A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Six discs of bronze, four of which have a diameter of 5f inches and two of sj inches, slightly 

 convex, with a hole in the centre, a raised rounded moulding at the edge, and four loops at the back 

 for attachment to some soft material. They are of rare occurrence, and probably formed ornamental 

 adjuncts to a dress, and were worn as decorations for the breast, serving the same or a similar purpose, 

 as the bronze plates found in the Stanhope hoard. 



Two bronze buttons one ornamented with nine concentric raised ribs on its face, and having 

 five loops for attachment at the back ; the other having a boss on the upper side and a loop on the 

 under side. 



One bronze finger ring(?) made out of a thin piece of wire, the ends of which, after having 

 been flattened and widened, have been turned over, the one upon the other. 



One bronze cauldron (18 inches high and 14^ inches wide at the mouth), made of three sheets 

 of metal neatly riveted, and furnished with two massive handles and strengthening frame on the 

 bottom. It had been used for cooking purposes, and when found had a deposit of carbon upon it. 



There were various other objects of metal found above the stalagmite bed which had no relation 

 to the bronze-age occupants of the cave ; among them was a bronze key, probably Roman, and a 

 penny of George II. 



Implements of stone found in the cave comprise a thick flake of flint 3^ inches long, possibly 

 used as a strike-a-light. Three other flakes of flint one may have been used as a borer were also 

 found. There were also a well-shaped circular and perforated piece of limestone, perhaps a spindle- 

 whorl, and two whetstones. 



Ornaments of stone comprised four armlets of lignite, three of which were imperfect ; two 

 beads formed of stalagmite, a single bead of dark-coloured amber, a long bead of bone, and two small 

 perforated water-rolled pebbles of stone. There was also a humble necklace of three sea-shells, viz., 

 two periwinkles and a small whelk. 



Bone and deer's horn implements were rather numerous. They comprised a long, narrow 

 implement made of the leg-bone of a deer or some such animal, shaped like a modern paper-knife, 

 of which a number were found. They may have been skinning knives, or perhaps implements used 

 in weaving for driving back the woof in the manufacture of woven goods. There was also a knife 

 made from the split and sharpened tusk of a boar. Bone pins in considerable number and one of 

 lignite were found, of which at least twenty-three have been preserved. They have usually been 

 manufactured out of the leg-bone of some small animal. There were also found three bone 

 spindle-whorls, or they may have served as buttons ; also three horse's and two dog's teeth pierced for 

 suspension, and used as pendent ornaments. 



Some enigmatical objects, made from tines and beams of the antlers of the red deer, were 

 discovered. They are both straight and curved in form, five of them are pierced with three holes, 

 of which the middle one is larger than those at the ends, and pierces the horn in a direction at right 

 angles to them. Similar curved articles of deer's horn have been found in lake dwellings of the 

 bronze age in Switzerland, and in the river Thames. The suggestion has been made that they have 

 served as the cheek pieces of bridle bits, but this theory lacks proof. Several straight pieces of deer's 

 antlers perforated at the middle were also found. In addition to the above there were other imple- 

 ments of bone, horn, etc., the precise use of which cannot be determined. There was no complete 

 vessel of pottery found, but several small fragments were preserved. It had all been hand-made, and 

 was principally unornamented, of a pale yellowish tinge with a tendency to red. Some bones, 

 including three imperfect skulls, of the occupants of the cave, were recovered, and were examined 

 by Professor Huxley and Mr. Carter Blake. They have unfortunately been lost. 1 



There were very numerous remains of animals in the form of bones, horns, tusks, teeth, etc. 

 Many of the bones had, as usual, been broken in order that the marrow might be extracted. 2 



It is evident, judging from the large number and variety of objects found 

 here, that this cave, damp, dark, and inconvenient as it must have been, was 

 the dwelling place of several people for a considerable period. It may not 

 have been the permanent living place of this family, but occupied only on 

 special occasions and for some special purposes. 



In addition to the discoveries in Heathery Burn Cave, and the hoard of 

 bronze weapons, etc., both in the parish of Stanhope, some other bronze-age 

 antiquities have been found in various parts of the county. 8 



1 Geologist, v. 204. 



8 There is a full account of this cave and its remarkable contents in Arch. vol. liv. 871 14. 

 * Thanks are due, and are hereby accorded, to Mr. Robert Blair, F.S.A., Dr. Sturge, and Mr. E. Wooller 

 of Darlington for some of the information contained in this list. 



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