66 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1713. 



ber that he has taken up since the first discovery is near 120, and yet the com- 

 pass of ground turned up on this occasion, does not amount to more than a 

 quarter of an acre. The close where they are found is high land, and this 

 place the highest part of it; the soil a sharp gravel, and very dry, and lies next 

 to a highway. As for the urns themselves, they are generally of the same 

 shape, but of very different sizes. 



The shape of these is conformable to the representations usually exhibited in 

 the descriptions of urns ; viz. the bottom narrow, a little flatted (and in some 

 quite round) wider upward ; the top contracted to a narrow mouth : the earth 

 coarse, the work rough and uneven, but generally well burnt ; some of them 

 slightly wrought and indented (the work expresses very little skill or care) and 

 some plain. The size is various; some of the capacity of a quart, some 2, 

 some 3 quarts, and one I have, unopened yet, which I believe will contain a 

 gallon. 



The pots are very tender when they come first out of the ground, and 

 frequently suffer by the wounds of the spade : they are most of them broken 

 (more or less) in taking them up, and hardly any that have not their mouths 

 broken ; often it would seem, as they lie in the ground, by the weight of the 

 earth pressing upon them, or the feet of horses going over them, as appears by 

 the broken pieces of several of them found a good way down among the earth. 

 The urns are found at uncertain depths ; some very near the surface, some 2, 

 some 3 spits deep, which is the deepest any body has taken the pains to dig for 

 them. 



The contents are generally the same. I have opened several of them, and 

 found in all of them pieces of broken bones, some black with burning, and 

 some turned to ashes, with some pieces of coarse glass run and sticking to the 

 bones ; which, whether it proceeded from any thing of that kind burnt with 

 the body, or only the sandy earth vitrified with the strength of the fire, as I 

 am inclined to think, is doubtful. Besides, I found some pieces of brass, 

 some run, some much burnt, and some not injured, with some pieces of iron, 

 but so decayed with rust, that their figure or use is hard to judge of. I have 

 some knives, and other odd things, but much eaten and decayed with rust : but 

 the brass, which is not burnt to pieces, remains generally firm and entire. One 

 thing is remarkable, we find a great many pair of small nippers (such as we pull 

 out hairs with) commonly of brass; and most of them so perfect and good, that 

 the edges are full square, and the spring as strong as any we can make of the 

 metal. These are chiefly the particulars of what we find : but as for coins 

 (which of all things were most to be wished for) we meet with none. I hear 

 of two in the hands of a person of Elmham, but had not an opportunity of 



