Books, Prehistory, A New Survey of England by N Salmon Volume 2

The remarkable curiosity of Rolle-Rich Stones [Map] in this County hath not been sufficiently explain'd, either as to the original Form of that Monument, the Age of it, or the Intention of the Erector: Out of the seyeral Guesses that have been made, some Hints may be taken, and seem capable of Improvement.

Comparing that of Stonehenge with this, and the other in Cornwall, mention'd by the Right Reverend Annotator upon Camden and a fourth which I have seen about Twenty-five Years ago in Herefordshire, I am of Opinion they are all the Work of the same Age, and made with the same Intention.

If my Conjecture be right, that of Herefordshir [Arthur's Stone Long Barrow [Map]] having more Remains of its ancient Figure than any of the rest, is first to be describ'd. Upon a Hill West of the River Wye, above Bradwardyn Caftle, in the Way toward the Black Mountain, is a flat oblong Stone, or a Number of Stones join'd together, lying upon Pedestals of rude upright Stones fix'd in the Earth, after the manner of Rolle-Rich [Map]. A great Part of the Work is entire; the supporting Stones being at the same Distance from the Verge of that they bear. The Eastern Point (as I remember it was Eastern) is narrower than the rest as much as the Eastern Part of a Grave-stone: It seems to have increased in Breadth toward the West, but the Western End being demolish'd, as well the upper Stone as the Pedestals, neither the Length of the Whole, nor the Breadth of the Western Part can be determined. What remains (as I remember) was about six Yards long, and two Yards broad. The flat Stone was then in three Pieces, but the Sides of those Pieces answering one another, and not joining as they would have been made to do if they had been originally single, but indented like something broken, I take them to have been but one at first. From whatever, Quarry it was brought, or by whatever Carriage, it hath the Air of a natural Stone, not of one put together with a strong Cement. Its Height from the Ground was about Twenty Inches: I remember the Sheep of the Country, which are small, shelter'd themselves under it from the Sun.

The Name by which the Country People call this, is Artil's Stone, corrupted probably from Arthur s Stone: This may have been taught them by some body that had a Notion of Arthur's Round table, thinking this erected with the same Design. Or supposing this to be of the same Age and Design with Stonehenge, the Memory of Arthur may be kept up by its Similitude to the other; for Arthur, according to our Monkish History, was a great Man; and the Honour attributed to Aurelius Ambrosius, who took upon him the Government of the Britons, when their Affairs were desperate, after the Departure of the Romans, Arthur is always allowed to share in. This might be from Arthur's being a Briton, whereas the other was half, if not wholly, of Roman Blood. The Zeal with which the Brittish Chronicle sets forth their ancient Heroes, would not let one of them miss his due Merit. We hear from them abundance more of the Feasts of Arthur than we do of Aurelius Ambrosius, though the last is mentioned by almost all Writers, and some Authors make a mention whether there was ever such a Man as the first.

The upright Stones of Stonehenge seem to have been placed with no other View than to be Supporters: Their irregular Position justifies this Opinion. Inigo Jones, with all his Labour, could make out nothing of a tolerable Design; he was at last forc'd to take Sanctuary at his Altar Stone, which is now gone: He described it lying towards the East, four Foot broad, and sixteen Foot long: In this I do not find the Curious join with him.

As to the Stones that lie a-cross from one upright Stone to another, in the manner of Architraves, they may be either a Part of the general Area, or laid to support it.

The Monument of Biscawwoune [Map] in Cornwall is thus described by the New Camden: "Nineteen Stones placed in a Circle about twelve Foot distant one from another; and in the Centre there stands one much larger than any of the rest. We may probably conjecture this to have been a Trophy of the Romans under the later Emperors, or, (if the Romans never passed the Tamar, as indeed there are neither Ways nor Coins to prove that they did) the Trophy of Athelstan the Saxon after he had subdu'd the Danmonii.

The great Stone in the Centre might be of the same Service as those of the inner Circles of Stonehenge, to support an Area. That those upright Stones are so unequal in Height and Bigness, may be accounted for in the many Hundred Years they have stood the Shock of Weather. I suppose them (of Stonehenge) to have been made upon the Spot. The Cement of sbme of them might be more durable than the rest; or the Sand of which they are composed something different, and more penetrable by Frost and Rain than the rest. We observe the Difference in all three Places of the Height and Bigness of the Stones; and the Likeness of all these three to one another, gradually, but not equally decaying.

With due Submission to those that pronounce otherwise, these Monuments seem the Work of the Britons before Cæaar invaded them, it could not be of the Britons during the Romans stay, for nothing was done then but Roman, and these are not like Roman. Nor could the Britons do it afterwards, who were, alas! too much harass'd by their Enemies to go about such a Work as this for Shew. They had no Victories to triumph upon; nor had they Time to make up this Mass of liquid Mortar and Sand for the Funeral Monuments of their Generals, before fresh Troubles came upon them.

Had the Saxons set up these stupendous Pillars, we must have seen more of the Sort about the Island, and we should probably have had some Account of it in their own or the Brittish Annals. Nor had the Danes quiet Possesssion here long enough to carry on an Undertaking that required so much Time and Application. The Manuseripts of Ninnius, which mention Stonehenge, written Two hundred Years before the Danes had any considerable Footing on this Island, decide the Matter sufficiently against them.

Two Things ought to be cleared up before we go farther: The First is, That the Right Reverend Annotator upon Rolle-Rich observes, that if this was a Sepulchral Monument erected by Pagans, we might expect to find Barrows at some small Distance. If it were Christian we might exped to meet with a Cross, or something of that Kind, implying the Design. Here the Monument of Biscawwoune [Map] is remarked to stand near the Church of St. Buriens, in which is a remarkable Tomb-stone with a Cross upon it, and an inscription upon the Verge in old French, for Clarice the Wife of Geoffery de Bolleit. The Church and Tomb seem to be of much later Date than Biscawwoune; and we Ihould have look'd for the Cross sub Dio, as the other stands.

I confess there is a Cross stands within a Furlong or two (as near as I can remember) of Artil's Stone [Map] in Herefordshire, which Phænomenon my Readers are welcome to apply to what Hypothesis they please. It is upon a Road over the Mountain; an old coarse Stone about eight Foot above the Ground, and about a Foot and half broad: The Figure of a Cross is made by cutting into the Stone an Inch or two, as we see them sometimes in Churches.

The second Difficulty to be accounted for, is. That this Arthurs Stone [Map], if coæval with Stone-henge, Rolle-Rich [Map], and Bifcawivoune [Map], should hold it out fo bravely against Time and Weather, to which the rest have submitted: It is a Point I will not undertake for; but it is possible, this being a natural Stone, may bear Weather better than a compounded one, as I suppose the rest to be; And It is possible, the Race of Britons driven up to those Mountains, who are fond of Pedigree, and delight in Poems upon their Worthies and Heroes, may from time to time have repaired this decaying Monument, with a Zeal like that of the People of Coventry, who yearly rig out Lady Godivas Peeper to keep in Memory her Services for their City.