ANGLO-SAXON 

 REMAINS 



WITH the exception of sculptured memorial crosses of standing form, 

 and recumbent grave-covers, complete or in a fragmentary con- 

 dition, the remains indicating the state of the arts and cultiva- 

 tion in the present county of Durham during the post-Roman and 

 the pre-Norman periods, are exceedingly meagre. Of glass vessels only one is 

 available for description, and bronze ornaments for personal use are very scarce. 

 Again, in the matter of weapons, with the exception of the valuable hoard 

 from Hurbuck, there are few to be mentioned. Cemeteries have been found 

 at Hartlepool and Monkwearmouth directly connected with churches, and at 

 Darlington where no such connection is apparent, while single burials that 

 may indicate sites of cemeteries have been brought to light at Castle Eden 

 and Heworth, 1 which also were probably connected with churches. 



The discovery at Darlington, perhaps the most important, was made in 

 1876, by Mr. Haxby Dougill, a builder of that town, when making excava- 

 tions for a sewer, to be laid between Dodd Street and Selborne Terrace on 

 the Greenbank estate, which lies to the north of the parish church. The 

 importance of the find was fortunately realized by a local antiquary, Mr. J. T. 

 Abbott,* who made observations on the site, and collected a number of objects 

 found associated with the burials. About a dozen skeletons of males, females, 

 and children were found, and, at the head of each, was a small urn, of burnt 

 clay. The bodies had been laid with the feet to the east. Among the articles 

 accompanying them were a number of brooches, of various sizes, some of 

 which showed traces of gilding ; two circular brooches ; a pair of tweezers ; 

 a number of broken brooches and pins ; and two large cruciform brooches, 8 

 all of bronze ; also a necklace composed of amber, glass, and stone beads, and 

 , a chalk object, no doubt a spindle whorl, which may have been round the 

 neck of one of the persons interred. The weapons found were iron swords 

 and spear-heads, and two or more iron bosses of shields. The period to 

 which these articles point is that of the very early Anglian occupation, possibly 

 before the introduction of Christianity into Northumbria. Three spear-heads 

 preserved measure respectively loj inches, I2j inches, and 16 inches in 

 length. They are of the early Anglo-Saxon form, the sockets being split 

 up to show part of the shaft. The three spear-heads and a fibula are in the 

 possession of Mr. Edward Wooler of Darlington, the shield bosses are in that 

 of Canon Greenwell of Durham, and some other objects are in the collection 

 of Sir John Evans. 



1 The rock burial at East Boldon to be referred to below may be mentioned in this connection. 

 * Mr. Abbott contributed an account of the find to the Nortb-Eastern Independent of Saturday, I February, 

 1879. 



1 Five similar examples are figured on Plate V. of The Induitrial Artt of the Anglo-Saxont, De Baye. 



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