ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS 



art, and of their great practical acquaintance with the mystery of the 

 smith,' during the dark era which preceded their conversion to Chris- 

 tianity. 



But little light is thrown upon the physical characteristics of the 

 post-Roman people of Derbyshire by the remains which have been 

 considered in this article, and this is mainly due to the decayed and 

 broken condition of the skeletons. In Mr. Bateman's list 1 only five 

 skulls which can be assigned to this period with a reasonable degree 

 of authority, were sufficiently perfect to admit of their shapes 

 being specified. Of these, four are described as oval and one as short. 

 The lengths of four thigh-bones are given as ao|, 19^, ig| and 17 

 inches respectively. The latter may be disregarded, as it seems to 

 have related to an immature person. The remaining three indicate a 

 stature in life ranging from 5 feet 1 1 inches to 6 feet 33 inches. If 

 this scanty evidence can be accepted as representative of the post- 

 Roman people of the county, it points to the predominance of a tall 

 long-headed type, and this quite accords with what has been observed 

 elsewhere in the country. 



1 Digging!, p. 257. 



277 



