Old Belfast : Its Origin and Progress. 45 



In the case of the urns under consideration now an opportunity 

 happily occurred of inspecting the respective locahties where 

 discovered. In May, 1893, Mr. W. Swanston, F.G.S., informed 

 him (the honorary secretary) that an urn had been just dug up 

 at KiUinchy, and the Misses Watson, on whose land it was 

 found, believed that another urn was still in situ. Accordingly, 

 Messrs. Lavens M. Ewart and W. Swanston accompanied him 

 to the place, and they had the great pleasure of unearthing the 

 second urn themselves from the spot where it had been deposited 

 many hundred years ago. By the kindness of the Misses Watson, 

 both those urns were now in the Museum. Mr. Swanston took 

 several photographs as the excavations proceeded, which showed 

 its various stages. The locality was on a sloping ploughed field, 

 200 yards from the residence of the Misses Watson. Both urns 

 were close together, covered by about one foot of earth. The 

 first was inverted, and full of calcined bones, charcoal, and 

 humus. It was broken by the spade of the labourer, who was 

 bitterly disappointed when only " a wheen of auld banes " 

 was found. A curiously curved bone needle, with eyelet at 

 one end, was discovered amongst the contents of the urn. In 

 excavating the second urn, which was erect, and filled with 

 similar bones, care was taken to remove the adjacent soil very 

 gently, and cord was wrapped tightly around it. Before lifting 

 it a photograph was taken, and by leaving it untouched for 

 some months in the hamper in which it was brought to Belfast 

 a gradual hardening of the surface took place, which had 

 resulted in a satisfactory specimen. Nothing was found in the 

 surrounding soil but a few fragments of flint. The first urn 

 measured thirteen inches in height, by twelve inches across the 

 mouth, and was vase-shaped, with two projecting hoops dividing 

 into three zones. The upper zone was ornamented by several 

 panels, alternately plain and scratched with close horizontal 

 lines. The second urn was not so coarsely made, and was ten 

 inches high by eleven inches across the lip. It was divided 

 into three zones, hke the former, the upper or top zone being 

 ornamented by a continuous chevron scratched in low relief. 



