to his successors- "I have the vanity to hope that some of those who shall succeed in the benefice I now enjoy, will be glad to recollect that they had a certain predecessor who seemed to have some zeal for the good estate of his church and parish, and who was at some charge and pains to search into histories and records, upon no other motive but the love of his parochial charge and the benefit of posterity." J.W.

ON THE

Barrow at Lanhill near Chippenham,

WITH REMARKS ON THE SITE OF, AND ON THE EVENTS CONNECTED WITH

The Battles of Cynuit and Ethandun,

A.D. 878.

By JOHN THURNAM, M.D. F.S.A.

The Lanhill Barrow is situated about three miles north-west of Chippenham, very near a farm-house of that name, in a meadow close to the road leading to Marshfield and Bristol. It is thus described, as it existed in the middle of the 17th century, by Aubrey in his "Monumenta Britannica" "On the left hand of the road from Chippenham to Bristow, about half a mile short of Biteston, near a ground called Lanhill in Chippenham parish, is a barrow or tumulus, commonly known by the name of Barrow Hill, where they say one Hubba lies buried. This monument is sixty paces long, it is raised of small stone-brash stones, such as the fields thereabouts doe so plentifully yield; and is covered with earth a quarter of a foot thick; which I came to know by the tenant, who thought to have digged down this hill, for the earth to lay on other land. Perhaps there might have been some stones at the great end as in Lugbury." To what is here said, as to this barrow being regarded as the burial-place of Hubba, we will return.

1 See "Ancient Wilts" by Sir R. C. Hoare, vol. II. p. 99. The original MS. of Aubrey's "Monumenta Britannica" is now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and a copy of the part relating to Wiltshire is preserved in the library, collected by the late Sir R. C. Hoare, at Stourhead.

Since the time of Aubrey, this tumulus has been much levelled; and it is known that, about fifty years since, a former tenant removed a large quantity of the stone of which it is formed. The only particulars we have been able to obtain of these excavations are from an old man, who states that many human bones were thrown up, among which he particularly recollects several lower jaws. At present, the mound has the appearance of several irregular hillocks, in part overgrown with thorns and briars, resembling somewhat the site of an old quarry. Sufficient still remains to show that it was a long barrow, ranging east and west, about 160 feet in length, broadest near the east end, and with its present greatest height not exceeding six or seven feet. About thirty or forty feet from the eastern extremity, the upper edges of two flat stones were just visible above the turf. These stones were parallel with each other, placed from east to west, and about four and

a half feet apart. Their position was such as to lead to the inference that they formed part of a stone chamber or cist; and, on the occasion of the meeting of the Wiltshire Archæological Society at Chippenham, in September last, it was agreed to make some excavations, with the view of determining the period to which the barrow belongs. It would have been proper to record what was then ascertained, had this even been less than was actually the case. Enough however was observed to establish the agreement of this with other long stone barrows, containing cists or chambers, found in this part of England; and which must be regarded as altogether distinct from the round, (bowl, or bell-shaped) barrows so common on the downs of Wiltshire and the adjacent counties. An excavation was made between the two stones, which soon disclosed a third flat slab, like the others, of a rough oolite. This was placed between, and at right angles with, the others, so as to form the figure of the Roman letter H, having the cross-bar disproportionately long. The two side stones are about four and a half feet in height, and about the same in length; the stone which separates them, and by which they are maintained in the erect position, is about five and a half feet high, and four and a half long, being sunk about a foot deeper in the earth than the two others. These

stones differ altogether in size and character from the large massy stones forming the megalithic monuments, usually called triliths, dolmens, or cromlechs, such as are found at the east end of some long barrows; the most perfect example in this part of England, being that called Lugbury, near Littleton Drew. The space

