LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| FIG. | | PAGE |
| [1.] | [Roman altar, St Swithin’s, Lincoln. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [6] |
| [2.] | [Roman tesserae, St Saviour’s Cathedral, Southwark. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [8] |
| [3.] | [Interior of Brixworth church, Northampton. (Phot. Mr O. F. Bailey)] | [10] |
| [4.] | [Ruins of Knowlton church, Dorset. (From Warne’s Ancient Dorset, by permission)] | [14] |
| [5.] | [Pharos, Dover Castle. (Bloxam’s Gothic Eccles. Architecture)] | [19] |
| [6.] | [Ancient foundations at Lyminge church, Kent. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [21] |
| [7.] | [Portion of wall, St Martin’s church, Canterbury. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [22] |
| [8.] | [The Agglestone, Studland, Dorset. (Phot. Mr W. C. Walker)] | [35] |
| [9.] | [Ruins of Maplescombe church, Kent. (Phot. Mr E. W. Filkins)] | [39] |
| [10.] | [Sketch plan of Maplescombe ruins. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [39] |
| [11.] | [Rudstone church and monolith. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [44] |
| [12.] | [The Cove, Stanton Drew, Somerset. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [47] |
| [13.] | [Corfe Castle, as it appeared in 1643. (Phot. from an old print, Mr W. Wiseman, Corfe Castle)] | [53] |
| [14.] | [Ruins of Corfe Castle. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [53] |
| [15.] | [The Mount, Great Canfield, Essex. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [54] |
| [16.] | [Chapel, Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [58] |
| [17.] | [Pirton church and Toot Hill, Hertfordshire, from the South-East. (Phot. Messrs Thomas B. Latchmore and Son, Hitchin)] | [60] |
| [18.] | [Pirton church and Toot Hill, Hertfordshire, from the South-West. (Phot. Messrs Thomas B. Latchmore and Son, Hitchin)] | [61] |
| [19.] | [Toot Hill, Little Coates, Lincolnshire. (Phot. the Grimsby Telegraph Company)] | [72] |
| [20.] | [Mound, Berwick churchyard, Sussex. (Phot. Mrs W. Johnson)] | [75] |
| [21.] | [Chislehurst church and mound, as it appeared c. A.D. 1800. (From D. Lyson’s Environs of London, 1795-1800)] | [77] |
| [22.] | [Urns, found near Alphamstone church, Essex. (By the courtesy of the Rev. Percival Saben, M.A.)] | [85] |
| [23.] | [Tower of Bishopstone church, Sussex. (Phot. Mrs W. Johnson)] | [102] |
| [24.] | [Tower of Scartho church, Lincolnshire. (Phot. the Grimsby Telegraph Company)] | [109] |
| [25.] | [Oystermouth church, Glamorganshire. (From Archaeologia Cambrensis, N.S. I. 1850)] | [112] |
| [26.] | [Gumfreston church, Pembrokeshire. (Miss Nora Mansell)] | [114] |
| [27.] | [Corner tower, Nunney Castle, Somerset. (Phot. Mr W. C. Walker)] | [116] |
| [28.] | [Round tower, Devenish, Fermanagh. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [119] |
| [29.] | [Rushmere church, Suffolk. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [124] |
| [30.] | [Tower of Piddinghoe church, Sussex. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [125] |
| [31.] | [East Dean church, Sussex. (Phot. Mrs W. Johnson)] | [126] |
| [32.] | [St Aldhelm’s chapel, St Alban’s Head, Dorset. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [128] |
| [33.] | [Cheriton church, Kent. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [129] |
| [34.] | [St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [130] |
| [35.] | [Distant view of St Martha’s chapel, near Guildford. (Phot. Mr Douglas Leighton)] | [132] |
| [36.] | [Squint, Leatherhead church, Surrey. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [152] |
| [37.] | [Porch of Wotton church, Surrey. (Phot. Mr G. W. Young, F.G.S.)] | [153] |
| [38.] | [Dial stone, Bishopstone church, Sussex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [163] |
| [39.] | [Enlargement of Bishopstone dial. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [164] |
| [40.] | [Parish stocks, Shalford, Surrey. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [166] |
| [41.] | [Church chest and dog tongs, Llanelian, Denbigh. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [169] |
