Abury, A Temple of the British Druids, With Some Others, DescribedStukeley, William
History
Abury, A Temple of the British Druids, With Some Others, Described
Stukeley, William
Avebury (England) -- Antiquities; Druids and Druidism
The circle itself is compos’d of stones of various shapes and
dimensions, set pretty near together, as may best be seen by the
drawings, TABLE III, IV. They are flattish, about 16 inches thick.
Originally there seems to have been 60 in number, at present there
are 22 standing, few exceeding 4 foot in height; but one in the
very north point much higher than the rest, 7 foot high, 5½ broad.
There was an entrance to it from the north-east, as is the case at
_Stonehenge_. _Ralph Sheldon_, esquire, dug in the middle of the circle
at _Rowldrich_, but found nothing.
6. Another argument of its being a Druid temple, is taken from the
barrows all around it, according to the constant practice in these
places. To the north-east is a great _tumulus_ or barrow of a long
form, which I suppose to have been of an arch-druid. Between it and our
temple is a huge stone standing upright, called the _kingstone_; the
stone is 8 foot high, 7 broad, which, together with the barrow, may be
seen in TABLES III, V. but the barrow has had much dug away from it.
’Tis now above 60 foot in length, 20 in breadth, flattish at top.
I know not whether there were more stones standing originally about
this barrow, or that this belong’d to some part of the administration
of religious offices in the temple, as a single stone.
In the same plate may be seen another barrow, but circular, below
the road to the left hand, on the side of the hill. Under it is a
spring-head running eastward to _Long Compton_. This barrow has had
stone-work at the east end of it. Upon this same heath eastward, in the
way to _Banbury_, are many barrows of different shapes, within sight of
_Rowldrich_; particularly, near a place call’d _Chapel_ on the heath,
is a large, flat, and circular _tumulus_, ditch’d about, with a small
tump in the center: this is what I call a Druid’s barrow; many such
near _Stonehenge_, some whereof I opened; a small circular barrow a
little way off it. There are on this heath too, many circular dish-like
cavities, as near _Stonehenge_, we may call them barrows inverted.
Not far from the Druid’s barrow I saw a square work, such as I call
Druids’ courts or houses. Such near _Stonehenge_ and _Abury_. ’Tis a
place 100 cubits square, double-ditch’d. The earth of the ditches is
thrown inward between the ditches, so as to a raise a terrace, going
quite round. The ditches are too inconsiderable to be made for defence.
Within are seemingly remains of stone walls. ’Tis within sight of
the temple, and has a fine prospect all around, being seated on the
highest part of the ridge. A little further is a small round barrow,
with stone-work at the east end, like that before spoken of near
_Rowldrich_; a dry stone wall or fence running quite over it, across
the heath.
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