XIV.—View through long axis of Maumbury Rings
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This earthwork, situated near the railway stations on the outskirts of Dorchester, appears to us to differ entirely in purpose from the ordinary neolithic hill settlements with which it is certainly contemporary; and in spite of the fact that it has no connection with the dew-ponds which form the main subject-matter of this pamphlet, we venture to draw attention to some of its peculiarities.
It is universally, and, in our opinion, incorrectly, referred to as a Roman amphitheatre. The structure possesses, not the characteristics of Roman work, but those which distinguish the labour of neolithic man, the mounds which we are about to describe being constructed in the same manner, and of the same materials, as the embankments of the neolithic hill settlements.
The construction of simple earthworks is anterior to the use of the shaped stones which were erected on Salisbury Plain, and we may safely assume that at the period when Stonehenge was set up the worship of the sun in this country was already of considerable antiquity.
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XIV.—View through long axis of Maumbury Rings
{31} There is, therefore, a probability that the first Solar Temples of prehistoric man were built in a manner similar to the hill settlements.
At Maumbury Rings we find an oval structure, the interior measurements of which are 218 feet by 163 feet. It is an earthen embankment approximately 30 feet high. At the north-east this embankment is cleft, and an opening some 30 feet wide at the bottom occurs at this point, which is at one end of the long axis of the oval. At the other end of this axis the upper portion of the embankment was not constructed.
The orientation of the structure was carefully determined by us, and found to coincide accurately with that of Stonehenge.
The opening in the embankment allows the vivifying rays of the rising sun to enter, and, passing along the long axis of the structure, to strike upon the rising floor at the opposite end. The impression left on our minds was that in the earthwork before us we probably had one of the earliest temples erected for the worship of the sun.
During our examination we remarked upon the omission of any stone analogous to the Sun Stone, or Helstone, over which the midsummer sun rises at Stonehenge. We subsequently found in “The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset,” by John Hutchins, M.A., 1868, vol. ii. p. 795, that
“Roger Gale derived the name Maumbury from Maen, a great stone which lay at the entrance when he saw it in 1719.”—(MS. letter.)
{32} By another authority we have found it stated that a large stone formerly existed at the entrance; but as this was found to be an obstacle to the cultivation of the land, a hole was dug and the stone was deposited in it. A subsequent search has failed to discover it. Seeing that both these authorities make reference to the stone at the entrance without any suspicion as to its solar significance, we feel no doubt as to its previous existence.
Almost due south-west, at a distance of about two miles from Dorchester, stands Maiden Castle.
Its outlines may be seen from the Roman road leading from Dorchester to Weymouth, but they give little indication of the awe-inspiring immensity of the works. It lies at an elevation of 430 feet above the sea, surrounding the summit of one of the largest downs in the neighbourhood.
The area within the Rings is from 40 to 50 acres in extent, and the circumference is about one mile.
To this day it would be a matter of very considerable difficulty to reach the contained plateau except by one of the regular entrances. It is most conveniently approached by the eastern entrance.
The complexity of the maze of stupendous earthworks by which the entrance is guarded baffles description. It suffices to
say that an approaching enemy, furnished only with such weapons as were known to
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primeval man, must have found the place impregnable. To this day it produces a sensation of bewilderment, for every inch
XV.—View in one of the ditches surrounding Maiden Castle
of its lengthy and tortuous course is dominated by a succession of spurs and embankments
on either side, so arranged that tier above tier of the defending forces would be continuously encountered.
An attempt to attack the settlement from any other point than the entrance is not less obviously doomed to failure. {34}
An approaching enemy would have to scale great embankments, even now 50 to 60 feet in height, with steeply sloping
XVI.—View from summit of one of the surrounding embankments at Maiden Castle
sides, placed one behind another to the number of three or more. Each ridge would doubtless
be defended by men to whom, owing to the nature of their position, defeat or retreat involved certain death.
As may be seen in the illustration (XVII.), wherein the subsidence at one point in the Rings round Maiden Castle is
depicted, some of the embankments have
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XVII.—View showing subsidence at one point in the rings surrounding Maiden Castle
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level platforms behind them, beyond which again is the deep trench in front of the next embankment. On this level
platform the reserves were probably waiting to take their place in the fighting line, when those upon the crest had
fallen.
The central plateau is kidney-shaped, and is divided into two roughly equal parts by a transverse scarp of artificial construction. The eastern division, which has two complicated double approaches in close proximity to each other, is the first to be reached from the Roman road, and stands at a higher level than the western. It was probably occupied exclusively by the human inhabitants; the western, into which the cattle-ways enter, being devoted to the herds. We shall, however, presently bring forward evidence that only such a portion of the herds was kept at Maiden Castle as would suffice for the needs of the community during the winter.
A dew-pond is here found within the Rings. This is unusual, but a reason for this is to be found in the fact that outside the Rings a supply of running water was at hand, in this respect presenting a contrast to Chanctonbury-cum-Cissbury. The traces of many dew-ponds may be found outside the Ring in positions removed from running water.