between the two upright stones was filled up with the small cornbrash of the district, roughly thrown in. Exterior to these large stones, the barrow must have been piled up, by hand, in the same way as a common dry wall at the present day. The stones were placed in regular layers, and their under surface encrusted with a remarkable white calcareous efflorescence. The same arrangement of the stones, and the same incrustation were observed, in other parts of the barrow. It was clear that the space enclosed by the two upright stones had at some time been disturbed, as nothing was found beyond a few scattered fragments of human bones, and a few belonging to lower animals, among which were those of some bird. These were at a depth of from three to four feet. Among the human remains, were parts of the lower jaw of a person about twenty, and another of perhaps fifty, years of age, both probably females. These remains were found on each side of the transverse stone, but chiefly on the west. The only object of art discovered, was a single flint flake, of very dark colour, and somewhat clumsy form, which might however have served as a knife, or as a spear or arrow-head. At a depth of about four and a half feet, the natural soil of a reddish clay was found, and below this the substratum of cornbrash. Further to the west, the barrow had been almost entirely levelled; and the excavations made in that situation only disclosed the natural soil. Nearer the centre, it preserved in great measure its original elevation, and at a distance of about forty feet from the former, another considerable excavation was made. The stones here presented their original stratified condition, as already described; but there were no traces of cists or chambers. Nothing was found beyond the jaw and molar teeth of an ox, very much decayed and encrusted with calcareous deposit. These were about two feet below the surface, where they had evidently remained for ages undisturbed.

In a hollow, on the north side of the barrow and of this excavation, the upper edge of a somewhat thick flat stone, about five feet in length, projected above the turf. On digging round this, it proved to be about two and a half feet in height, and to range from S.S.E. to N.N.W. On the east side, a piece of the large horn of a red deer was found, and on the west, were a few fragments of two human skeletons, which, as indicated by the lower jaws, were probably those of men, of about twenty and forty years of age. The stone rested on the natural soil, and at its south-west corner, a much smaller stone was observed, which was placed at a right angle with the other; and perhaps indicated that a small rude cist had existed in this situation. Nothing else was found.

Whilst we have no hesitation in classifying the Lanhill tumulus with the other long stone barrows of this part of England, we must remain in doubt whether the dilapidated stone structure near the east end had formed part of a chamber, such as may be seen at Stoney Littleton and Uley, or whether it had rather been a large cist. If a chamber, intended to be entered from the east end, we must suppose that the covering stones had been removed, and that the stone now placed transversely between the two others, had, possibly during some earlier examination, been forced into its present place, with a view of preserving the position of these two side stones. If this transverse stone is regarded as always having occupied its present position, we must then conclude that the three stones formed the western end of a small chamber or large cist, the rest of the stones having long since been removed. On the whole, the former view appears the more probable. As to the stones on the north side of the centre of the barrow, we can have little difficulty in tracing in them the remains of a small cist, such as have been found in long stone barrows in this district; and of which we have examples at Littleton Drew, Duntesbourne Abbots, and other places. The occurrence of stone cists, with

1 See "Archæologia," 1819, vol. XIX, p. 43, for Stoney Littleton; "Archæological Journal," 1854, vol. XI, p. 313, for Uley.

interments in such a position, should induce future explorers to examine with care the sides of these long barrows.

We need hardly here reproduce the arguments by which it may be shewn that these long barrows are to be assigned to a very ancient British period, prior to the introduction of metallic implements or weapons, whether of bronze or iron. Lest, however, the historical evidence should be thought to outweigh the archæological, it seems proper to take some notice of the statement that this tumulus was the burial place of the Danish chief, Hubba, who died so late as towards the end of the 9th century. Aubrey, as we have seen, alludes to a popular tradition to this effect, when he says, here "they say one Hubba lies buried." Of such a tradition there are, now at least, no traces in the neighbourhood. Aubrey, in a note, adds, "Mr. Wood!" (meaning Anthony A'Wood) "I leave it to you to give the name to this sepulchre, whether Hubbaslow or Barrow Hill. Sir Charles Snell, of Kington St. Michael, told me of it in 1646 or 47, when I was a freshman, and said it was Hubbaslow. He shewed me then an old Stow's chronicle of the first edition, in a thick octavo, or rather quarto, which mentioned it; but Caxton's chronicle makes him to be buried in Devonshire, which I presume is an error." In this last statement, Caxton, as will be shown, was in all probability correct; his narrative, however, is full of inconsistencies and improbabilities; and neither he nor Stow, writers of the 15th and 16th centuries, can be accepted as authorities in a disputed question of this sort.

On turning to the cotemporary, and nearly cotemporary historians of this period, Asser, the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, and Florence of Worcester, we find in them an almost uniform statement to the following effect, of the events early in the year 878. "The brother of Hynguar and Healfden, with twenty-three ships, came from the country of Demetia, (South Wales,) where he had wintered, and sailed to Devon, where he was slain before the Castle of Cynuit, by the king's servants; and where was gained a very large booty; and, amongst other things, the war standard called the Raven ;" which, as the annals, (erroneously attributed to Asser,)