the Stonehenge sarsens.
Classified as an Iron age hillfort or unfinished enclosure on the Wiltshire and Swindon Sites and Monument Record, the details read ” A defended enclosure, probably never completed. The west side is preserved best with an inner bank 8m wide, ditch 4m wide. N and E of the hillfort has been reduced to a simple scarp.”

Fyfield

4. On the bank marking the Fyfield-Preshute parish boundary, immediately north of its junction with track (F.4) is a finely dressed sarsen monolith, 8ft. 3in. high with squared sides c.1ft. across. Known locally as ’ Long Tom ‘. 14397128.

Other standing sarsens in the area have apparently been used at least recently for stretching chains across race-horse gallops, and elsewhere there are several examples of both short lines of sarsens and single large sarsens beside tracks. They have apparently been so placed to act as guide stones over these relatively featureless downs.

H. ARRAXGEMENTS of SARSENS

Although Fyfield and Overton Downs are part of the Chalk uplands which form so important a portion of the so-called ’ Lowland Zone ‘, the readily available supply of stone from the once wide spread sarsen cover has been much used and produced archaeological features uncharacteristic of chalk country as a whole. The sarsens used in the chambers of both long barrows (A.I and 2), surround in various ways some ’ Celtic ’ fields, and as building material on the Wroughton Copse medieval site, are mentioned elsewhere (pp.99, 105, and 110). A few further examples of their use are given here.

West Overton
1. 400 yds. north north-east of Down Barn is an irregular circle of 15 stones, with one in the approximate centre. A disturbed 2ft. high mound appears to be wedged against the eastern side of the’ circle ‘. Is almost certainly not a’ natural disposition of stones ’ (V.C.H., p. 120) though whether it is a prehistoric monument is unknown. It is avoided by the broad rig to south and east. 13186986. Not on O.S.

2. c.60 yds. north-east of(1) is a line of small sarsens c.80 yds. long. Probably recent, as one stone lies in a furrow between broad rig. 13256990.

3. In a narrow gully leading west from the combe bottom immediately east of the ’ pillow mound’ (A.20) is a short sarsen alignment apparently unconnected with ’ Celtic ’ fields. 13447069. Not on O.S.

Stone Circle and Stone Cairn on Overton Down.

N. of Overton and West of Avebury is Down Barn O.M. xxviii., S.E., 6-inch (just south of which are the two standing stones described in W A.M., vol. xlii., 50) ; 377 yards N.N.E, of this building is a stone circle 61 feet in diameter (see plan), it consists of 15 stones placed somewhat irrrgularly round the periphery with one at the centre. They are compaiatively small, the largest being just under six feet long. One stone on the S.W. edge has a smaller one lying in front of it, making 17 in all ; on the S.E. edge what appears to be a small round barrow has been constructed at a later time than the circle. This has been deeply excavated in the cenre. It is not on O.M.

It is very rare to find on the downs any area with the remains of one age superimposed on another, but here apparently we have a late Stone Age circle becoming disused and afterwards doing duty as a Bronze Age burial place. Although the barrow has been dug into, probably by relic hunters, the site should be thoroughly excavated again. It is, however, only right to say that these stones lie among many other natural saraens scattered over the down though it seems desirable to record them as a possible circle here.

North of the above and on the next sheet, O.M. xxviii., N.E., is Parson’s Penning, E. of this and at the triangulation mark 762 is a cairn built of sarsen stones and hitherto unnoticed because it is covered by a tangle of bush and rough herbage, it stands on an apparently artificial platform 60 feet in diameter, the cairn is now about five feet high, there is one large horizontal slab on the N.W. edge which stood upright at no distant date but now leans over to the south. There is a hole in the centre of the cairn marking the site of former excavation.
A small silted up trench approaches the cairn from the S.E. and apparently continues under it but does not appear on the other side.

An air photograph of this down is given in Wessex from the Air, 1928.

A. D. Passmore
Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 44, pages 244-5

The story of the Barber surgeon of Avebury is one that most visitors to the prehistoric site of Avebury Henge have heard.

The traditional story goes as follows:

A pious traveller was assisting the folk of Avebury in burying the pagan standing stones in the village during the fourteenth century. Alas as he was busily digging out the underside of a stone it fell over, crushing him and entombing him beneath it. The archaeologist Alexander Keiller lifted the stone to reinstate it in 1938 and found the man’s remains underneath. Items found with the body including coins, scissors and an iron medical probe identified him as an itinerant mediaeval barber surgeon who had sadly been hoisted by his own petard.

