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Remarks on the Tumulus at Cheswick. By J. S. Donaldson, Esq. of 



Cheswick. 



In opening one of those tumuli situated at Cheswick in North Dur- 

 ham, in which our British, or perhaps Danish ancestors were accus- 

 tomed to deposit their illustrious dead, I discovered an ancient tomb of 

 rude construction, containing the remains of a human being in a state 

 of great decay, every part of the skeleton, with the exception of the 

 skull and larger bones of the legs and thighs, being nearly decomposed. 

 Near the skull was found the head of a spear, being all that remained 

 of the deceased warrior's martial accoutrements. This weapon is made 

 of brass, and appears to have been highly polished. It is in good pre- 

 servation, and is coated with verdigris. It is seven inches in length, 

 and three in breadth at the base. Of the handle there was nothing re- 

 maining but two pins of brass, by which it had been secured to the head. 



The tomb was composed of five large stones : two six feet each in 

 length and twenty-six inches in width, set on edge, formed the sides 

 of this rude sarcophagus. One stone at the head measuring thirty-two 

 inches by twenty-six ; another, of similar dimension, at the foot, and a 

 very large flat stone formed a cover to the whole. The stones were in 

 a rough and unhewn state, and appeared to have been procured from a 

 rock of the encrinal limestone upon the adjacent beach. The tomb was 

 placed upon the ground on a level with a surrounding field, about 250 

 yards from high water-mark, and the stones forming the tumulus from 

 their water- worn appearance, had evidently been principally procured 

 from the sea-shore. The height of the tumulus was about twenty feet, 

 and the area of its base about fifty feet in diameter. A fine coat of 

 smooth green turf covered the whole, and from the top was an exten- 

 sive and beaiitiful view of the coast from St Abb's Head to Bamburgh 

 Castle, including Lindesfarn, and the Inner Farn Island, &c. A range 

 of similar barrows or tumuli is traceable along this coast, viz.. North 

 Durham. One was opened some years since about one-foui'th of a mile 

 to the northward of that now described, and was found to contain 

 human bones, but no tomb, or any other remains of antiquity, was 

 then discovered. Similar tumuli have been explored in this and the 

 adjoining county of Northumberland of late, and with nearly the same 

 results. In some, as at Buckton in North Durham, vases of clay, con- 

 taining ashes, were found, and at North Charlton in Northumberland, 

 a weapon like to that found at Cheswick was discovered. I am not 

 sufficiently acquainted with the subject to determine whether the ab- 

 sence of the vase or urn in the Cheswick tomb, will refer it to an 

 earlier or later period of antiquity. I should not omit to mention that 

 before the workmen arrived at the tomb in the centre of the tumuhis, 

 they found several skeletons at an inconsiderable depth below the sur- 

 face. These were lying promiscuously amongst the stones, and some 

 of them were entire. In referring to Stackhouse's Illustrations of 