| [42.] | [Church chest, Rainham, Essex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [169] |
| [43.] | [Fourteenth century barn, Bradford-on-Avon. (Phot. Mr W. C. Walker)] | [171] |
| [44.] | [Interior of barn, Bradford-on-Avon. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [172] |
| [45.] | [Mediaeval Clergy House, Alfriston, Sussex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [176] |
| [46.] | [Mediaeval Parsonage House, West Dean, Sussex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [177] |
| [47.] | [Church House, or Guild Hall, Lincoln. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [178] |
| [48.] | [Morris dancers (Strutt’s Book of Sports). (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [184] |
| [49.] | [Dovecot, Berwick Court, Sussex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [189] |
| [50.] | [“Canute’s knee-bone,” Canewdon church, Essex. (Watford Engraving Company)] | [200] |
| [51.] | [Tyndall’s grave in Haslemere churchyard, Surrey. (Phot. Miss Truda Hutchinson)] | [265] |
| [52.] | [Round barrow, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. (Phot. Mr Llewellyn Treacher, F.G.S.)] | [266] |
| [53.] | [Inscribed cross, Sancreed, Cornwall. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [269] |
| [54.] | [Mediaeval stone coffins. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [272] |
| [55.] | [Roman and Bronze Age coffins. (From T. Wright’s The Celt, the Roman and the Saxon.) (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [273] |
| [56.] | [Roman coffin of lead. (T. Wright)] | [273] |
| [57.] | [Grave celt, Puy-de-Dôme. (Phot. Mr J. G. V. Dawson)] | [298] |
| [58.] | [Necklaces found in British barrows. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [300] |
| [59.] | [Skeletons of woman and child, Dunstable Downs. (By the kind permission of Mr Worthington G. Smith, F.L.S.)] | [304] |
| [60.] | [Fossil sponges (Porosphaera) artificially modified for the purpose of suspension. (By the kind permission of Mr Worthington G. Smith, F.L.S.)] | [306] |
| [61.] | [The contents of a Roman sepulchral chest. (From T. Wright’s The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon)] | [314] |
| [62.] | [Churchyard cross, Bakewell, Derbyshire. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [329] |
| [63.] | [Capitals, Seaford church, Sussex. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [330] |
| [64.] | [Low side window, Tatsfield church, Surrey. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [331] |
| [65.] | [Devil’s Door, Worth church, Sussex. (Phot. Mr Edward Yates)] | [332] |
| [66.] | [Gateway, St Stephen’s, Coleman Street, London. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [336] |
| [67.] | [Norham churchyard, Northumberland. (Phot. Mr Alexander Barbour)] | [345] |
| [68.] | [Woldingham church, Surrey, as it appeared in A.D. 1809. (Manning and Bray, Hist. and Antiq. of Surrey)] | [356] |
| [69.] | [Transverse section of yew. (Phot. Mr J. G. V. Dawson)] | [366] |
| [70.] | [Vertical tangential section of yew. (Phot. Mr J. G. V. Dawson)] | [367] |
| [71.] | [Yew, Tandridge churchyard, Surrey. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [370] |
| [72.] | [Yew, Crowhurst churchyard, Surrey. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [378] |
| [73.] | [Yew, Chipstead churchyard, Surrey. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [379] |
| [74.] | [Yew, Mells churchyard, Somerset. (Phot. Mr W. C. Walker)] | [380] |
| [75.] | [Yew, Hambledon churchyard, Surrey. (Phot. Mr W. Plomer Young)] | [381] |
| [76.] | [Shooting birds with the cross-bow. (Strutt’s Book of Sports)] | [386] |
| [77.] | [Shooting at the butts with the cross-bow. (Book of Sports)] | [386] |
| [78.] | [Saxon bow and arrow. (Book of Sports)] | [387] |
| [79.] | [Saxon archers with long-bows. (Book of Sports)] | [388] |
| [80.] | [The ancestry of the horse. (By the courtesy of Professor R. S. Lull)] | [410] |
| [81.] | [Cave man’s drawings of the horse. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [412] |
| [82.] | [Prejevalski’s horse, Zoological Gardens, London. (Phot. Mr J. G. V. Dawson)] | [413] |
