N'otes on Urns and Cists found at Amble. 525 



only prevented falling into the grave by the weight of the 

 upper one. The only apparent reason for having two slabs may 

 be that the first one had been broken in putting it in its place, 

 and that the second had been deemed necessary for the security 

 of the remains. 



Close to this grave, and at the east end we opened a very 

 small cist of an irregular shape, protected by a light stratum of 

 boulders. One side measured I5i- inches, the other 11 inches. 

 In it were the bones of a very young child, as shewn by the 

 fragments of the skull, ribs, and limbs, which were very much 

 decayed, and mixed with a good deal of soil, in which a careful 

 examination failed to detect anything of an ornamental kind. 

 Up to this tim'j, the foreman of the works reckoned that about 

 twenty cists had been found, with fra:?raents of skulls and 

 bones. Only a few of the latter were to bo seen, the rest having 

 been thrown away among the soil, or crumbled away on exposure 

 to the air. The direction in which they all lay was east and 

 west. In one grave there was a very large quantity of remains, 

 " quite a barrowful" the man said, indicating that two persons 

 at least had been laid together in it. Some of the larger flat 

 stones bore evident traces of fire, the cremation having probably 

 taken place on them, and then they were used to cover up the 

 grave. Some of the bones bore traces of burning, the thicker 

 portions, such as the joints only remaining, indicating that the 

 calcination had only been partial. There were no remains of 

 broken pottery, or domestic utensils found in the covering of the 

 mound. 



An urn of much ruder workmanship was afterwards found, 

 during further excavations when Dr Greenwell was present ; 

 and this, with the bronze weapon before mentioned are now, I 

 believe, in his possession. Since then further baring of the rock 

 has taken place, but apparently the whole of the barrow has 

 been laid open. It is remarkable from the number of cists 

 found in one place. In all Mr Green reckons that there will 

 not have been less than thirty burials. The space occupied by 

 them would measure about sixty feet in length, by the same in 

 breadth. The labour bestowed in covering them up must have 

 been very considerable, judging from the immense quantity of 

 boulders which the workmen had removed in clearing the spot. 

 When finally covered up it would present a rounded eminence 

 of about two feet in thickness of boulders in the centre, and 