There is no evidence of the means by which this pond was preserved from the trampling of the herds, and being within the Rings it is, naturally, unfortified. It is near the dividing central scarp, and is thus con-{38}veniently placed to supply the needs both of the human community and of the animals.
Leading down from the eastern, and we presume the cattle quarters, we find, as at Cissbury, two cattle-ways. The one by
which the animals descended takes
XVIII.—View of dew-pond and dividing scarp within Maiden Castle
a northerly course and leads directly to the undulating land suitable for gazing grounds. The ascending cattle-way takes
an opposite direction, and is marked by the remains of a Tally-house at the bottom. The length of the ascending
cattle-way is a quarter
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of a mile or more, and winds in and out between the great embankments in such a manner as always to maintain an easy
gradient. Here, as at Cissbury, may be seen what we have presumed to call a Tally-house at the point of entrance of the
cattle-way into the settlement.
The route of these cattle-ways through the embankments is not less complicated or less capable of defence than the eastern entrance to which reference has already been made. The ascending cattle-way, obviously a position of danger at the time when the herds are being driven home, winds between no less than seven formidable embankments.
On the southern side of the eastern section, a deep hole may be seen in the ground within the Castle; and beneath a stone lintel in the outermost Ring there appears to be the entrance to a subterranean passage. As the hole and the passage are nearly opposite each other, it would appear that they were connected. Local tradition has it that beneath this stone lintel was found a stairway, and that after so much had been discovered, the staircase was filled up with earth. It is, at any rate, now so nearly blocked that it is impossible to enter. The evidence of apparent subsidence in all the Rings has been along an imaginary line between the above-mentioned large hole in the central plateau, and the entrance to the passage which is found beneath the lintel of limestone. This is distinctly corroborative of the former existence of a subterranean passage {40} leading from the central plateau into the outermost trench. The possible purposes of such a passage are several. This section of the embankments, being the least protected by works external to the Rings, is the only one which was likely to suffer a surprise, and which could not be quickly manned by the defender. A passage such as is here indicated would enable this to be done with expedition.
If the reader will divest his mind of modern needs, and realise only the primal necessities of prehistoric man, it will be evident that they may be summed up very simply. The preservation of the community, through which alone he could live, was his only care.
The dangers to the community would be famine, or destruction by human or animal enemies. To guard against famine it would be necessary to maintain and protect great herds of animals. To maintain the animals it would be necessary to secure, and to be able to defend, great grazing grounds for the summer; and it would be also necessary to provide fodder for the winter months.
The conditions we have described conform to the antecedent necessities of his bodily welfare, and we believe that this conformity may be traced very much further than has been hitherto attempted. We now proceed to suggest what were the arrangements made by neolithic man for miles around his settlement.
Our examination was conducted in May 1904, when a rich profusion of wild flowers was beautiful {41} in the sunshine. The irregular distribution of the crop of daisies had early attracted our attention. We observed that, for some inexplicable reason, they carpeted the prehistoric roadways which are carved for miles on the face of the Downs. At the foot of the descending cattle-way we were both struck by the sight of a well-marked almost complete circle of daisies, as absolutely true as though it had been described by a pair of compasses. The only omitted part was a segment in the north-east. The circle was not only apparent on the spot, but its outline was clearly indicated when looking down from the ramparts at a point more than a quarter of a mile away. The diameter of the ring of daisies, which we independently paced in different directions, was 46 yards, and the band of daisies itself, though it varied considerably in width, was about two yards wide. The inner edge of the band was, however, always well defined, except, as we have said, in the north-east. There, for twenty yards or so, the circle was broken.
Slight indications of earthworks were found in the immediate neighbourhood of the circle; and we may conjecture that the ring of daisies, plants which usually flourish best on hard ground, still traces for us the outline of a former work.
An embankment runs straight in a northerly direction from the north-east corner of the Castle, and to this day marks a parish boundary. To the north and east beyond its termination we traced for several miles {42} a succession of embankments which in all cases had a definitely ascertainable purpose. We found that these earthworks sometimes took the form of a platform with a steep declivity, sometimes that of trench and embankment, and that they sometimes were merely a cutting, in the ground. Their position indicates that they offered a means of defending the herds from the attacks of animals. They are invariably in a position to protect the heights from the denizens of the marshy or wooded regions below; and wherever, owing to the configuration of the ground, there is the appearance of danger, the necessary earthworks will be found to protect the heights from an attack from below. There is no limit, that we could discover, to the area that has been thus treated. When the eye has once become accustomed to the system of defence adopted by primeval man to protect his herds, one can predict from a distance with much certainty what will be found on a closer inspection of the land. Between Maiden Castle and Poundbury Camp a network of such defences is continuous. If one follows the low-lying land between the two, one may see these earthworks on the rising ground on either hand. With this object in view, it becomes extremely interesting to follow the course of any of the streams in the neighbourhood.
