341 



the soil, and the number of Roman coins and pieces of pottery that have been 

 turned up by the plough fully bear out the tradition. 



The Rev. Jonathan Williams, in a book (Leominster Guide), published in 

 1808, says (page 337) : — " About a mile and a half from Eaton on the Bromyard 

 road is a spacious tract of land, formerly common but now enclosed, called Black- 

 caer-dun, on which, as tradition reports, formerly stood a populous and flourishing 

 town ; and some attestations, more solid and important than a vague report, can 

 be adduced in favour of the tradition. Several Roman coins of Romulus and 

 Remus suckled by a wolf, of Augustus, Caesar,* Trajan, Constantine, &c., cast in 

 silver, copper, and gold ; numerous pieces of pottery, bones of men and animals, 

 and numberless other relics have been found upon the spot ; its soil is of a much 

 darker hue than that of which the adjoining fields are composed, and justifies the 

 epithet black." Mr. Williams supposes that he has found the derivation of the 

 word of Blackwardine in Black- caer-dun. Probably no one now does. 



The Leominster and Bromyard Railway was carried through Blackwardine in 

 1881. In the cutting made a large number of Roman remains were discovered, 

 though, as no one acquainted with such things was present at the time, most of 

 them have been destroyed or taken out of the neighbourhood, and the informa- 

 tion which might have been gained, from the way or position in which they were 

 found, hopelessly lost. Men who were at work in this cutting reported that a 

 "navvy," who had then left the district, found a gold bracelet and ring — that a 

 great many human bodies were discovered buried— and quantities of coins, which 

 the finders sold to anyone who would buy them. A considerable purchaser was 

 a gentleman who wanted some to take back with him to New Zealand ! 



It was said that the skeletons found were all buried doubled up in a sitting 

 posture at different distances from the surface — one grave was as much as thirteen 

 feet below the present face of the ground, but most were much less. Mr. Wadeley, 

 grocer. Stoke Prior, who was present at some of the disinterments has since told 

 me that this was not so. 



On enquiring how and where the coins were mainly found, a workman replied 

 that when they came to a skull they began to look out for coins, and they usually 

 found them when they had dug down to the place where the man's pocket would 

 be (a navvy's idea of money being intimately associated with his breeches pocket.) 



A hypocaust, or kiln, was found (described as "like about 30 ovens, full of 

 ashes") built of worked stones, which were broken up and used in a drain 

 beside the railway, or "tipped up " on the embankment below. 



The workmen met with quantities of coarse red and yellow ware ; also some 

 of blue and black colour, and a little fine red Samian ; several querns, or hand- 

 millstones, numerous bones, and cartloads of oyster-shells. 



*With reference to the coins found of "Augustus, Caesar," we are of opinion that this is .-i 

 mistake on the part of either Mr. Williams or of his informant. Coins of Julius Ceesar and of 

 Augustus are very rare in England, but searchers who read .AUG or CAES on a coin, often put 

 it down to Augustus or to Ceesar, of course wrongly. After Diocletian's reforms (A. D. 292) the 

 titles Au^^siut and Ccrsar had different values. According to Diocletian's scheme the Roman 

 Emp re was to be ruled by two Atigusti and two inferior Emperors styled Cessans. The scheme 

 in its entirety did not last long, but the meanings attached to the two titles survived to the end of 

 the Empire. (Edd.) 



