THE QUARTERLY

JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

APRIL, 1870.

I. MEGALITHIC STRUCTURES OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS: THEIR HISTORY AND ANALOGUES.

By Lieut. S. P. OLIVER, Roy. Art., F.R.G.S.

THE Cromlechs in Jersey and Guernsey and adjacent islands. partake of the character of the French Dolmens and Grottes aux Fées, as well as the Gangrifter (gallery-tombs) of the Swedes, the Jettestuer (chambered tumuli) of the Danes, and the German Hünenbetten.

Our word "cromlech," however, is so often applied to such widely different structures, that there is no wonder if it sometimes misleads foreign archæologists. The cromlech of the English antiquarian is the same as the Welsh and English "quoit," such as Arthur's quoit or coetan, near Criccieth; Lanyon quoit, and Chun quoit and others in Cornwall; Stanton Drew "quoit," in Somersetshire; the Kitt's Koty or Coit, near Maidstone; and the Coit-y-enroc, in Guernsey. Now, we can quite understand what we mean when we use the word cromlech to be identical with all these; but the French archæologist, when he uses the word cromlech, is right only when he applies it to a circle of upright stones, like the Hurlers and the Nine Maidens in Cornwall; thus the bardic circles convey a very different meaning to the Dolmen, or Table of Stone (Dol a table, moen a stone), when used by our Gallic neighbours.

Professor Sven Nilsson defines the English cromlech as synonymous to the French Dolmen, the Scandinavian dös, and the dyss of Denmark, consisting of one large block of stone, supported by from three to five stones arranged in a ring, and intended to contain one corpse only, several of these dorsar being sometimes enclosed in circles of raised stones.

*

Following, however, the nomenclature given by the late Dr. Lukis, we cannot be far wrong in assigning the word cromlech to all elaborate megalithic structures of one or more chambers, in * Nilsson on 'The Stone Age,' pp. 159.

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which category the passage-graves may be included. Nilsson has clearly pointed out how the gallery or half-cross tombs are close imitations, if not actual adaptations, of the original dwelling-houses of the ancient Pre-Celtic Scandinavians, a people not dissimilar in their mode of life to the present Arctic nations of Esquimaux; also how these galleried-huts were but make-shifts in the plains for subterranean caves and grottoes in the mountain region from whence their race originally sprang.

As regards the cromlechs in the Channel Islands, their chief characteristics may be briefly stated as follows:

(1.) The large western chamber, composed of large, erect, and, at least on the inner side, flat slabs of granite,* from six to eight feet high, arranged in a circular or horse-shoe form, supporting an enormous capstone (the lower side of which is also flat), the largest stone in the whole structure. At the west extremity of this chamber is the largest of the erect slabs, a flat polygonal stone, as broad as it is high, the remaining uprights being generally less broad than they are high. This chamber is sometimes divided into smaller compartments or kists. A good example of these divisions is to be found in the cromlech at Mont Ubé, Jersey, from which, unhappily, the capstones have been removed many years since.

(2.) The covered gallery or passage leading to the great west chamber from the east. The stones forming this, both erect side blocks and granite imposts, being largest at the western end, and diminishing in height, size, and distance apart towards the eastern entrance. This avenue is sometimes so modified as to seem a mere prolongation of the west chamber, the capstones diminishing in regular order from the huge block at the west to the small one at the east, so that the whole structure is bottle-shaped. The gallery is frequently divided by stone partitions, and there are indications of thresholds where doors may have existed.†

(3.) The addition of kists outside the main structure, of a later period; notably conspicuous in the cromlech Dé-hus.

(4.) The structure surrounded with a stone circle, the centre of this circle generally in the western chamber; the circles are of the same dimensions throughout the islands, viz. 60 feet. From this circle or peristalith in some cases are traces of serpentine avenues or approaches, probably indicating similar forms to those of Abury. These avenues are seen best at L'Ancresse. At the Pocquelaye Cromlech there are remains of a double stone wall encircling the structure; between these are four small uprights, which seem as though they had formed a portion of a peristalith. The peristalith of the Couperon Cromlech is oval.

*Except the Couperon Cromlech, Jersey, which is built of local conglomerate. Compare Sir John Lubbock's 'Description of the Danish Tumulus in the Island of Moen,' p. 105 'Pre-historic Times.'

See view in Illustrated London News,' January 15th, 1870.