The chief occupation of neolithic man was to protect the herds on which his life depended. A further evidence of this necessity may be seen in the carefully constructed roadways he made for them. Just beyond {43} the termination of the embanked parish boundary, above the invariable defences along the margin of the lower around, may be found the beginning of a road at a point midway between Maiden Castle and Poundbury Camp, and on the eastern side of the valley. If we now follow this roadway, which begins on the east side of Fordington Down, we find that it ultimately leads to Poundbury Camp.
At more than one point we find diagonal cattle-ways leading down to and up from the low-lying valley. These cattle-ways at some former period led down to the water at the bottom of the valley. Nearing Poundbury Camp the road is cut in the steep bank of the river Frome, and a well-marked example may be seen here. Diagonally down this bank, in the least precipitous part, cattle-ways meet at an angle at the bottom. Obviously, one was the descending cattle-way, and the other the ascending. At the point where they meet at the bottom the whole surface of the ground has been disturbed by mounds and excavations. The river has now receded from these works, and is at a lower level—a fact which indicates the antiquity of the structures in question; and at these points it would be an easy matter to determine the difference of water level since the cuttings were made.
Continuing our walk along this road from which the diagonal cattle-ways descend, and observing in passing the profusion of daisies which whiten its surface, we see in the distance the great mounds of Poundbury Camp. {44}
The river was the natural defence and boundary of the settlement on the north, and Poundbury Camp was an outlying defence and place of assembly for the bulk of the herds.
XIX.—View of Neolithic road leading from Maiden Castle to Poundbury Camp
This roadway does not lead into Poundbury Camp at its nearest point, but is continued between the embankments and the top of the river bank. At a point on the east face of the Camp the embankments cease, and here the cattle entered the enclosure.
It is interesting to notice that at this, possibly the {45} chief location of the herds, there are, on the three exposed faces of the Camp, just outside the embankment, and continuous with its base, extensive platforms with a declivity beyond.
XX.—View of the same roadway as shown in previous illustration but looking in opposite direction
Poundbury Camp is, roughly, rectangular, and one peculiarity of this settlement is to be found in the tendency to the adoption of the rectangular form in place of the circle. Thus we find that the best-preserved tumulus in the neighbourhood, known as Clandon Barrow, is in fact a pyramid. The only {46} difference from its Egyptian parallel is in point of size and material. Its faces are duly oriented to the four points of the compass.
Neolithic man, having made most elaborate defences against sustained attack, was also very careful to guard against unexpected approach. From the situation of his settlements he was able to command extensive views over the surrounding country; but, if any down in close proximity to his settlement hid any portion of the country from his immediate observation, he took the precaution to put an outlook station on such obstructing down. At the Maiden Castle there is such a down, known as Hog Hill; and on the summit there is an artificially raised station from which a guard could conveniently signal to the occupiers of the settlement, and give warning of the approach of an enemy. This outlook station is not only close to Maiden Castle, but the great embankments of Poundbury, which are themselves hidden from Maiden Castle, may be seen from it in the distance, and it thus furnished a link between the two.
Every conceivable precaution for the welfare and protection of the community appears to have been most carefully considered and executed.
With a sympathetic understanding of primeval man’s needs, it is still easy to find the remains of his works. It is, however, a matter of extreme regret to find that, under the ravages of the burrowing rabbits, the great embankments are gradually crumbling away. {47}
The farmer’s plough is also as surely working destruction to these monuments of neolithic man. Year by year the plough shears off a foot or more from the base of the great tumuli, and it is sad to see these sepulchres being gradually levelled. The dew-ponds, too, are becoming filled up, and the plough in more than one case has been driven through these ancient water supplies. Soon they will be levelled out of recognition, and if these ravages are allowed to continue without hindrance it will be impossible even to trace their remains.
Not only are the great embankments being gradually allowed to crumble away by the inroads of thousands of rabbits, and the dew-ponds and tumuli levelled by the plough, but the chain of evidence is now, for many many acres at a stretch, already entirely obliterated. The defences and trenches are as entirely erased by the plough as though they had never existed.
To the unsympathetic eye these banks and trenches have no particular meaning, and are only regarded by the farmer as obstructions which are to be got rid of as soon as possible, to enable him to bring the land under cultivation.
In this utilitarian age it is perhaps useless for us to raise a protest; but we cannot resist doing so when we see the ploughshare cutting out these relics of man’s earliest works in our country. For thousands of years they have existed; and yet in the course of a few generations only the distorted remains of the gigantic {48} embankments will be visible, and it will be impossible to trace, as we have attempted at Maiden Castle and Poundbury Camp, the connection between them.
Maumbury Rings until but a few years ago had its comparatively small floor ploughed up, in order that a handful of corn might be raised upon the ground.
We have already pointed out that the great stone which formerly stood at the entrance of the Ring, and the shape and site of which would be of so much interest, has been removed and buried.
Perhaps there may have been centuries of labour expended in the construction of the great embankments around Maiden Castle. It is now impossible to gauge what height they may have reached; but those great chalk embankments, glaring in their whiteness where they crowned the Downs, must have been formidable fortresses against all possible foes.
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