CELTIC AND ROMANO-BRITISH HERTFORDSHIRE 



line of the earthwork. Terraced earthworks, descending in a series of steps, still exist on 

 the south and west, but are not easily discernible, since they he in a densely-wooded game 

 preserve. Professor Haverfield is inclined to connect them with agriculture. 



Within this area, according to Clutterbuck, a tessellated pavement of a diamond pattern 

 in various colours was found in July 1799, together with a white marble sarcophagus with a 

 head carved in the centre of one side, and containing a glass vessel and part of the spiral 

 handle of another, a piece of carved bone (? a handle), silver imperial coins, &c., also three 

 amphorae with pointed ends, containing ashes, two ornamented earthen lamps, one with a 

 dismantled trophy and stamped ' memi,' the other with a priestess at an altar on it. There 

 is still a tradition of the finding of a pavement beneath the plantation. 



In 1725 two large stones were ploughed up in a field called ' West Attick ' (adjoining 

 Down Field), and apparently outside the rectangular area, on the north, and ' in the upper 

 corner ' of this field ' the earth lies in holes and hillocks, as if some foundations had been dug 

 up ' [Salmon, op. cit. 227], or perhaps they were only gravel-pits. Another site, 700 yds. 

 south of Lark's Hill, near the Great Eastern station, has yielded more remains. An immense 

 quantity of oyster shells and a few pieces of pottery were turned up in the centre of the road 

 where it is crossed by the railway line, and in making the cutting, extending loo yds. to the 

 north of the road, ' perhaps thousands of coins ' from Augustus (e.g. 31-A.D. 14) to Constantine 

 (a.d. 306-37) in first, second and third brass — including one gold Cunobeline, thirty-two of 

 CunobeUne and Tasciovanus, twenty silver Augustus-Postumus, a fine bronze of Caracalla 

 (a.d. 212-17), thirty 'third brass' of Carausius (a.d. 286-93) and Allectus (a.d. 293) — burial 

 urns, many small objects and quantities of potsherds of all kinds, including Samian. Only 

 one piece with a hunting scene on it is figured or described. Wickhams Field, in which the 

 station is built, is rich in coins, some turning up in every furrow in ploughing, and bones, 

 pottery and coins are still constantly found. Only one find has been described in detail. 

 A bronze enamelled cup, presented by the Rev. Charles Puller to the British Museum in 1870, 

 was exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries in that year (pi. xi). It was 2-J- in. high and 3 J in. 

 in diameter, and in shape resembled the Samian bowl, Dragendorf type 37. It was decorated 

 in two bands, with a border. The first band has a wreath pattern in pale blue-green enamel, 

 the lower a scroll and foliate pattern in green on a blue ground, and the border at the bottom 

 consists of a row of Vandykes in blue and green. The edges of the bronze were serrated to 

 hold the enamel, which was inserted in the champleve manner. The base was flat and had 

 been soldered on originally, but when found had separated. Similar bowls have been found in 

 Britain and N. Europe. One almost exactly like it came from a peat-bog at Maltbek in 

 Denmark, another with a handle from Linlithgowshire and a third with the same ornament, 

 but different shape, from the Bartlow Hills, Essex, associated with objects dated to the 

 middle of the 2nd century, and this date has, therefore, been suggested for these bowls. 

 Similar enamel work, however, has also occurred on a vessel found with coins of Tacitus 

 from Ambleteuse, N. France. None have been found in Italy or Southern Europe, and 

 they are to be classed with other enamelled objects to be found all over Celtic districts. 

 In December 1892, during the widening of Braughing station, the following Romano-British 

 objects were found and are now preserved in the Board Room Museum, Liverpool Street 

 station, London : A bronze fibula (2| in. by if in.) ribbed on the back, with spiral spring 

 and pin (pi. xi) ; a child's bronze bracelet (2 in. diam.) ; a bronze ear-pick (3I in. long) ; a bronze 

 pin in two pieces (3 J in. long) ; an iron ring with fragments of possibly a chain ; a bone 

 in (2 in. long) ; some small pieces of Samian ware and the following coins : A small 

 vminscribed British bronze coin ; Augustus Caesar, rev. great altar of Lyons (e.g. 27-A.D. 14), 

 Claudius (a.d. 41-54), Pius (a.d. 161), Tetricus the Younger (a.d. 267), Claudius Gothicus 

 (a.d. 268-70), Carausius, Rex, Pax Aug., local British issue (a.d. 290), Constantine II 

 (a.d. 337) and Constantius or Constans (4th century) (kindly submitted for inspection by 

 Mr. H. Wilmer, F.S.A., M.I.C.E.). The presence of so large a number of finds at this spot 

 indicates something more than a dwelling-house — probably a small posting station or village 

 at the crossing of two roads and a stream, which was occupied at an early date, and perhaps 

 was built on the site of a prerRoman village. The earthworks at Larksfield are of a too 

 uncertain and unsatisfactory character to be identified as the ramparts of a Roman town or 

 village, and in any case the area as given by Salmon seems impossibly large, though he may 

 have been mistaken in his identification of the north and east sides. [Salmon, Hist, of Herts. 

 (1728), 226-7; Clutterbuck, Hist, of Herts. (1815-27), i, p. xvi (Leman's article), iii, 149, with 

 figs. ; Cussans, Hist, of Herts. Braughing Hund. (1870), 185-6. From these Gerish, East Herts. 

 Arch. Soc. Trans, i (11), 174-5, who adds that a large collection of coins, urns, mortaria, 

 amphorae, &c., was formerly in the possession of Mr. Newman]. For earthworks, see 

 V.C.H. Herts, ii, 108-10, with plan from O.S. Map and sections ; the 25-in. O.S. Map, xiv, 



