The New Forest: Its History and Its SceneryWise, John R. (John Richard)
History
The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery
Wise, John R. (John Richard)
New Forest (England : Forest)
My own excavations have been entirely confined to the Keltic barrows in
the northern part of the Forest.[238] But we will first of all take
those on Sway and Shirley Commons, opened by Warner.[239] The largest
stands a little to the east of Shirley Holms, close to Fetmoor Pond,
measuring about a hundred yards in circumference, and surrounded by
three smaller mounds varying from thirty to fifty yards, and two more
nearly indistinct. These two last are, I suspect, those opened by
Warner, where, after piercing the mound, he found on the natural soil a
layer of burnt earth mixed with charcoal, and below this, at the depth
of two feet, a small coarse urn with “an inverted brim,”[240] containing
ashes and calcined bones.
Some more lie to the northward, and are distinguished by being trenched.
Two of these also were opened by Warner, but he failed to discover
anything beyond charcoal and burnt earth.
His opinion was that these last belonged to the West-Saxons and the
former to the Kelts, who were slain defending their country against
Cerdic. So large a generalization, however, requires far stronger
evidence than can at present be produced.
Warner, too, is besides wrong in much of his criticism, such as that the
Teutonic nations never practised urn-burial; whilst the banks in which
he sees fortifications may be only the embankments within which dwelt a
British population.
Still there is some probability about the conjecture. A little farther
down the Brockenhurst stream are Ambrose Hole and Ampress Farm, both
names unmistakeably referring to Ambrosius Aurelianus, or Natan-Leod,
who led the Britons against their invaders. Nearer Lymington, too,
stands Buckland Rings,[241] a Roman camp, with its south and north sides
still nearly perfect, to which, perhaps, Natan-Leod fell back from
Calshot.
All this, however, must be accepted as mere conjecture. A more critical
examination of these barrows is still wanting.
Close to them, however, lies Latchmoor or Lichmoor Pond, the moor of
corpses, a name which we meet again a little to the westward in
Latchmoor Water, which flows by Ashley Common. The words are noticeable,
and in connection with Darrat’s (Dane-rout) stream, which is also not
far distant may point to a very different invasion.[242]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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