7h Council of flu L ancasfiire and Cheshire A ntiquarian S ociety desire it to be known that Me Author: alone are responsible for any statement: ' or opinion: contained in their contfi bulzm to the T ransactions of Me me s di d b M r l ’ fi e re e volu i e . h r fl p s nt te y C a es . O I C E R F R FF S O 1 390. prestbcnt. mWI L L I N I FFE BR S AM C U L O O Bu m M P. P . S . A . KS , , . , mice 9 r stb ts p e cn . W T m R G H o n . E AR F C R A F R D A N D BA ARR I HT TH E L O O LC ES , F. S . A . T c R G H o n E O D RT F T T F A . m . L R N T A N . I HT TH EGE O O O , S W PRO FES SO R . BO Y D D A WKI N S , F. S . A . WI LLI AM E . A . A XO N , ' PR N P A W R D L D . C W. D e r. L . I I AL . A , O rthe Gounctl. T EN -B EM N R BER G N T . L A N T O C . ALL T AT A O T , r e n F A v F M A W A C a m . R . E a m . , . S . e . L , WA KE R M . A F. A D r. H . a v M R P E A R S . C o C . J . , . A H mum C . E . A BER N C O S O xc r. E s N G no , L T I H L . F H E C H N M A B RENC . O M N l O L S O . GIL ERT J . H J L , RR N E RG E Pu ns n WILLIAM H A IS O . G O o . w n . R I N G M . A. N s o v . S T A N N N ATHA o e . J H . , R ES W N U . C HA L . S T TO C reasurer. MA L E H E R BR W T H O S T O . b onorarg S ecretary. R . Y A T E S F. S . A . GEO GE C , E XC A VA T I O N S I N BO K E R L Y A N D WA N S D N N Y K E , A D T H E I R B E A R I N G O T H E R M A N I F I A I N O O C C U PA T O N O B R T . - - BY I RA P R I VE R F. A N I T T S S . L EU T . GE E L , N two copi o usly- illustrated and privately- printed quarto s s that volume , I have described the excavation I have the o f s made in neighbourhood Ru hmore, Wilts , during the s f o f s two last ten year , the chie part which relate to the R - r s s o f R o therle omano B iti h village Woodcuts and y, just o s fo un outside the park . They were proved by the c in d in o f R o mn o them to be the a age, though probably ccupied c hiefl o s c o ins y by Brit ns, one or two Briti h having been f n o s o u d with the R o man ones in both villages . B th village f were alike in their general arrangement, and their chie f in f s s 6 . lo . f o f t. eature con i ted pits, 3 to t in diameter and fill i f . d ft. 6 n . t e 3 to 9 deep, up to the top with earth and f o f c o ul o n s rf d . re use, so that no trace them be seen the u ace O f these as many as ninety- five were fo und in Wo odcuts - h and ninety two in R o t e rley. The area occupied by the i lso fill f S t. a e was s t. d pits drained by deep trenche 3 to deep, to f s in s up to the p with earth and re u e, and laid out uch a manner as to carry the water down hill ; the different drains B S E z E XC A VA T I ON S I N B O KE R L Y A N D WAN D YK . branching out o f each other like the tributaries o f a stream s o f o s or river, the main stream which, in b th village , ran along the two sides o f a road leading from the village w s o w o ne o f f to ard l er ground , and showing that the chie concerns o f the inhabitants in those days w as to carry o ff h o f o f s s the eavy rain, the prevalence which certain pas age s in the ancient writing appear to hint, and geological and o s s c o n fi rm r ss o ther re earche appear to the imp e i n , that there must have been a much larger supply o f water in early times f t - no w. 1 88 t. w as so e than A well deep al excavated , and fo o the Roman bucket und at the bott m , but no water, sho wing that the water line must have laid somewhat higher o s is s s in the hill in f rmer day than the ca e at pre ent. s o o o f it w as s Woodcut , or rather a p rti n , urrounded by o f s f o f an entrenchment light relie , the ditch which drained o - o R o the rle into the r ad drain above menti ned , and at y a portio n o f the village was separated fro m the res t by a s n o s v circular urroundi g ditch, similar to ther which ha e s s s s been everal time noticed in Briti h villages el ewhere, and which have been rather rashly assumed to be sacred s c o nfi rmatio n o f s w as ro circle , but no thi p duced by the s o n the to excavation ; the circle, contrary, appeared have been occupied in the same manner as the rest o f the village . s o s o f - s In Woodcut , three hyp cau ts T haped plan were f r s o o f o ound, which were probably B iti h imitati ns R man h o s f r rs yp cau ts o warming ro o ms by flues beneath the flo o . s s is s o use c an Thi , at lea t, the mo t pr bable to which they ss s s o ne f s be a igned . A preci ely imilar will a terward be s o f o s s s poken at Wo dyate . The hou es mu t have been built o f s o f so o f f s dab and wattle, and by mean me the ragment o f s fi re pla ter which had been hardened by , and upon which ss o f w s w as the impre ion the t igs had been pre erved , it possible to ascertain the exact thickness o f the walls and the o f - s construction the wattle work. Timber was al o used A T KE R Y D E E XC VA I ON S 1 I V B O L A N WANS D YK . 3 s o f s s as f o in the con truction the hou e , appears probable r m the large number o f iron nails o f a siz e suitable fo r fasten o f an d s f o f s o f ing beams wood, al o rom a number clamp f s r r s s s fo r . the kind now u ed , a tening timbe togethe Be ide - ho s s ro the dab and wattle work u e , which were p bably o s s flat r und , some other hou es mu t have been made with f o s s s s s . s ss o ide , pla tered and painted The e better cla h u e s f o were peculiar to one quarter in Woodcut , which, r m the o f o s f in it s to quality the other bject ound , appear likely have s o s o been a rich quarter. The pit were pr bably u ed to c ntain f s f fi lle d sub se re u e , and , a ter being up to the top, were s fo r o f quently u ed the interment the dead . The dead n o t s s s were interred in the e pits only, but al o in the drain , f filled to a ter they had been up to the p with earth, a if c o nfi ned to s s has practice which, not thi di trict, at any rate not been found elsewhere to such an extent as to lead f - s s to the in erence that it was a widely spread Briti h cu tom .