185

ACCOUNT OF

A Barrow on Roundway Bill near Devizes,

OPENED IN APRIL, 1855.

By Mr. CUNNINGTON, F.G.S.

As the progress of modern agriculture is rapidly sweeping away from our downs the barrows and other similar relics of the ancient inhabitants of the district, it becomes increasingly important that a faithful and minute account of all the discoveries made, should be permanently recorded. Happily our "Wiltshire Magazine" affords opportunities for the publication of such records.

The barrow in question is situated near the brow of the hill, on the right hand side of the track leading to Calstone, and is about midway between the "Leipsic" plantation, and the large chalk quarry. It is on land in the occupation of Richard Coward, Esq., by whose kind permission and assistance it was opened. The elevation is very slight, not exceeding six inches, and the area ill defined, but extending over a space of about eighteen yards in diameter. (This was all the external indication afforded of the interesting interment beneath; and it is by no means surprising that it had hitherto escaped the notice of antiquaries.) It is probable that at some former period the original mound was levelled.

The excavation was commenced as near as possible to the centre, and on removing the turf, abundant evidence of the artificial condition of the subsoil was obtained. There were traces of the ashes of wood, and the peculiar mouldiness which is so often found in barrows. At from two to four feet a considerable quantity of ashes occurred, mixed with the bones of birds and other small animals, numerous shells of Helix nemoralis,1 a fragment of burned bone, a few bits of 1 Query. Were these snails used for food? abundantly among the brush-wood on the side of the hill, they are never found on the open down, and they must consequently have been brought to this spot.

Although this species occurs

rude British pottery, and a flint flake. After the hole had been dug to the depth of five feet, traces of vegetable mould and ashes ceased, and the chalk was in such a pure condition, as at first to lead to the supposition that the bottom of the barrow had been reached. A few inches further, however, at about five and a half feet, a skeleton was found in a flexed position, with its head towards the north, and lying on its left side. The left arm was bent up, so that the hand was close to the face, the other arm and hand were placed across the body, and the knees bent upwards. The skeleton was deposited in an oblong oval cist of about five feet long, and two and a half feet wide, very smoothly hollowed out of the chalk. The depth of the barrow was somewhat remarkable; from the surface of the turf to the bottom of the cist being rather more than six feet. At the distance of a few inches from the skull was a small flint arrow-head. An urn six inches in height was standing upright at the feet. This, although highly ornamented, must have been fashioned by hand previous to the introduction of the lathe. It contained nothing but loose chalk. Near the left hand, with the point towards the feet, lay a plain bronze dagger, ten inches long, without any ornament except that the surface is neatly bevelled off towards the edge. (It is somewhat curious that the portion by which it was attached to the handle has no rivet holes. When first found it was covered with a thin layer of a black pulverulent substance; and there was a similar layer underneath it, doubtless the remains of the sheath. A small quantity of the same substance, extending for a short distance beyond it, seemed to represent the handle. In front of the breast, and between the bones of the left fore arm, lay an oblong piece of chlorite slate, an inch and a quarter wide, and four inches in length, nicely smoothed, and pierced with two holes at each end, the holes being neatly countersunk on both sides. Adhering to it was a small bronze pin much corroded. It was doubtless used for a

brooch, or ornament for the breast. (Similar plates have been found in other parts of Wiltshire. The late Mr. Fenton found one in a tumulus on Mere down which had two holes only. It is figured Another, but

in "Hoare's Ancient Wiltshire," pl. ii, vol. I. much broader specimen was found by the late Mr. Cunnington at

Sutton, (vide pl. xii "Hoare's Wiltshire.") In a subsequent examination of the rubbish which had been removed, another flint flake, and a fossil bivalve shell, apparently from the Green sand, was found. All the articles discovered on this occasion have been presented to the Society by Mr. Coward.

I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Thurnam for the following remarks on the bones found in this barrow.