Keiller sent the remains to the curator of the museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, whom he felt would appreciate the find. It was thought to have been destroyed during bombing in the Second World War but was rediscovered and re-examined in 1998. A large healed cut wound was noticed on the skull but no evidence of traumatic death was identified and it was suggested that the man had been buried beneath a stone rather than crushed by it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber_surgeon_of_Avebury

The marks on the Sautin Polissoir were apparently discovered in 1868. Although there seems to be no account of its original location, it and its neighbour are said to be “exhumed” in 1897, and presumably relocated on at their current site.

The menhir is said to have its top rounded, perhaps to form the shape of an axe. Its dimensions are stated as: height 2.20 m, a base width of 1.75 m and an average thickness of 0.50 m.

In addition, on its face, and turned towards the south-west, is a horizontal groove, 1.20 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.20 m deep, at the midway of the stone.

The stone that turns, or the stone that runs as it is sometimes known, was formerly a monolith of several tons. Like so many European megaliths, a legend grew up that treasure, in the form of gold, was buried beneath it. Thus, in 1835, the stone was toppled to find the gold. No record exits of the finds, if any, but the result was a stone broken in two.

It is not clear if this was the original position of the stone, or its neighbour, the Sautin Polissoir, but it was repaired in 1920 by a stone mason of Sautin. In a forerunner to Keiller’s work at Avebury, he used a concrete mix.

The menhir’s dimensions are recorded as being height of 2.50 m, its width varies between 0.50 m and 1.20 m and the thickness of 0.60 m to 0.80 m. The width at its base is 1.75 m and an average thickness of 0.50 m.

Two standing stones located at the crossroads of Rance-Sivry and Sautin-Epperson-Wild, on Rue de France, 36 in the town of Sautin.

There seems to be no record of their original location, but they were “exhumed” in 1897.

NOTE!

Unfortunately, the mines of Spiennes are now closed to the public until 2013.

This closure is due to the work being executed to build a totally new visitor center.

The Grotte de Spy (Cave of Spy) is one of the most important paleolithic sites in Europe, and has undergone many excavations with many recoveries. In 1886 a discovery was made that still represents a capital episode in the history of science. The excavation was conducted by inhabitants of Liège, and consisted of an archaeologist (Marcel de Puydt), a geologist (Max Lohest) and a paleontologist (Julien Fraipont). This team proved to the international community the existence of a more antiquated type of human, the Neanderthal. Julien Fraipont published a major review about Spy in an American review.

The prehistoric cave may be freely visited all around the year. However, between mid September and February there is hunting season, and visitors are advised to be careful.

The cave may be visited on guided tours organized by the Amis de l’Homme de Spy (Friends of the Spy Man), a non profit organization. The guided tours have a fixed price for the guide and are suitable for up to 30 persons. See web site for more details.

The area around the town of Wéris (community Durbuy, Luxembourg province) has yielded the richest set of megalithic monuments in Belgium.

The current research of the Walloon Megalithic Studies Association (awem) has mapped this megalithic area of about 8 km long and 300 m wide.

It consists of two standing stones associated with covered walkways and six sites comprising only menhirs.

See the web site for the Walloon Megalithic Studies Association (awem) for more details or check out the towns megalithic museum web site.

The Spiennes neolithic flint mines, in the municipality of Mons, province of Hainaut, are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are described as “the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe” and UNESCO cites the level of human technological development they demonstrate as justification for their inclusion.

The mines cover some 100 hectares of downland near Mons and are interesting for showing the transition between opencast and underground mining for the flint nodules. The nodules were extracted using deer antler picks. The stones were then knapped into rough-out shapes of axes, and finally polished to achieve the final state.

The rough-outs were traded over a wide area, and were often polished at their destination. Polishing strengthens the final product, making the axe-head last longer. The axes were used initially for forest clearance during the early Neolithic period, and for shaping wood for structural applications, such as timber for huts and canoes.

This is claimed to be the largest Angevin type dolmen in France, and maybe the world. The statistics are impressive, 17.3 meters long by 5.4 meters wide and 3.1 meters high. There is also an antechamber which adds another 4 meters to the overall length. The chamber is covered with four huge capstones, the largest of which is 7.6 meters long and weighs 86 tons. An interior stone is not a supporting pillar but probably the remains of an internal partition, which is usually found in these Angevin type dolmens.

