THE 



ADDRESS OF THE RETIRING PRESIDENT, 



(THOMAS CAM, ESQ.,) 



Bead at t)u Annual Meeting of the Woolhope Naturalistt' Field Club, held at 

 Hereford, March lit, 1872. 



GENTLEMEN,— Before I finally lea^e the presidential chair, I will, by your 

 permiaeion, follow the custom of my predecessors, and in a parting address 

 give you a short account of our proceedings at the several Field meetings of the 

 past year. 



Our first meeting waa held on Friday, 25th of May, at Hay, when we were 

 honoured by the presence of Messrs. Lees, Symonds, Hill, and other veterans of 

 the Malvern Club, who had accepted our invitation to join us on the occasion. 



After the ordinary business of our respective Clubs had been transacted, we 

 started on a visit to Twyn-y-beddau, a Tumulus situated near the New Forest 

 farm, at the foot of the Black Mountain, the contents of which the lord of the 

 manor. Viscount Hereford, had kindly given us permission to examine. 



This ancient place of sepulture proved to be an example of the class of tumuli 

 which Camden says was probably raised by the early inhabitants of this country 

 a thousand years before either the Roman or Saxon invader ever arrived on the 

 Bpot, The same antiquarian describes the manner of burial, which was thus per' 

 formed. The dead body was laid upon the bare sward, plastered over with clay, 

 and covered with dry turf ; a fire was made over it with furze-wood until the 

 corpse was reduced to ashes or the flesh consumed, then the charcoal and ashes 

 were covered with earth, and sometimes stones were laid upon the heap. 



The funeral contents of Twyny-beddau were found as usual at the bottom of 

 the mound, and on a level with the surrounding ground ; they consisted of a 

 quantity of charcoal, burned bones, a few flint flakes, and a whetstone. 



The Rev. W. Symonds having been called upon to address the meeting on the 

 contents of the tumulus said : The pieces of flint were possibly used in the ancient 



