The Grave-mounds of Derbyshire, and their Contents. 463 



Then began ou the bill 

 the mightiest of funeral fires 

 the warriors to awake ; 

 the wood smoke rose aloft, 

 dark from the fire ; 

 noisily it went 

 mingled with weeping." 



The body having been burned, and the 

 ashes collected together, the warriors and 

 friends of the deceased raised a mound over 

 the remains "high and broad;" 



" and they built up 

 during ten days 



the beacon of the war- renowned. 

 They surrounded it with a wall 

 in the most honourable manner 

 that wise men 

 could desire. 



They put into the mound 

 rings and bright gems, 

 all such ornaments 

 as before from the board 

 the fierce minded men 

 had taken." 



With interments in urns, but few articles, 

 either of personal ornament or otherwise, are 

 found. With those, where the body has been 

 placed entire in the grave, the objects are 

 numerous, and, in some instances, are elaborate 

 and beautiful in ornamentation. Among the 

 articles which the Saxon grave-mounds of 

 Derbyshire have produced are swords, knives, 

 seaxes, spear-heads, umbones of shields, 

 buckles, helmets, querns, drinking cups, 

 enamels, gold, silver, and bronze articles, bas- 

 kets, buckets, draughtsmen, combs, beads and 

 necklaces, rings, ear-rings, caskets, armlets, 

 fibulge, articles for the chatelaine, pottery, etc. 

 Of some of these I will now proceed to speak. 



The sword of the Anglo-Saxon period, as 

 evidenced by the Derbyshire barrows, is of the 

 form shown on the accompanying engraving, 

 from a barrow at Tissington. This sword, which 

 is thirty-four inches in length, and two and a 

 half inches in breadth, is, of course, of iron. 

 It had been originally enclosed in a wooden 

 scabbard, or sheath, which had, apparently, 

 been covered with leather, and mounted with 

 elaborately ornamented silver. The chape, 

 which was of silver, was simply rounded, and 



Ski 



