CIRENCESTER AND PETENSEY. 259 



Smith informs me that the discovery of the villa was, of 

 course, accidental, and the excavations were not carefully- 

 conducted by any one likely to note the position of the 

 articles found. If such be the fact, there is a probability 

 that these shoes may have belonged to a much later date 

 than the other relics discovered, and which they in all 

 likelihood overlaid. 



It is necessary to mention, however, that at Cirences- 

 ter (the Roman Corinium, the Corimon of Ptolemy, and 

 the Duro-Cornovium of the Antonine itinerary) various 

 important Roman remains have been found, such as altars, 

 querns, coins of all dates, from Claudius (a.d. 42) to 

 Valentinian (a.d. 424), Samian and common pottery, 

 bronze fibulas, articles of bone, ivory, and glass, and great 

 numbers of iron nails. Many of the latter have the 

 peculiar head of the Roman horse-shoe nail, and others 

 have the modern head fitted for the stamped and fullered 

 shoe. 



In the museum of this town are several shoes, two or 

 three of which closely resemble those found at Ched- 

 worth, but none of the undulating-border type. These 

 are said to have been found with the Roman remains, 

 but there appears to hang some doubts as to the truth of 

 this.' 



The ruins of Pevensey Castle, in Sussex, furnishes us 

 with another example of the early type. This castle, one 

 of the most remarkable in the country, has been garrisoned 

 and fortified by the Romans, Saxons, and Normans — the 



' In the Catalogue of the Museum, it is stated that ' some of the 

 iron objects are not Roman, but mediaeval, and to one or two a slill 

 more recent date must be assigned.' 



