Old England: A Pictorial Museum (page 3/48)

57.—Ancient British Canoes.

“Some of the Roman writers might lead us to believe that the Britons had boats capable of distant navigation; but this is doubted by most careful inquirers. But the light boats which were peculiar to the island were certainly of a construction well suited to their objects; for Cæsa, in his History of the Civil War, tells us that he had learnt their [...]Arun, in the village of North Stoke, Sussex (Fig. 57). In draining the Martine Mere, or Marton Lake, in Lancashire, eight canoes, each formed of a single tree, were found sunk deep in the mud and sand.” (p. 22) [more...]

1.—Ground Plan of Stonehenge in its present state.

This plan of Stonehenge is, of course, from 1845 or earlier. [more...]

2.—Stonehenge. – Restored Plan.

Dr. Stukely’s drawing; the shaded stones were the ones remaining in the early 1840s when this plan was prepared. [more...]

58.—British Coracles.

“The primitive inhabitants of all sea-girt countries are fishermen. It is impossible not to believe that the people of Britain, having at their command the treasures of wide æstuaries and deep rivers, were fishermen to a large extent. The Britons must always have [...]Severn and the Wye have still their coracles—little boats so peculiar in their construction that we may readily conceive them to belong to a remote antiquity. Gibson, the translator and best editor of Camden, has described these boats upon the Severn: [more...]

3.—Stonehenge. – Perspective Elevation, restored.

“The external appearance which the whole work would have if restored, is shown in the perspective elevation. (Fig. 3.)” (p. 3)

4.—Stonehenge: section 1 to 2 (Restored Plan, Fig. 2), 105 feet.

“The internal arrangment is exhibited in the section.” (p. 3)

65.—Shield in the British Museum.

“It is equally difficult to determine the date of those valuable relics which have been found in various places, exhibiting a taste for symmetry and nice workmanship in the fabrication of their weapons, offensive and defensive, and the ruder decorations of their persons. Such are the [...]Flintshire, now in the British Museum (Fig. 64). Such are the shields (Figs. 65, 66, 67), of one of which (Fig. 67) Sir Samuel Meyrick, its possessor, says, “It is impossible to contemplate the artistic portions without feeling convinced that there is a mixture of British ornaments with such resemblances to the elegant designs on Roman works as would be produced by a people in a state of less civilization.” (p. 22) [more...]