ON SAXON SITUL/E OR BUCKETS. 



By Professor J. BUCKMAN, F.G.S., F.L.S., Sfc. 



HE finding of thin bands of copper mountings at 

 different archaic sites in every county in which I have 

 worked, more especially at the diggings on my Brad- 

 ford Abbas farm, and the seeing of some of these in the fine 

 collection got together by Mr. Durden, of Blandford, must be 

 my excuse for offering a few remarks upon these interesting 

 objects. 



In two examples sent to me by Mr. Durden, thin bands of 

 metal half an inch wide are still attached to wooden staves four 

 inches long and 7-eights of an inch wide. 



These bands of copper are exceedingly thin, and in these and 

 most other examples that have come before our notice they are 

 ornamented by simple impressions, apparently made by a blunt 

 instrument, which would sometimes be presented with the incuse 

 impressions, at others with slight relievo knobs in lines. 



In Mr. Akerman's Pagan Saxondom, plate 27, is a beautiful 

 drawing of the metal framework of one of these buckets. It 

 was discovered by the Hon. E. C. Neville during some excava- 

 tions in an Anglo-Saxon burial ground, at Linton Heath, about 

 two miles from the hamlet of Bartlow, on the borders of Essex, 

 so well known, says Mr. Akerman, to antiquaries for the 

 remarkable tumuli of the Eoman period, explored by the late 

 Mr. Gage. Mr. Wylie, when living at Fairford, in Gloucester- 

 shire, dug up one of these buckets tolerably perfect, which he 

 figured in his volume entitled " Fairford Graves." 



Now as we happen to have in our possession the most perfect 

 bucket of this description yet discovered, which we got from this 