"The skull is that of an ancient Briton, an old man at least seventy, perhaps even eighty years of age. Many of the teeth have been lost during life, and of various others, including all the upper incisors, canines, and bicuspids, only the stumps remain, thus giving to the upper jaw a completely edentulous aspect. The crowns of the more perfect teeth in the lower jaw are very much ground down and hollowed out by the rough usage to which they have been subjected in the mastication of coarse, and perhaps halfcooked food. The nose has been somewhat abruptly prominent. The general form of the skull is a short oval, narrow in front and wide behind. The frontal sinuses are full, the brows have been prominent and overhanging. The forehead is somewhat receding, but elevated posteriorly, especially in the centre, giving a conical appearance to the front view of the skull. The middle (parietal) region of the cranium, is remarkable for disproportionate width, and the posterior (occipital) for width and flatness, especially the latter. The peculiarity of form in this last respect is decidedly unusual. The occipital ridge, and other processes for muscular attachment are strongly marked. The thickest part of the parietals measure the third of an inch. The probable weight of the brain has been recovered by a process which consists in filling the skull with sand, and after making certain requisite deductions, comparing the weight with that of the healthy human brain. By this means the brain is ascertained to have weighed 55 (54.8) ounces; this considerably exceeds, by nearly five ounces, the average weight of the adult brain in the modern European. The thigh bone measures twenty-one and a half inches in length, which may be taken as indicating a stature of not less than six feet. This is much greater than the probable stature of the ancient Britons in general, the

length of the thigh bones in their barrows seldom exceed eighteen or nineteen inches, which gives a probable stature of about five feet eight or five feet nine inches. The skull possesses all the characteristics of that of a man of great physical power, who through a long career in a rude and barbarous state of society had maintained a successful struggle with, and supremacy over the wild animals from which he obtained food and clothing. The bones of this cranium and skeleton are unusually dense and firm, retaining probably more of their animal matter than is usual in bones from ancient British tumuli. This no doubt arises from the considerable depth in the dry chalk of the cist in which the body had been interred."

In addition to Dr. Thurnam's remark that the skeleton gives evidence of a physical power which maintained supremacy over the wild animals, would not all the circumstances of the interment— the presence of the breast-plate, the dagger, and urn, together with the unusual size of the grave, lead us to the conclusion that this was the burial place of a person of considerable distinction amongst his rude cotemporaries?

189

Sheriffs of Wiltshire.

By the Rev. J. E. JACKSON.

A List of the Sheriffs of this County from 1. Henry II. (1154), to 25 Henry VI. (1446), when the Shrievalty ceased to be held ex officio by the Castellans of Old Sarum, is printed in Hatcher and Benson's "History of Salisbury," part II, p. 706. A still longer one, from 1 Henry II. to 4 Charles I. (1628), is to be found in "Fuller's Worthies," vol. II, (8vo), under the head of "Wiltshire," and the same, with continuation down to 1821, was printed by the late Sir R. C. Hoare in a thin folio volume called "REPERTORIUM WILTONENSE," of which work, however, only twenty-five copies were struck off for private distribution. In all these lists there is a frequent mis-spelling of names, and (the more modern portion of Sir R. C. Hoare's excepted) a total want of identification of the Sheriffs, by reference to family history, property, or residence. In the following list (though it by no means pretends to be free

1 The title of this very scarce book is as follows. "REPERTORIUM WILTONENSE," printed with a view to facilitate inquiry into the Topography and Biography of Wiltshire. Collected by Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Baronet. Bath, Richard Cruttwell, 1821." The contents of the volume are as follows:-1. List of Cities and Boroughs in Wilts which send Representatives to the British House of Commons, with particulars of the respective returning officers, rights of election, &c.; extracted from Beatson's Chronological Register. 2. Knights of the Shire from 26 Edward I. 3. Borough Members to 1821. 4. High Sheriffs from A.D. 1154 to 1821. 5. Wiltshire Gentry temp. Charles I. and II. (Harl. MS. 1057). 6. Ditto A.D. 1565 (Harl. MS. 1111). 7. A second list of ditto. 8. Justices of the Peace A.D. 1667. 9. Wilts Gentry who contributed to the defence of the Country at the time of the Spanish Invasion A.D. 1588. 10. Knights of the Royal Oak, with value of their estates, A.D. 1660. 11. Names of personages who came in with William the Conqueror, whose families appear to have been connected with the County of Wilts, (v. Leland. Collect. I. 208). 12. Wilts' Nobility. 13. Bishops.-I. Of Sherborne. II. Wilton and Sherborne. III. Sarum before the Reformation. IV. Sarum since the Reformation. 13. Nomina villarum, Edward II. (1308-9).