ANCIENT BRITISH—LITTLETON DREW, NORTH WILTS.
out, and furnislied with a pavement of stone. Over this a rude arch of unworked stone had been
raised, wMcli had fallen in. In the cist was a skeleton, laid on the right side, with the head
to the west. The knees were drawn up, the right hand on the upper part of the chest, the left
arm across the body. Under the left hand was a small instrument of ilint about an inch and a
half in length, brought to a very sharp point, and ajoparently formed for piercing or cutting. " It
was," says Sir R. Hoare, "too thin for an arrow-head, but might have served for a lancet*."
Flint Instrument found with Skeleton.
The skeleton was that of a young man,—the sutures not iirmly united. The skull was of
fuU size and well-formed; the teeth perfect: the thigh-bone measm-ed 18 inches. During the
excavation, many scattered pieces of charcoal were met with. Two walls of loose stone had
been formed across the barrow; one close to the cromlech, the other about 60 feet to the westt-
In the spring of 1854, a rude cist on the south side of the barrow, containing several
skeletons, was brought to light by the plough. Subsequently, the proprietor, G. P. Scrope, Esq.,
M.P., made a very complete examination, by which three other cists were discovered. Their
position is shown on the ground-plan. They varied a little in form, but on the average were
about 10 feet in length, by 4 in width and 2 in depth. They were formed of rough stones set on
edge: there were no covering stones (though it is possible such may have formerly existed, and
been removed when the barrow was i r s t subjected to the plough), the cists being filled with rubble
cai-elessly thrown in; whilst in the spaces between the cist and elsewhere, the stones forming the
barrow had been built up by hand. The largest cist was within a few feet of the south-west
angle of the triUth, and had its long axis east and west. The three others ranged north and
south, and lay nearer to the edge of the barrow and nearly equidistant from each other. The bodies
appeared to have been packed closely in a crouched or sitting postui-e, towards the angles of the
cists. Being buried in stone rubble, it was difficult to ascertain then- precise position, or to
remove the bones entire. There were no relics of any kind with them, but in the course of the
general excavations, a round disc and several flakes of black flint were found J. CIST A contained,
it is said, seven skeletons: five were examined, aU of which appeared to be of women or children,
of the ages of about 1, 2,5,15, and 50 years. CIST B appeared never to have been used, or to have
been rified of its contents, not a fragment of bone being found in it. CIST C contained nine
skeletons, all perhaps males, of about 20, 25, 30, 45, 50, and 55 years; two were those of aged
persons. There were the fragments of a ninth skull, the fractm-ed edges of which were very sharp,
suggesting the idea of having been cleft during life. CIST D.—In this were ten skeletons; four
of adults, two possibly of each sex, and four of children, of about 3, 4, 7, and 17 years.
Eight or nine crania from these cists were suiSciently perfect for comparison. With one
exception, iu which a lengthened oval form is not marked, they are of the dolichocephaUc class.
The facial bones are smooth and little iadented; the alveolar borders of the superior maxillary
upright and rather short; the lower jaws narrow ; the crowns of the teeth very much worn.
thigli-bone which could be obtained from the subsequent excavations
measured 18i inches.
t As the nearest beds of flint are at a distance of about
fifteen miles, these flakes, &c. must have been imported.
* Our wood engraving of this relic has been drawn from the
object itself, lent by Mrs. Carrick, widow of Dr. Carrick of
Clifton, the former owner of the Nettleton property.
t " Gentleman's Magazine," vol. xeii. Feb. 1822, p. 16, and
letter to the writer from G. Wallis, M.D., Bristol. The only
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