Report of Meetings for 1881. By Jas. Hardy. 467 



elongated cuneiform shape, tapering considerably at the narrower 

 end. Its length, is 6J inches ; greatest width which is above the 

 cutting edge, 2|in. ; and at the lesser termination it is one inch. 

 Mr Arkle had another of the same pattern and stone, also ob- 

 tained at Troughend, which was broken by the workers. The 

 fracture was blue, the surface dirty white. One of the inn- 

 keepers at Elsdon had a third of these British stone implements, 

 which appear to be far from scarce in the district. Mr Hall has, 

 since the Elsdon meeting, in November, 1881, obtained a re- 

 markable stone implement from a field next to that in which the 

 two celts were found by his men, and this also was on land that 

 had never previously been cultivated. It is apparently an an- 

 cient stone-knife of an oblong or razor-shape, composed of a 

 piece of very fine sandstone, of a dark " sandy drab " colour. 

 The straight cutting edge is sharp and very smooth ; the slightly 

 convex rounded back is also smooth ; the section of the ends, of 

 which one is not so thick as the other, is elongate ovate. Its 

 length is 4|- inches, and its extreme breadth 1 i-o inch. It has 

 been suggested that it might have been used as a flaying imple- 

 ment, and a skilful person might really flay a sheep with it yet. 

 When Mr Hodgson wrote. Archdeacon Singleton had in his poss- 

 ession at Elsdon, a collection from the neighbourhood, which is 

 thus enumerated. "1. A. flint spear head 3^ inches long, found 

 in the river Eede. 2. A small knife blade of flint, so sharp that 

 Mr Thompson of Otterburn, of whom he procured it, declared 

 that he had mended a pen with it. It is of a very light grey 

 colour. 3. A spear head of flint, about 4 inches long, found on 

 the Camphill near Overacres. 5. An arrow head of flint, found 

 at Shittleheugh near Elishaw, of a very dark colour, and neatly 

 formed,"''* 



Dr. Eobertson communicates that '* Lady James Murray un- 

 fortunately has removed to London a very fine Roman bronze uten- 

 sil, found near "Watling Street some 8 or 9 years ago. It was 

 shewn I believe to the British Museum people, and there was 

 nothing similar there, and also to the Newcastle antiquaries. No 

 one can make out its use. My own idea is that it was made to 

 hold half a salmon— the Eomans caught and eat fish ; I believe 

 the Celtic inhabitants are stated not to have done so." From 

 the outline figure, this looks like an oblong concave salver, with 

 a loop handle at one end, and a central boss beneath to rest on. 

 It is one foot long. 



* Hodgson's Hist, of Northd. Part 2, vol. i. p. 93. 



