Examination of barrows on the downs of north Wiltshire, in 1853-57 / by John Thurnam.

  • John Thurnam
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Examination of barrows on the downs of north Wiltshire, in 1853-57 / by John Thurnam. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    row,” of so much interest as the place of meeting in old times of the Courts of the Hundred of the same name, had been left by those who had excavated it a year or two before. A wide trench had been dug through it on one side, from the summit, and the rubble which had been thrown out had not been replaced; though the labour of a single day would have sufficed for the purpose. Another subject of regret was the fact, that though, as we were told by the neighbouring rustics, human remains, with pottery and cer- tain other relics, were found in the barrow, no authentic account of the exploration had, so far as we could learn, been put in print. I have now completed the account of the examinations I have made in the barrows of North Wiltshire. The results may often appear insignificant, and the details tedious, and the question may arise, Cui bono ? If, however, we have failed in discovering the rich arms and ornaments of the native Briton, or elaborate urns and other objects of aboriginal manufacture, yet, speaking for myself and occasional companions, as well as for those by whose manual labour the work has chiefly been accomplished, we can at least look back to pleasant days passed in active exercise on the breezy downs ; where if, like the eastern monarch in the apologue, we have found no basilisk, we, like him, have found healthful recreation suited to our taste, the results of which, are not, we think, entirely without value and interest. Erratum. In the description of Barrow No. 1, at p. 1, line 22, for “bell-shaped,” read “bowl-shaped.”
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