Stonehenge (Sax. Stanhew/ist, haiif/int] stones), a very remarkable structure, composed of large artificial- ly raised monoliths, situated on Salisl)ury Plain, two miles from Amcslmry, in Wiltshire. Its neighborhood abounds in sepulchral tumuli, in many of which an- cient British remains have been found. The fabric of Stonehenge was comparatively entire in the early part of this century, but it is now very much defaced. When entire, it consisted of two concentric circles, enclosing two ellipses, the whole surrounded by a double mound and ditch circular in form. Outside of the boundary was a single upright stone, and the approach was by an aveiuie from tlie north-east, boinided on each side by a mound or ditch. The outer circle consisted of thirty blocks of sandstone, fixed upright at intervals of three and a half feet, and connected at the top by a continu-
STONEHOUSE
1046
STONES
oufl series of imposts, sixteen feet from the ground. The blocks were all square anil roii;;li-liewn, dovetailci to each other, ami fitted, by mortise-holes in their under- sides, to knolis in the uprights. About nine feet within this peristyle was the inner circle, composed of thirty unhewn granite pillars, from live to six feet in height. The grandest jiart of Stonehenge was the ellipse inside the circle, formed of ten or twelve bhicks of sandstone, from sixteen to twenty-two feet in height, arranged in pairs, each pair sejjarate, and furnished with an impost, »> as to form live or six trilithons. Within these tril- ithons was the inner ellipse, composed of nineteen up- rights of granite, similar in size to those of the inner circle; and in the cell thus formed was the so-called al- tar, a large slab of blue marble. There has been much speculation regarding the origin and pur|)ose of Stone- henge. which are still involved in much obscurity. In modern times the most prevalent opinion has been that, in ciiuimon with other similar structures elsewhere, it was a temi)le for Druidical worship; but this belief has been somewhat shaken by the discovery of the sepul- chral character of many other moiunnents which had been also presumed to be Druidical. The circular form has also suggested the idea of a connection with the ^vor^hip of the sun : and .Stonehenge may possibh' have been used for the religious rites of various successive races and creeds; and also as a court of justice or bat- tle-ring for judicial combats. — Chambers's Enajdop. s. v.
Stonehouse, JAMiis, Sir, an English baronet and clergyman, was born near Abingtion, IJerkshire, July 20, 1711). He succeeded to the title of baronet late in life, by the death of his relative, Sir James .Stonehouse. Ed- ucated at \\'inchester School, he entered St. John's Col- lege. Oxford, where he took his master's degree in 1739, and his degrees in medicine 174"2 and 1745. After sev- eral more years devoted to the study of medicine at home and abroad, he settled in Northampton, where he had a very extensive practice. After practicing for twenty years, he left his profession, with the purpose of entering the ministrj'. He wasordained deacon and priest in two successive weeks, by special favor of the bishop of Hereford ; and in 17G4 was presented to the living of Little Cheverell, and in 1779 to that of Great Cheverell. He ilied at Bristol- Wei Ls, Dec. «, 171)5. Having im- bibed infidel notions from Dr. Nichols, one of his instruct- ors, he wrote a keen jiamphlet against revealed religion, the third edition of which, however, he burned. Great- ly regretting his former acts of opposition, he devoted himself to his work as minister, and also wrote several tracts: Considenitions on Sojne Particukir Sins, and on the Means of Doing Good Bodily and Spiritually : — St. Paul's Kxhortalion and Motive to Support the Weak or Sick Poor: — .1 Slun-t Explanation of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, etc. -.—Hints to a Curate for the Man- af/eiiinit of a Parish :—A Serious A ddress to the I'arish- ioners if Great Cheverell. See Chalmers, Biog. Diet. s. v.
Stones, Cut, Hkwn, or Squaked. See Mason.
STONES, I'i{iicioi;s. The reader is referred to the separate articles, such as A(jatk, Cakhi'Nci.k, Saijdo- Nvx, etc., for such information as it has been possible to obtain on the various gems inenlinned in the IJible. The identification of many of the Hebrew names of pri'ciouH stones is a task of considerable difhculty. Sometimes we have no further clue to aid us in the de- termination of a name than the mere derivation of the wont, which derivation is always too vague to be of any service, as it merely expresses some (piality often common to many preciniiH stones. As far. however, as rcKiirds the stones of the high-|)riesi's breastplate, it niUHi i>e rememliered that the authority of .Iose|)hus, who had frequent opportunities of seeing it worn, is preferable to any other. The Vnlg. agrees with his n(.m<Milatnre, and in Jerome's time the lireastplate was Mill to he inspected in the Temple of Concord ; hence tliis aureeineMt of the two is of great weight. The Sept., Vulg., and Josephus are all agreed as to the
names of the stones; there is, however, some little dif- ference as to their relative positions in the breastplate; thus the 'laaniQ, w'hich, according to Josephus, occu- pies the second place in the third row, is by the Sept. and Vulg. put in the third place. A similar transpo- sition occurs with respect to the af.ii^vaT0Q and the axt'iTijt; in the third row. The modern Arabic names of the more usual gems, which have probably remained fixed the last two thousand years, alTurd us also some approximations to the Hebrew nomenclature; still, as intimated above, there is much that can onlj"^ be regarded as conjecture in atteujpts at identification. Precious stones are fretiuently alluded to in the Holy Scriptures; they were known and very highly valued in the earliest times. The onyx stone, fine specimens of which are still of great value, is expressly mentioned by Moses as being found in the land of Havilah. The sard and sardonyx, the amethyst or rose-quartz, with many agates and other varieties of quartz, were doubt- less the best known and most readily procured. "Onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones and of di- vers colors, and all manner of precious stones," were among the articles collected by David for the Temple (1 Chron. xxix, 2). The Tyrians traded in precious stones supplied by Sj'ria (Ezek. xxvii, IG), and the robes of their king were covered with the most brilliant gems. The merchants of Sheba and Kaamah in South Arabia, and doubtless India and Ceylon, sujiplied the markets of Tyre with various precious stones.