When the site was excavated in the 1775, no burials were found, although other large Angevin dolmens had produced evidence of burials. This has led to suggestions that it was not a burial monument. We can never be sure. The site had been put to various uses before any excavations, most notably a barn for many years.

The dolman is located in the town of Bagneux, a suburb of Saumur and is part of a thriving restaurant brassiere with a small museum dedicated to the monument. Items on display include three-polished stone axes and a piece of flint knife, all claimed to be from the site.

There is an entrance fee of €3.5. Open from 1st April to 30th September, 9am till 7pm (Closed Wednesdays except July and August) – See the owner’s web site for full details.

Although known as the “little” or small dolmen, this megalith is upstaged by the largest dolman in France, it’s nearby neighbour, Le Grand Dolmen de Bagneux.

The dolman is reported to be in fairly good condition, situated high up on a cliff edge. Unfortunately the area is said to be surrounded by a working quarry and is closed to the public.

A passage tomb known by several different names, close to Lumé, in the commune of Fargues-sur-Ourbise.

The chamber would originally have been between sixteen to eighteen meters in length, but is now reduced to only five and a half meters. There are currently half a dozen covering titles.

A buried stone that was excavated and re-erected during 2007, in Haillot, in the province of Namur.

See the enclosed web site for details.

Three dolmens is situated by the edge of ocean, on the North coast of the Ile d’Yeu.

The monument is said to be one of the best preserved and the most accessible on the island.

Île d’Yeu is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France.

The island’s two harbours, Port-Joinville in the north and Port de la Meule, located in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famous for the fishing of tuna and lobster.

Neolithic markings in the native stone and an unusual concentration of megalithic dolmens and menhirs attest to the island’s early sanctity.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Île_d’Yeu

One of the many megalithic monuments to be found on the island of Île d’Yeu.

A stone circle, said to look like a round loaf of bread, on the southern coast of the island.

An elegant menhir standing 3.55 meters tall in a large flat pasture beside the river Risle.

A large menhir recorded as over 3 meters high.
The stone’s multiple shapes and crevices are said to contain faces.

The stone is located beside an ancient pond.

Two polishing stones which have sat by the river for millennia.

The first is a half buried stone about two meters long by a meter wide.
This has two large bowl areas and three groves, similar to the polisher on Fyfield Down.

The second stone, on the other side of the stream, is now on private land and cannot be visited.

Rocky outcrop overlooking the precipitous Laizon gorges: one of the region’s most striking natural sites.

The area is a rich source of good quality flint and has been inhabited since Paleolithic times.

There are two recorded axe grinding stones, the Poussendre polishers located in the gorges.

Since 1798, the site has become known as Mont Joly after Marie Joly, a famous 18th century actress was buried on the extremity of the embankment,

A promontory site surrounded on three sides by the steep River Laizon gorge.

The eastern end was defended by ramparts, little of which is now visible.

This standing stone is a pagan relic and stands outside the main North West entrance of the St Julien Cathedral, in the Place St. Michel.

The stone is the only known surviver following the destruction of the Dolmen de la Pierre-au-lait, in 1778.

There are said to be traces of a cross carved on the top of the stone.

The pink sandstone stands over four and a half meters tall and shows a remarkable natural drape, which has be seen as evoking the feminine side of some standing stones. Others have seen a hooded giant stood outside the cathedral doorway.

This stone circle has manage to survive much of the world history it has witnessed very well.

What we have left are the remains of a 72 meter diameter stone circle, much abused but with forty six stones still standing.

Like Avebury, it has a road going right through the middle of it, but unlike Avebury, it has become the border between France and Italy.

The French side of the circle is called Col du Petit Saint-Bernard Cromlech or Circle of Hannibal.

The circle stands high up At the top of the Little St. Bernard Pass.

This stone circle has manage to survive much of the world history it has witnessed very well.

What we have left are the remains of a 72 meter diameter stone circle, much abused but with forty six stones still standing.

Like Avebury, it has a road going right through the middle of it, but unlike Avebury, it has become the border between France and Italy.

The Italian side of the circle is called Henge del Piccolo San Bernardo.

The circle stands high up At the top of the Little St. Bernard Pass.