Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/419

CROMLECH AT DUEWSTEIONTON, DEVON. 347 sliglitly to the east, and the position of the quoit resting against the bevillcd side of the top of the third caused it to act as a wedge ; the soil under the Cromlech is of li<j;ht granite gravel, and this had been saturated by the winter rains, and the field was in the course of being broken up for a wheat crop, so that the adjoining ground furnished very little lateral support ; the wedge-hke action of the quoit therefore pressed back the northerly stone, and the quoit, assisted by the sloping position of the two other stones, threw them out of position ; the southern was partly broken, and the eastern lifted out of the ground ; by natural causes, therefore, and not by wilful mischief, 1 think the fall was caused. The restoration was made by the direction of the late ^[rs. Bragg of Furlong, the owner of the estate, at the cost of twenty pounds, under the superintendence of the Rev. William Ponsford, the rector of the j)arish ; the persons employed were John Ball, a carpenter, and William Stone, a builder, both living at Chagford. Previous to the fall I had taken with the camera lucida sketches of the Cromlech and these were used at the restoration, but were not followed exactly, as the eastern stone has been put up nearly at right angles with the position it formerly occupied, and the quoit, instead of laying against the northern stone, rests in a notch cut in the bevilled top. On account of the position in which the quoit had fallen the restoration was difficult ; a stronf*- framework was erected over the stone to carry the pulleys, the quoit was laid on two horizontal beams, one end of each of these rested on a pile of stones which was increased in height after each lift had taken place ; to the other end a chain connected with a powerful crab was attached, and a screw jack was placed below ; by this means the stone w^is gradually raised, and, to prevent accident, after each lift it was secured by the insertion of blocks. When raised to a proper height the stone uprights were put in position, and the (pioit was lowered upon them. In the course of restoration the ground on which the Cromlech had stood was excavated, and a pavement of large blocks of granite was made i-ound the uprights, fixing them lirndy in their places, and to make them more secure a hole was cut through each of the uprights, in which a thick bar of iron was placed resting horizojitally on tiie granite pavement.