| [83.] | [Ancient horseshoes. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [425] |
| [84.] | [Round horseshoe, Ford, Northumberland. Lower surface. (Phot. Mrs W. Johnson, from a specimen kindly lent by the Rev. Hastings M. Neville, B.A.)] | [427] |
| [85.] | [Round horseshoe. Upper surface. (Phot. Mrs W. Johnson)] | [427] |
| [86.] | [Hippo-sandal, Darenth, Kent. (Phot. Mr E. C. Youens, Dartford)] | [429] |
| [87.] | [Capturing the White Horse. (Phot. from painting by Mr Frank Cowley)] | [435] |
| [88.] | [Acoustic jars. (By the courtesy of the British Archaeological Association)] | [450] |
| [89.] | [Ploughing in the eleventh century. (Anglo-Saxon Calendar, after Strutt)] | [459] |
| [90.] | [Sussex oxen, turning the headland. (Phot. Mr James Cheetham, Lewes)] | [460] |
| [91.] | [Ploughing on the Sussex Downs: a team of four. (Phot. Mr James Cheetham, Lewes)] | [461] |
| [92.] | [Ox-yoke, Sussex. (By the kind permission of Dr W. Heneage Legge and Messrs George Allen and Sons)] | [462] |
| [93.] | [Ox-yoke, Gayton-le-Wold, Lincolnshire. (Mr Sydney Harrowing, from a sketch kindly prepared by Mr C. G. Carter, Louth)] | [462] |
| [94.] | [Old plough and horse-rake, Sussex. (Phot. Mr James Cheetham, Lewes)] | [463] |
| [95.] | [Roman and Saxon ploughmen. After Wright and Strutt. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [464] |
| [96.] | [Ox-shoes and nail. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [469] |
| [97.] | [Skulls of British oxen. (Mr Sydney Harrowing)] | [476] |
| [98.] | [Chartley bull, Zoological Gardens, London. (Phot. Mr J. G. V. Dawson)] | [478] |
| [99.] | [Highland cattle. (Phot. Mr P. McIntyre, F.G.S.)] | [480] |
ERRATUM
Page 399, line 21. For taxa read taxo.
CHAPTER I
CHURCHES ON PAGAN SITES
Many years ago, the commanding position which the village church frequently occupies forced itself upon the attention of the writer. As will be shown hereafter, the builders, for some cogent reason, which may yet be determined, chose a spot having considerable natural advantages with respect to strength and security, and there they erected their temple. These geographical observations would not alone have been sufficient to evoke a general theory, had not other facts gradually come into view. One of these facts was the frequent association of the church with earthworks, tumuli, and similar relics of antiquity, and it was this conjunction which raised the inquiry whether the relative positions could, in all cases, be merely accidental. A closer and more prolonged study, involving much personal investigation, together with a review of many isolated fragments of archaeological literature, led to the conclusion, almost irrefutable, as it now appears, that many of our churches stand on pagan sites. A secondary deduction from the observed facts was the probability that, in some cases, there has been almost continuous site-occupancy since the first Christian church was reared.
During the inspection, numbers of records, based on imperfect knowledge or on speculations of the earlier antiquaries, have had to be discarded; in other instances the test has been successfully borne. The presentation of the evidence, with its length of detail, may be somewhat wearisome to the reader, who may, however, console himself with the thought that he has escaped at least a moiety of the mass which has been winnowed. Furthermore, one may recall the truth set forth by Professor E. B. Tylor when apologizing for wealth of detail in stating a case: “The English mind, not readily swayed by rhetoric, moves freely under the pressure of facts[1].” One may, for a moment, arouse interest by a new hypothesis, but it is only by the accumulation of facts that public opinion is perceptibly influenced in the end.
Viewed strictly, every Christian church was originally built on a pagan site, but we will limit the meaning of the adjective so that it shall apply to those churches which were erected, not on virgin soil, but on some spot once devoted to heathen worship, whether beneath a roof or under the open sky. This definition would narrow the scope of the inquiry; nevertheless, to arrive at a clear decision we shall have to survey the whole question from pre-Roman times onward.