Barrow at Ogbourne St Andrew's. Wilts [Map] by Mr. Cunnington, F.G.S.

Many of the barrows in this district are in the valleys, instead of on the high ground, as is usual in other parts of Wilts.

The position of the one now under consideration cannot be more than a few feet above the adjoining stream.

It is a large round barrow, situated in the north-east corner of the churchyard ; but, though within the fence, is not on consecrated ground, but is part of the estate of King's College, Cambridge, and by the kind permission of the college authorities it was opened.

Few instances are known of barrows adjoining churchyards, and some hopes had been raised that as this — like the noted instance at Taplow — was a large barrow in a churchyard, it would on examination yield similar remarkable results; but, though some curious facts have been brought to light, we found no "Viking" at Ogbourne.

The diameter from north to south is about 85ft., but it is difficult to obtain the dimensions, owing to the encroachments of the church- yard on the one side, and of the boundary hedges on the other. The height was at least lift., but the top had been much mutilated by late interments.

Towards the east side, about 2ft. from the surface, two skeletons; were found; at a depth of about 3ft. six more; and many others were subsequently discovered scattered through the barrow at about this level; probably nearly twenty in all. They were of both sexes, and were interred without coffins — some of them very near each other— in one instance the skulls touching. The orientation was the same in all. The heads were directed, though not strictly, towards the west. The skeletons were fairly well preserved, and were evidently not Ancient British. They varied in the form of the skulls; one, more elongated than the others, has been measured and found to have a cephalic index of 72 (18.6 x 13.4). Some of the teeth were much decayed and hollow. It is probable that these interments were of medieval date, reaching* back, perhaps, six or seven hundred years, when it was common to bury the poorer classes without coffins. For a long time it was customary to carry the corpse to the grave in a coffin, when it was taken out and interred in the grave-clothes only; the coffin being reserved for future use.

Near the centre, at a depth of 5ft., we found the skeleton of a man, buried in a straight wooden chest, bound at the ends and at two equal distances on the sides, with iron clamps of about 1 ½in. in width. Those on the sides were split open at the top in this shape. The skeleton measured, as it lay before it was disturbed, 5ft. 9in. The direction of the head was towards south-west-by-west. There were no implements or ornaments of any kind found with it. Some of the bones were dissolved away, especially the ribs and vertebrae. The wood of the coffin had mostly disappeared, but some fragments were so far preserved by the iron as to lead to its being recognised at the British Museum as fir.

The coffin was surrounded by a considerable quantity of wood ashes, especially towards the head, to a depth of 3in. or 4in. They are of oak wood, but the object for which they were used is unknown.

It is probable that this interment is of Saxon date.

At a depth of 7ft. we found the burnt bones of an adult. These were very much calcined, white, and clean ; had been very carefully picked out from the ashes, wrapped up in a woven cloth, and then placed on a plank of wood. This was apparently rounded on the under side,, as the surface of the earth beneath was hollowed and covered with a layer of decayed wood distinctly thicker in the middle. The space thus occupied was 3ft. 9in. in length by 1ft. 6in. wide, thus differing" from the usual mode of cremated interments, which are generally smaller, round, and most frequently excavated in the chalk. In the present case it would rather appear as if the bones had been placed on a mound raised for the purpose. The fibre of the cloth was, of course, decomposed, but the structure can be distinctly seen, the form being accurately preserved by the carbonate of lime with which it is covered. In the middle of the heap was a well-made knife of black flint, unburnt, and partially encrusted with carbonate of lime. It is remarkable that the convex side of this implement is brightly polished in minute hollowed facets, similar to the polish that may occasionally be observed on flint implements and pebbles which have been exposed on the surface of the downs.

At a distance of about a yard from this deposit a small food vessel was discovered, with the mouth upward. Only part of it was saved from the spade. It was rudely formed of imperfectly-burnt clay, much resembling the surrounding earth. Enough, however, remains to show the shape and size.

The floor of the barrow was reached about 4ft. lower, and here were abundant traces of cremation in the wood ashes irregularly scattered about. There were remains also, of planks of wood, quite decayed and much impregnated with iron, and carbonate, and phosphate of lime. In one place we found what appeared to be the side of a trench, some 6ft. or 7ft. in length, which had been lined with wood; it may have formed part of a cremation pit. The changes wrought during past ages in the chemical condition of the wood and other substances in this barrow, by the infiltration of water, the action of the roots of adjoining trees, and other in- fluences, are well worthy of notice, and we hope, ere long, to interest some good chemist in the subject.

Among the remains of wood, both decayed, and in the state of charcoal, there were numerous minute tubes produced by carbonate of lime deposited inside the hollows left by the decay of the rootlets of the trees which have penetrated the barrow. The cuticle of the rootlets is apparently replaced by the carbonate of lime, and the microscopic fibrils of these roots are thus beautifully and delicately preserved.¹ But with these there were also found other tubes of the same material, but very different in structure. In external form they somewhat resemble small caterpillars, divided by regular segments, but internally the structure is complicated; and of the six eminent naturalists, who have seen them, neither can say to what class they belong.²

Note 1. The deposit of carbonate of lime, on the exterior of plants &o is a well, known phenomenon, but we are not aware that attention has hitherto been drawn to the encrusting of the interior surfaces of snch substances.

Note 2. The calcareous tubes, mentioned above, were first noticed by our late friend and coadjutor, Mr. C. Moore, in the Journal of the Geological Society, February, 1881. He did not distinguish between the two kinds of tubes, and proposed the name Tubutella ambigua to include both. He was mistaken in supposing that they "belong to the freshwater deposits," as the fact of finding them in such abundance in this barrow fully proves.

The arrangement of the layers of which the barrow was composed is as follows The surface soil was clayey, beneath this there were about 3ft. of clayey earth mixed with much river-drift from the adjoining meadows, then more flinty earth, and lastly, clay with flint, to, the bottom of the barrow. The latter deposit was doubtless derived from the original soil, as it was first pared off from the surrounding surface in forming the barrow.

A fine leaf arrow-head of dark-coloured flint was found just below the turf, at the top of the barrow, and several interesting flint im- plements and rubbers of sarsen stone were turned up in the course of the excavations.

The work was carried on under the superintendence of Mr. Henry Cunnington (on behalf of the Wiltshire Archaeological Society), the The Rev. H. Carwardine (Vicar of Ogbourne), Walter Money, Esq., F.S.A., Robert Tanner, Esq., The Rev. T. A. Preston, and Mr. Cunnington, F.G.S. Several of the authorities from Marlborough College, and other gentry of the neighbourhood, showed considerable interest in the operations, which extended over five days — June 8th to 12th, 1885.