48 



have, before now, found fragments most carefully rivetted, we may 

 conclude that this kind of foreign (?) ware was the " China " of the 

 period.* 



MORTAUIA. 



A portion of a mortarium of red ware was found with the debris 

 of one of the rooms. Such vessels are supposed to have been used 

 to triturate soft vegetables, from the fact that their interiors were 

 thickly studded with small angular bits of quartz, which, of course, 

 aided the process. 



CARVED STONES. 



Besides the ashlared stones of which the walls were built a few- 

 portions of carved stones were found which seemed to show that 

 this, though not a first-class dwelling, was not without evidence of 

 architectural taste, but as all we found was below the surface of the 

 present field we may conclude that tin rest of the ruined pile had 

 been carried away previously to the whole being smoothed over to 

 form the perfectly level field ; the wonder is therefore great that we 

 should find so much as we do rather than that so little should 

 remain. 



It is so far fortunate that the lines of wall should be so well pre- 

 served. These are sometimes so near the surface that in seasons of 

 drought their direction can be made out by the more withered and 

 dried turf. The tops of these lines are but a few inches below the 

 surface, and generally about two feet of the height of the wall 

 remains, much of which was here covered with wall-plaster. 



The interior of the rooms so marked only such varied objects as 

 has been left behind, perhaps, after even centuries of exposure. 

 ROMAN MOLARS. 



The Roman molar or hand millstone was represented by portions 

 of three examples found in the Thornford villa, all of which were 

 upper stones, the " nether millstone" not having been met with 

 here. Our specimens were made of the following materials 

 (1) Millstone grit, probably from the Forest of Dean ; (2) inferior 

 oolite, from Ham Hill ; and (3) great oolite, from the Bath district. 



The occurrence of the former we can well understand, as it is a 

 hard silicious grit-stone, and we have found at Bradford the remains 

 of a molar which was imported from Andernach on the Rhine, and 

 was composed of a volcanic grit. We have also seen at Bradford 

 portions of molars made of the hard silicious rock sometimes met 

 with in the upper green-sain I and also one of Sarsen stone. 



* The last three drawings were kindly lent us by Mr. Baily, of Circncester, as they 

 truly represent our rinds at Thornford. ED. 



