Conjectures on that mysterious monument of ancient art, Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain ... / by ... eminent writers ... to which is added, a ... fragment ... relative to Old Sarum and Stonehenge ... and a history of the Druids, compiler, J. Easton.

Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Conjectures on that mysterious monument of ancient art, Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain ... / by ... eminent writers ... to which is added, a ... fragment ... relative to Old Sarum and Stonehenge ... and a history of the Druids, compiler, J. Easton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    feet Ion?, and well chizelled, finely tapered, and proportioned in their dimensions. That southward- is broke in two, lying upon the altar. The other stands entire, but leans upon one of the stones of the i nner oval, The root end, or unhewn part, oft both, are raised somewhat above ground. We can¬ not be sure of the true height of this when it was perfect; but I am sure, fifteen cubits, which I have assigned is the lowest. The next trilithon, that toward the west, is entire; except, that some of the end of the impost is fallen clean oft’; and all the upper edge diminshed by time. The last trilithon,, that on the right hand of the entrance into the ady¬ tum, has suffered much. The outer upright, being; the jamb of tlie entrance is still standing : the other upright and impost are both fallen forwards into the adytum, and broke each into three pieces ; I suppose from digging near it. Stonehenge is composed of two circles, and two ovals, respectively concentric. At the distance of two cubits inward from the greater oval, is described^ another lesser oval, on which the stones of the inner oval are to stand ; nineteen stones in number, at about the central distance of three cubits: their height is likewise unequal, as the trilithons, for they rise in height, as nearer the upper end of the ady¬ tum. From the ruins of those left, we may well suppose, the first next the entrance, and lowest, were four cubits high ; the most advanced height behind the altctr might be five cubits, and perhaps more. The stones are somewhat of a pyramidical form, for they taper a little upward : they are of a much harder sort than the other stones of the lesser circle, and were brought somewhere from the west ; of these there are only six remaining upright : the stumps of two are left on the south side by the al¬ tar ; one or two were thrown down, probably by the fall of the upright of the first trilithon on the right hand ; a stump of another remains by the upright there, still standing. Their exact measure, as to
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