Notices concerning Oxnam Parish. By J. Hardy. 115 



(7.) Antiquities pound in Oxnam Parish. 



From its proximity to the Koman highway and the many • 

 surviving evidences of a prolonged British occupation, and the 

 formidable preparations concerted "by the native powers to main- 

 tain the district against alien invasion, it might have been expected 

 that tokens of arts or weapons of the olden races might have been 

 represented in this extensive parish in larger quantity than they 

 actually have occurred. Of Roman manufacture there are no 

 remains recorded ; and of British only a few stone implements 

 have come to view. At one time every object in wrought brass 

 or iron concealed under the soil, when brought to light, was 

 without hesitation pronounced to be Roman, and every clay urn 

 however rude the design belonged to the same category ; but better 

 and more enlarged acquaintance with the subject, has conduced 

 to a different and more accurate classification. For early notices 

 recourse must be had to the two statistical accounts of the Parish, 

 the first written about 1794 by the Rev. John Hunter, and the 

 second in 1837 by the Rev. James Wight. 



"A number of years ago," writes the first in Sinclair's Stat. 

 Acct. of Scotland, vol. xi., pp. 330-1, " in a field belonging to Cap- 

 hope, on the N. point of the parish, contiguous to the road, a 

 head piece of plate iron was turned up by the plough, and is in 

 the possession of the present tenant. It weighs li-lb. avoirdupois ; 

 and, although a little wasted, could never weigh 2 -lb. Its brim 

 is an oval of 7.9 inches by 6.9, without any edges, only bent 

 forward about half an inch, before and on the sides like the brim 

 of a pot. It is 5.9 inches deep, and the top is a very flat Gothic 

 arch, 10.2 inches long jutted out before and behind. It is 

 evidently hammered, but has not the smallest appearance of any 

 joining." This was set down as "supposed to be Roman," but 

 there is nothing in the description to shew why this iron helmet 

 should not have belonged to the age of Border warfare with 

 which every one is familiar. In like manner the second statistician 

 has to tell us about a brass-pot. "At Stotfield there was found 

 lately a large sized and elegantly formed pot or kettle, of the 

 kind used for culinary purposes by the Romans, during their 

 frequent encampments. It seems to consist of an alloy of copper, 

 bears mark of the mould in which it was cast, and is of a capacity 

 to contain one and a-half gallon. It is at present in the posses- 

 sion of the parochial clergyman." (New Stat. Acct. Roxburghshire, 

 pp. 261-2.) It was found I learn on Mr Scott of Falla's land, 



