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INTRODUCTION. 



Several cinerary urns have occurred in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, 

 and Sussex which have a cross, generally in relief, upon the 

 bottom on the inside; this remarkable feature does not appear 

 to have been observed upon any of those found in other parts 

 of England or in Scotland. As will be noticed in the sequel, 

 the cross in various forms has formed a part of the decoration 

 of some of the sepulchral vessels of the other classes, but there 

 is a great difference in the way in which it has been applied 



on the cinerary urns and on the 'incense cups/ 'food vessels/ and 

 ' drinking cups. 3 



The clay ^ of which the cinerary urns are made is generally 

 coarse, and in most of them has never, apparently, been tempered 

 to any extent. There is usually a great quantity of broken stone, 

 sometimes in large pieces, mixed with the clay. The walls of 

 these urns are in most cases thick, at times remarkably so, even 

 to the extent of above an inch. 



The urns are rarely found to be quite destitute of ornament, 

 though it is frequently scanty and ill applied, giving the im- 



