The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-06-19 00:00:00

PORTESHAIL

CONTEMPLATCD RESTORATION Or THE CROMLRCH.
—On Monday week a party of gentlemen from Weymouth
•isited Port. sham for the purpose of inspecting the
Hellstone, and to decide on the beat means of carrying
out Its reatoration. From the want of machinery there
appears some difficulty to be anticipated in raising the
top stone to its former paritlon, an its weight is
.calcu-
lated to be 16 tons.° but with the engineering skill and
mulern appliances which are to be employed, the plan
will no doubt succeed. Hutchins &seethes It thus :
" North of Porteaham are three hills, Rocklcy, Ridge,
szil Hampton, lying intradlel to each other, north and
south, and divined by three valea. They are "Tura
.or
escreownses, of BlagdOn or Rubdown hill, Which hes
about half • mile to the north. On Ridge hill, the
miidlemost of the three, is • Cromlech, the only one in
this county. The common people call it H. Ilstone, and
have • tradition, that the devil flung it from Portland
pike, • borth tout of that island full in view, as he
was diverting hitr!elf at q_uoits. There are many vast
stones in this kingdom, called by the same name from
the Baton word '' Hellen," to cover or unual whence
our word Hillier for • tiler. The Hebrew word
"Sheol," and the Greek "Hades," the grave, answ•re
to this derivation, it being the common covering, or
concealment, of the race of mankind. Thin Cromlech
consists of nine upright stone-, or supporteni, about
II re f. et broad, and at. high above grouod, and •
horizontal cue which is oral ; it. long diameter 10fr. 6in.;
Its short one sit feet, and it in about two feet thick at
the north and south tads, and lit. Bin, at the ea.t and
west ends. Theo' suoporters are not of equal length ;
the higlie•t are on the south, so that it mow have dipped
towards the north. They are now (1774) almost all
thrown down on the south, and it leans only on one it
the north, which wee done by the shepherds to shelter
themselves from the weather, from the south-west
quarter, for which purpose they have dug a hole under
it. Its origin-1 position was from nortlowest to sooth•
east. All these stones are rough as drawn front the
quarry, except the under part of the horizontal one,
which seems roughly chiseled. This monument stands
on • tumulus, end on the north-west is a terrace or
avenue, 66 feet long. leading to it, three feet broad at
one end, and 11.1 feet it the other. To the east is a
scull barrow, but no other nearer than the top of Blag-
don." Mr. Mufield having conducted the party to the
spot, • thorough investigation was nude of the locality,
and several intoogrsphs of the Cromlech taken, hit
owing to the wind the ladies who were present could
not be taken with the group interested and actively
•ngaged in the restoration. After the plans for future
proceedings had been decided, and the proper parties
wi.ntred to carry out the ohj et, the promoters adjourntol
to Porteehau. House, where • cold c Ilatiou was pro-
videJ, and • very agreeable evening spent. A photo-
graph of the company assembltrt at the Cromlech, to
*limb an addr,st was appended by Martin F. Tupper, :
liaq , the celebrated •uthor of "Proverbial Philosophy,'
the principal promoter of the scheme, was mounted to i
the owner of the Cromlech.