Trevethy Stone / by C.W. Dymond.

  • Dymond, Charles William
Date:
[1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Trevethy Stone / by C.W. Dymond. 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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    firmly resting on three supporters, Nos. 1, 3 and 5. The mound, composed of earth and fragments of stone, is generally about 3 feet high ; but, within the area of the cist and the annexe, the surface is about a foot lower, or 2 feet above the level of the field. It is probable, as Mr. Borlase says, that the standing stones are founded on the natural surface. The slabs (granite) of which this dolmen is built, though not produced on the spot, could have been obtained from an adjoining hill at a short dis- tance, over which the difficulties of transport would not be great. It must be evident to those who look at the large gaps over stones 2, 5 and 4, that it would have been exceedingly difficult, if not impracticable, to close these so as to exclude the soil from the interior of the dolmen, if it were originally entirely buried in a mound; to say nothing of the impossibility of keeping the annexe clear. And this is only one of many instances which sup- port the theory that “ free-standing dolmens” were recog- nized forms of ancient sepulchral architecture. When stone No. 6 was erect, the cist must have been about 6 feet square. The annexe is 5^ feet long trans- versely, and about 3 feet wide. The length of the table- stone between A and B is 15^ feet, and its width between c and d 10 feet. Its thickness varies considerably, but may average 14 inches. The eastern supporter, No. 3, stands 10 feet above the floor of the cist, and is about 5^ feet wide, and from 10 to 11 inches thick. No. 7 stone stands about 9 feet above the floor of the cist, and leans toward No. 3; but is not, as Mr. Borlase says, “ projected like a buttress against one side of it”, there being an in- terval of nearly 3 inches between them at the top ; and they are kept apart by a small stone, about 18 inches by 8 inches, (visible in the plan and in the view of the northern side), which is inserted at the level of, and is partly supported by, the upper edge of No. 4. Neverthe- less, No. 7 was probably intended to serve, in part at least, the purpose of a buttress. The highest point of the table-stone (the north-east corner) is 12 feet 8 inches above the mound, or about 15 feet 6 inches above the level of the field: the lowest point (the south-west corner) is 4 feet 9 inches above the mound, or about 6 feet 3 inches above the level of the field. The soffit of the table-stone
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