(5.) All the cromlechs were formerly covered with a tumulus of earth; these remain in many instances, at Creux des Fées and Du Thus, but a large proportion have been denuded of their earthmound either by accident or design, as L'Ancresse, Le Trepied, Mont Ubé, Le Couperon, the Pocquelaye, &c.

These are the chief external characteristics of these stone structures; when we examine their interiors we find the following noteworthy points:

(1.) Thick layers of limpet shells, forming a hard concrete, through which a pick-axe is forced with difficulty. The solitary exception to this general find is the cromlech of Ville Nouaux, in Jersey, where no limpet shells were found when explored in May, 1869, by the author.

(2.) A vast quantity of human bones, with bones of animals, showing that the structure was used as a catacomb, and that interments had been made for a long period. Pavements of flat seaworn pebbles, over successive layers of interments, point to the same conclusion. No bones, however, were found at Ville Nouaux. (3.) The presence of rude pottery and stone implements, and absence of bronze or iron.

(4.) The position of skeletons indicates that they were buried in a sitting posture, similar to those found in the Scandinavian tumuli.

(5.) Absence of any attempt at ornamentation of the stones similar to the engraved rocks of Gavr'Inis. Exception, the cupmarkings on the Kistvacn, in centre of L'Ancresse Common.

One curious characteristic of these monuments may be noticed more in Guernsey than in Jersey, viz. that the majority of these structures are within sight of one another. Undoubtedly, in primeval times, such monuments were in existence on every headland round the coast; and it is possible that signal fires may have been used in connection with them. Most of these characteristic features are exhibited in the large cromlech on L'Ancresse Common, which stands on an eminence, called by the inhabitants of the Clos du Valle, Mont St. Michel, whilst the structure itself they call L'Autel des Vardes. Two photoxylographs are given of this interesting structure from different points of view (see Plate I., Figs. 1 and 2); but although the huge capstones are well shown, and the gradual diminishing of their size towards the east, still no outside view can convey any idea of the size of the chamber and passage beneath, in consequence of the sand and soil being so heaped up around the outside of the structure, that only the tops of the side props are visible. However, at the west end one may stand upright beneath the largest capstone; and when the soil was removed from the floor during the exploration of this cromlech by Mr. Lukis and his sons, the height of the western chamber was

eight feet. The westernmost upright block is almost identical in size and shape with those blocks occupying similar positions in the cromlechs of the Creux des Fées, Mont Ubé, and the Pocquelaye.

On the north side of the L'Ancresse Cromlech, under the largest capstone, an evident disturbance of the pristine condition of the structure has taken place, one of the side blocks having been pushed outwards apparently, and smaller stones added, so as to form a supplementary kist, in which human remains were found, indicating a secondary interment. It would take up too much space to detail the relics found at the excavation of this structure; it is sufficient to mention that they were all attributable to the Stone age, and have been fully described by Mr. Lukis in the Archæologia, and by Messrs. Worsaæ and Thoms.

Divergent from the partially-destroyed circle which surrounds. the cromlech are two paved causeways, leading in a winding track to the N.W. and N.E. Lines of Menhirs must probably have been associated with them. We cannot help noticing the similarity of some causeways observed by Capt. Parry in the Calthorp Islands in 1822, in connection with some deserted Esquimaux stone galleriedhuts, amongst which human skulls, lapis-ollaris lamps, and glass beads, were lying about "as usual."

Leading from the huts towards the highest part of the island was a curious path made by the natives, two feet in width, and formed by removing the stones in places where they were naturally abundant, and where the ground was bare, by placing two regular and parallel rows at that distance apart. The only conjecture we could form respecting the use of this artificial road was that it might be intended for a deer path (those animals preferring a regular or beaten track to any other), by which means the Esquimaux might perhaps kill them from their usual ambush of

stones.'

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From the hill on which the great cromlech of L'Ancresse stands, other megalithic structures can be seen; for instance, in an eastern direction, and near the foot of the hill, are various blocks of stone, the relics of a cromlech, known from its position by a marshy pond as La Mare aux mauves, not far from which again is a portion of a stone circle, and some stone graves of the Bronze period. In the centre of the common is an interesting Kistvaen, consisting of a large oddly-shaped capstone (probably only a portion of the original stone), supported on several props. On one of these blocks are some barely-distinguishable cup-markings;† whether

* Vide Parry's 'Second Voyage,' p. 285.

+ Since writing the above, the author has again examined those cup-markings, which, now that the lichens have been cleared out of them, present evident signs of artificial handiwork. They are nine in number, at the side and top edges of the N.E. prop.-S. P. O., February 4, 1870.