ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS 



ballast. About two acres had been worked at that date, and a cemetery of 

 the Anglo-Saxons revealed." The graves were at intervals of 2 or 3 ft. to as 

 many yards, and were indicated by a dark streak in the gravel or sand. A 

 north-and-south trench disclosed about 100 skeletons laid with the heads to 

 the south-west and feet to the north-east, about 18 in. below the surface and 

 just within the gravel. Over an area of about 250 sq. ft. skeletons were 

 lying in all directions, and nothing was found here but one small knife ; but 

 with the others were urns, beads, brooches, spear-heads, and other articles, 

 and all were disinterred by the workmen without proper supervision, the 

 association of objects not being generally determined. It was, however, 

 clear that on the site bodies had been buried after cremation in cinerary 

 urns and others unburnt, either with or without coffins, but in either case 

 with the garments, weapons, or ornaments of the deceased. Cremation and 

 simple inhumation seemed to have been contemporary on this site, but it was 

 held that the small number of urns showed the former practice was on the 

 decline , and the small accessory vessels of pottery found with skeletons were 

 merely a survival from the days of incineration. This is, however, inconsis- 

 tent with the view that both methods of disposing of the dead were adopted 

 by contemporaries ; and the presence of small vessels, not used as cineraries, 

 was probably due to a radical change in the religious beliefs of the popula- 

 tion, possibly to a new wave of immigration. 



Descriptive notes on the various classes of objects accompany the numer- 

 ous illustrations in Mr. Tymms' paper, and the most interesting points may 

 here be mentioned. Perhaps the greatest rarity is a coffin of Barnack stone, 

 5 ft. 8 in. long. It was without a lid, and lay about 15 in. below the 

 surface, containing a few bones of a young person, accompanied by one 

 half of a small bronze clasp and one or two pieces of iron. On the left side, 

 but possibly belonging to an adjacent burial, were found a shield-boss and 

 spear-head of iron. Besides the ordinary form of shield-boss with a stud on 

 the point, one of conical form was discovered that may have been the earlier 

 form,"* and only one sword is known to have come from the heath. This 

 was of the usual length (36 in.), retaining traces of a wooden scabbard, and 

 Willi 't in the grave were a shield-boss and spear-head, fragments of two 

 buckets, two long brooches, two clasps (probably at the wrists), two flat rings 

 (apparently annular brooches without their pins), and some beads (generally 

 confined to female interments). 



Among the spear-heads may be noticed one with a long slender head and 

 a socketed ferrule for the butt-end, while two arrow-heads of iron are recorded 

 from this site. The bow does not appear to have formed part of the military 

 equipment in England during the pagan period, but a few other arrow- 

 heads have been collected from cemeteries of that period, as at Marston 

 St. Lawrence, Northants ; North Luffenham, Rutland ; Lowesby Hall, Lei- 

 cestershire ; and Chessel Down, Isle of Wight, where several together were 



" Many objects found in 1849, '" ^^^ collections of Messrs. Warren and Gwilt, were illustrated by Roach 

 Smith, Co/l. Jntij. ii, 165, plates xxxix-xli, A and B. They include girdle-hangen, perforated coins and 

 beads, bracelet-clasps, brooches of various types, and a bucket-mount, the last being figured in Pag. Sax. 

 pi. XXXV, fig. 3, with part of girdle-hanger (fig. 2). See also pi. xxxix, I (buckle), and 2 (girdle- hanger). The 

 site is marked on the I -in. Ordnance Survey Map, sheet 189. 



"" One of the early 5 th century from Vermand, Aisne, is figured by Eck, Deux Cimetiirei gallo-romaini, 

 pi. ii, fig. 1. 



339 



