Sir,—Mr. Crawford’s letter telling how he has traced the ancient road from Stonehenge to the Avon at Amesbury, is extremely interesting, as is his suggestion that the “blue stones” might have been brought up the river to that point, and thence by the said road to their present position. When I heard Mr. Thomas’s really epoch-making lecture to the Antiquarians on April 19 I felt less than convinced that he was right in deciding against the sea voyage, and subsequent reflection has added to my doubts. To pass through the hills of Glamorganshire and Brecknock, whether by Llandovery and Brecon or by Builth and Llandilo, would be a tremendous journey for such means of transport as were then available, and the Monmouthshire route by Aberdare and Caerleon would not be much easier, and would necessitate crossing the Wye and going a long way up the Severn to find a ford north of Gloucester. Surely it would be much more natural to drop down from the Prescelly Hills to Milford Haven, particularly if the altar stone, the more sacred of them all, was brought from that district.
Moreover, if the stones came by sea, perhaps in vessels that were accustomed to trade with Ireland, we have the substratum of fact that probably underlies the tradition mentioned by Geoffry of Monmouth that “Merlin brought the stones from Ireland,” the men who saw them put ashore having heard the uncouth speech of the sailors. Indeed, Merlin himself may have superintended the work, as the original architect of Stonehenge.
At the same time, I think that Mr. Crawford, notwithstanding the ancient road to Amesbury, is asking us to believe rather too much when he suggests that the stones might have been brought up the Wiltshire Avon. Whether this river was navigable so far from its mouth seems extremely doubtful, and the voyage out into the Atlantic and round the Cornish coast to the Avon at Christchurch was by no means easy or safe. It would seem much more natural to bring the stones up the Bristol Channel to the other Avon, and thence up the stream as far as Bradford or perhaps Melksham, the latter being about eighteen miles from Stonehenge. Judging by the map, the route from Melksham, past where are now Seend, Cheveril, Tilshead, and Orcheston, would apparently offer no great difficulty.
These aerial maps are profoundly interesting to those who care about the far distant past, and I should like to suggest
the possibility of an ancient road being discovered between Stonehenge and the Somersetshire Avon, and also that perhaps
a “blue stone” or fragments thereof may be found, either near the river or upon the route which I have
indicated.
Yours faithfully,
C. Moor, D.D., F.S.A.
14, Lexham-gardens, W.8.
July 23, 1923.
Source info: Found in library.