113 



As these spoons were found in Somersetshire, and their discovery 

 has not only attracted much attention, but excited some contro- 

 versy, it is well that our Society should preserve a record of them, 

 more especially as by the kindness of Mr. Irvine, who obtained 

 possession of them shortly after their discovery, I am enabled to 

 place the originals before the meeting. Shortly after their dis- 

 covery I made a dra-wing of them, and sent it to the Society of 

 Antiquaries, but no particular information was obtained until the 

 subject was taken in hand by Mr. Albert Way, who has carefully 

 brought together all previous discoveries of a like kind, and from 

 him we learn that similar objects had previously attracted the 

 notice of Welsh antiquaries, and some were akeady figured in the 

 Arcfueologia Cambrensis, 3rd series, vol. viii., p. 208, and a memoir 

 published in 1862. 



" These spoon-like objects," says Mr. Way, " have occurred, as 

 far as I am aware, exclusively in England. Wales, and Ireland : 

 a pair has recently been brought to light in Westmoreland, but no 

 specimen has hitherto been found in Scotland. I have been unable 

 to ascertain that any object of similar form and decoration has 

 occurred on the Continent ; nor have I found any relic either of 

 classical antiquity or of more remote date, that may be classed 

 with these spoons. . . It is 

 probable that according to then- 

 normal fashion they were made 

 in pairs : one of each pair 

 appears to have had near the 

 right side, and at about mid- 

 length, a circular perforation, 

 about a sixth of an inch in 

 diameter ; this was punched 

 through the metal, mostly of 

 considerable thickness, espe- 

 cially towards the edge. The 

 counterpart, never perforated 

 in Uke manner, has in every 

 instance transvei-se hues, some- 

 what suggestive of resemblance 

 to a Christian symbol, coarsely 

 scored across the shallow bowl." 



