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REPORT ON THE STAPENHIIL EXPLORATIONS. 161 
Molyneux, and others—the Trent Valley must have been com- 
paratively thickly populated even a: this somewhat remote period. 
But this should not be surprising to us when we consider that 
close by stands Repton, once the chief town of the celebrated 
and powerful kingdom of Mercia, and the residence and burial- 
place ot many of her famous kings and warriors. 
DescrIPTION OF THE “ Finps.”——Much cannot be said of the 
‘‘finds’’ numbered 1, 2, and 3 in the catalogue, and which were 
discovered by the workmen—their positions, however, are shown 
as at 1, 2, and 3 on plan—so that in this report we shall commence 
our detailed description with fizmd Vo. 4, the first which was 
brought to light by the Exploration Committee. 
Find No. 4, February 14th, 1881.—This was the body of a 
female of middle age (see Frontispiece), height 5 ft. ro inches ; 
the skeleton, which was in perfect preservation, was lying on 
the back with the head pointing towards the west, the right 
arm was stretched out by the side, the left arm lay across 
the chest, the legs were straight, not crossed. Close to the 
left side of the head was a very beautiful urn (drinking vessel) 
(Plate 1V., Fig. 1) of dark-coloured fine earthenware, only 
partially baked, but richly embossed and ornamented. It 
measured 54 inches in height, 5 inches diameter at widest part, 
and 3} inches across the mouth. ‘The clay with which the urn 
was filled appeared blackened towards the bottom, and coarser 
than that nearer the top, as if it had been impregnated with 
some organic substance, probably mead, the favourite drink of 
he early English, with which, no doubt, the vessel had been 
filled at the time of burial. 
_ On either shoulder was a fibula of the cruciform or Roman 
ype (Plate VII., Fig. 12), made of gilded bronze, the head of 
each consisted of a trefoil with a small tongue-shaped pattern 
forming a border along the edge. Round the neck was a 
Chaplet of twenty or more beads, eight of which were of that 
dark-blue glass so characteristic of the beads of the Roman 
iod, and circular in shape; one was of white glass, very 
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