ON THE BRITISH ANTIQUITIES OF WARWICKSHIRE. 191 



At Kings Newnham three sepulchral urns were discovered, about 

 twenty years since, in a circular cist, or shallow well, steined with 

 limestone ; two of these were broken to pieces in the removal, the 

 third was fortunately preserved entire.* 



A sepulchral urn, of the Roman era, was accidentally dug up, 

 about three years ago, at the distance of half a mile from the camp 

 at Brinklow, by some labourers employed in getting gravel. This 

 was ornamented, and, from the circumstance of a large glass bead 

 being found near it, which was afterwards unfortunately lost, I am 

 inclined to think that this contained a Roman-British interment. 



But the best illustration in this county of the mode adopted by 

 the Romans in their funeral rites, has been afforded by an undoubt- 

 ed Roman burial place disclosed to view within the last two years, 

 by the side of the Wattling-street, close to Cave's inn, on the eastern 

 border of this county ; it was accidentally laid open in excavating 

 for gravel to repair the road, and a vast number of interments have 

 been discovered at this place, lying within two or three feet of the 

 surface ; but very few of them by cremation, or where the body was 

 burnt, have hitherto been found. A very large sepulchral urn is 

 the only one that has yet been discovered ; with the other remains, 

 however, a vast quantity of broken pottery has been dug up, consist- 

 ing of fragments of cups and bowls, paterae, or shallow saucers, and 

 portions of the prscfericula, or pitchers with a narrow neck and 

 mouth, used for the purpose of pouring the funeral libation into the 

 patera, and pieces of the celebrated red glazed samian, or coraline 

 ware, some of them ornamentally embossed. No weapons of war- 

 fare were found, for the Romans, differing, in this respect, from 

 the Britons, did not bury arms with their dead ; nor were any or- 

 naments discovered, with the exception of one Roman fibula, or 

 brooch, and a stylus, for the Romans were not accustomed, as a ge- 

 neral practice, to inter the dead in their ornamental attire. One 

 coin, a silver denarius of Nerva, was found, which, if it may be 

 taken as a criterion of date, shews this burial place to have been 

 early used by the Romans. A piece of flat Roman glass, of a green- 

 ish hue, with a round edge, and a coarse grained surface, a bone 

 counter, and a circular perforated stone, attached to the fragment 

 of a large brass ring, were also picked out of the soil ; articles simi- 

 lar to these have been found on the sites of Roman stations, and 

 fragments of glass resembling the one here noticed have been found 

 amongst the ruins of Silchester, and in a Roman villa at Ridgwell, 

 in Essex. 



* Now in the possession of John Caldecott, Esq., of Holbrook Grange. 



