ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS 



interment of the body had never taken place, and that this was in fact 

 a Saxon cenotaph. 1 



The other instance was at Taplow, Bucks, and the resemblance here 

 is certainly too close to be accidental. To judge from the contents, both 

 were the graves of leaders among men ; and in spite of their distance 

 apart and the difference in race that such distance would otherwise 

 suggest, it is hard to believe that the two warriors were not of the 

 same race and period. Of the two the Taplow grave is the richer, and 

 is an excellent example of the type that is somewhat imperfectly repre- 

 sented at Broomfield. Though commonly known as a Viking's grave, 2 

 the Taplow barrow is really earlier than the first appearance of the 

 Northmen towards the middle of the ninth century ; and a comparison 

 of the relics with others in the same room at the British Museum will 

 serve to fix the dates within fairly narrow limits. Of the characteristic 

 Viking ornaments there is not a trace, and the gold buckle that formed 

 the chief treasure of the discovery finds the closest of parallels in the 

 wonderful jewellery of the Kentish graves. 



It is apparent at once from the respective ground-plans that the two 

 graves were cut in exactly the same direction, namely east-south-east and 

 west-north-west ; and both were of ample dimensions, though the richer 

 was also the longer by about 4 feet. For the sake of convenience either 

 grave may be considered to be in a line running east and west ; and in 

 the north-west corner, where a shield-boss was found at Broomfield, two 

 shields had evidently been deposited at Taplow. Very near these must 

 have been the handle of the sword in either grave ; and while the iron 

 blade alone was found at Taplow, the pommel and perhaps another part 

 were found in addition at Broomfield. About the centre in each case 

 was a large bronze pan or bucket containing two glass drinking vessels 

 and two horns. The glasses are of different forms, but both pairs excel- 

 lent of their kind ; but the cow's horns of the Essex grave are but poor 

 substitutes for the Taplow drinking-horns with their silver-gilt mountings 

 and bountiful capacity. 



Near these groups, but more to the south, were a pair of iron buckets 

 at Broomfield, and one of bronze at Taplow ; and a little to the west 

 was found in the latter case a remarkable bronze vase standing 1 1 inches 

 high, with vandyked rim and drop-handles. Nothing of quite the same 

 kind has hitherto been found in the country ; but its rarity may suggest 

 an explanation of the equally rare object found in the corresponding 

 place at Broomfield. Though of iron and roughly made, there can be 

 little doubt that this was intended to serve the same purpose as the 

 magnificent bronze vessel that it equals in height and roughly corresponds 

 to in form. 



At the south-west end the Taplow grave contained fragments of 

 wood and iron that tally well with the iron cauldron, capable of holding 



1 Faussctt, Inventorium Stpulchrale, p. 96. 



It is thus described in the Illustrated LmJon Newt, Nov. 17, 1883 ; the Pictorial H'orU, Dec. 27, 

 1883, and elsewhere. 



325 



