A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



finds have been made in the neighbourhood, nor even in recent excavations for building, &c. ; 

 but it may be noted that the stone cist described above lay for a considerable time in this 

 yard and was used as a trough. [Inform, from Mr. Spencer Pickering and Mr. Liebert for 

 the Hist. Monum. Com.]. 

 HtMEL Hempste.\d. — Portions of two dwelling-houses and a cemetery have been uncovered 

 at Boxmoor on the south bank of the Bulbourne stream, about a mile south-vvest of Heme] 

 Hempstead. The houses lie some 350 yds. apart and are separated now by the L. & N.W.R. 

 station of Boxmoor. 



(i) The first was excavated in 185 1 by Sir John Evans, but traces of it had been observed 

 previously. It lay beneath a lawn on the east side of Boxmoor House, 300 yds. south of 

 the L. & N.W.R. Une and 40 yds. east of Box Lane (Boxmoor-Bovingdon Road), and 

 just within the parish of Bovingdon. The plan below shows a line of four rooms running 

 south-east and north-west at right angles to Box Lane. They were all 23 J ft. long and 

 their respective widths (i) isJft., (2) 18 ft., (3) 6J ft., (4) 17 ft. The floors, which lay 

 2 ft. below the surface, were paved in (i), (3) and (4) with ordinary red tesserae in a fairly 

 perfect condition ; (3) had a short piece of a rude red and white border on one side of the 

 room and (i) had been repaired with fragments of tile. It also showed traces of a cross 

 wall or ' pier of bricks.' But the paved floor of (2) was ornamented with an elaborate 

 geometrical design, in black, white, blue-grey, red and yellow (pi. xii), of limestone, calcareous 

 shale and terra-cotta nearly 16 ft. square, lying not in the centre of the floor, but abutting 

 on one wall and almost overhung by its plaster, the remainder of the space being filled in 

 with a border of common red tesserae. Much of this pavement had perished. Its position 

 suggested to the excavators a rebuilding at some date. The pavements were laid on a bed 



PLA^ OF Boxmoor Villa, Himel HEMPsrtAD 



of pounded chalk, and that on gravel. One room only — apparently (2) — bore trnces of a hypo 

 caust, connected with a passage measuring 20 in. by 24 in. pierced right through the wall 

 at (A), but * to the right ' of the hne of rooms were many fragments of flue tiles, and a fifth 

 room (?5) ' to the left ' of them contained the remains of a flue. A detached corner of wall — 

 apparently (B) — was laid open 37 ft. west of these rooms and lay in line with them, and 

 part of another wall, which apparently had no connexion with them. Near this last wall 

 was a deposit of black mould which contained many small objects and was perhaps a rubbish 

 pit. The walls were 2 J ft. to 2! ft. thick, and were built of rough local flints and mortar 

 imperfectly burnt and not very hard ; no bonding courses of tiles were observed, but the 

 wall remained to no great height. The foundation walls did not extend below the level 

 of the pavements. The wall plaster that occurred in the line of rooms was mostly white, 

 but in other parts of the garden there were pieces in many colours in striped and arabesque 

 patterns, and also tiles of all lands — flue, flange (some of these being used in the foundations) 

 and ridge, many being scored and stamped with a variety of curious patterns. The smaller 

 objects (pi. xiii) included, in bronze, a small round bell with an incised pattern cast on it and a 

 heart in low relief at the bottom near the slit, the head of a hind or fawn with a hollow 

 neck and a small hole on the top of the head, part of a vessel ; several strips, one inlaid with 

 ribs of silver or other white metal, perhaps part of a belt or furniture ornament ; a finial, a 

 circular fibula enamelled in millefiore glass, a ring set with greenish glass and part of another, 

 part of an armilla ornamented with dots; two ornaments, one perforated with a spiral pattern, 

 the other a star-like object with a hole in the centre, both probably harness ornaments; a 

 pin 4I in. long ; a spoon 4 in. long ; a pair of broad tweezers with serrated edges, perhaps for 

 domestic use, needle, &c. ; two iron knives wdth blades 5 in. long ; a jet pin with faceted 

 head ; part of a Kimmeridge coal armilla decorated with, transverse lines cut on two mould- 



