ANGLO-SAXON 

 REMAINS 



AS an integral part of East Anglia the region now called 

 Norfolk might fairly be expected to exhibit traces of occupa- 

 tion by the race that eventually stamped its name on southern 

 Britain. Local antiquities are indeed fairly numerous, and 

 from an early date have received attention of a sort ; but so far as early 

 Anglian history is concerned the material already accumulated is unsatis- 

 factory in two different ways. First it must be realized that it is only 

 in quite recent years that the characteristics distinguishing the relics of 

 the Roman period in Britain from those of the Teutonic races who over- 

 ran the empire have been adequately understood. In the eighteenth 

 century and for some time later it was the fashion to attribute all 

 remains of antiquity to our Roman conquerors, and this bias towards the 

 classical has greatly impaired the evidential value of many discoveries of 

 which nothing now remains but a faulty or misleading account. In this 

 more scientific age our still imperfect knowledge is enhanced in value by 

 ample facilities for illustration, which will in future witness against any 

 false conclusions that may be drawn from the matter now in hand. 

 Such conclusions are avowedly tentative, but archaeology is now in a 

 position to correct some views that once found much favour in the 

 highest quarters. Peter le Neve, who was Norroy King at Arms, presi- 

 dent of the Society of Antiquaries in the days of Queen Anne and 

 George I. and ' one of the most eminent preservers of our antiquities,' 

 thought some Anglian urns from Elmham to be more probably Roman 

 than British ; while his colleague Dr. Stukeley, the secretary of the 

 Society and himself no mean observer of antiquity, told us more about 

 the urns by sketching them. Little wonder that lesser men in later days 

 have obscured the evidence of many a discovery by trusting more to the 

 pen than to the pencil ; and if more can now be done towards clearing 

 up the history of our pagan ancestors, the reason must be sought in the 

 greater facilities for reference and comparison afforded by the principal 

 collections in the country. 



The second drawback to our inquiry results from the inseparable 

 accidents of cremation. The subject that called forth the wit and learn- 

 ing of Sir Thomas Browne still awaits adequate treatment ; but further 

 discoveries and careful records can alone avail to discriminate the earliest 

 English settlers of this country on the basis of their arms, their orna- 



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