90 THE KIMlIERroGE COAL MONET. 



here found, five feet from the surface, buried in a similar man- 

 ner to the body found at Worbarrow cliff, between flag stones 

 set edgeways, supporting incumbent ones. Near this body were 

 found a lai'ge deer horn, and an iron implement. On proceeding 

 in this barrow, I found a cist at the depth of twelve feet from 

 the surface, situated on a bed of ashes, and enclosed by a wall 

 on its northern and its southern side. The stones were placed 

 in a quantity of clay, and in this cist I found only ashes and 

 snail shells. A large flag-stone formed the bottom, and a flag- 

 stone partly covered it. Beneath this cist, the ashes still 

 continued, but no snail shells : above it were laid some human 

 remains, the skull of the subject ehowing it to be that of a young 

 person. On removing the floor of clay which ran westward of 

 the cist, about eighteen inches thick, I found beneath it another 

 cist, formed of slabs of Kinuneridge slate ; it was a parallello- 

 gram, but contained only coal ashes. From its north-west angle, 

 ran a division slab in the direction of north-east, and to north- 

 ward of it the soU was composed of coal ashes, burnt to a red 

 colour. In another shaft, at the depth of twenty feet, I found 

 a piece of Coal Money." 



With these statements before us, then, we may attribute the 

 origin of the * Coal Money ^^ to the Romans ; and proceed to 

 investigate its local history. 



Hitherto, these curious relics have been supposed to occur 

 only in two localities which are open to the sea, known as Kim- 

 meridge, and Worbarrow bays. There are, however, several 

 others, at which they are suflSciently abundant to lead to the 

 conclusion of the existence of manufactories, as at Eope Lake, 

 and at Povington, which is situated on the north side of the 

 chalk range. Near Freshwater steps is another locality, where 

 they are also associated with Roman pottery. A considerable 

 quantity were discovered at Encombe, in the year 1850. And 

 in the vale below Kingston they are by no means unfrequent. 

 I have obtained from the labourers employed in draining in that 

 neighbourhood, specimens of both Coal Money, and beads. ( pi. 

 xi, figs. 2 & 3.) At Kimmeridge they occur mostly at about 

 eighteen inches beneath the surface. Upon one occasion, Lieut. 

 Smith found upwards of six hundred specimens packed carefully 

 together. It seems that they are most abundant at Mether hill, 

 which is situated between the Preventive station and the Village. 



