68 



Roman Villa at North Wraxhall, 



ways on either side of the body. In a third chamber to the south 

 of tho two first mentioned, a large flat stone was found at the 

 dopth of two feet from the surface of the ground. This proved to 

 bo a moiety of tho cover of a full-sized stone coffin, or sarcophagus 

 upon which it rested in its proper position ; the other half, to which 

 it had been once evidently joined by iron cramps, having been 

 removed. (PI. iv. fig. 9.) The sarcophagus itself was, however, entire; 

 as was likewise the skeleton of the body it had enclosed, although 

 doubled up beneath the remaining half of the stone lid. The sarco- 

 phagus lay N. and S. nearly. It measures externally eight feet in 

 length by three in height and width, and two in internal depth. 

 The thickness of the sides is from five to seven inches. It is quite 

 sound, ringing like a bell on being struck, and is cut out of one solid 

 block of the coarse freestone of the neighbourhood. There is neither 

 inscription nor sculpture upon any part of it. Indeed the rough 

 chisel marks have not been effaced over its whole outer or inner 

 surfaces. It affords, however, as perfect and fine an example of a 

 stone coffin of the Homan Era as any, I believe, tha-t has been 

 discovered in any part of the west of England. 



In the neighbouring eompartment to this the labourers came 

 upon large fragments of what had evidently been the cover of a 

 similar sarcophagus, and this, no doubt, was the site from which, as 

 has been already mentioned, was taken up at the beginning of the 

 century, the stone coffin which gave its name to the field. Indeed 

 this supposition was confirmed by the evidence of a labourer who 

 had at that time worked upon the farm. 



On the exterior of this last chamber, and in the angle of two 

 walls, which once formed part of another, a heavy squared 

 stone was found lying horizontally at the depth of about two feet, 

 measuring four feet by three, and fifteen inches thick. In the 

 centre of the upper side was a circular cavity fifteen inches in 

 diameter and a foot in depth. (PI. iv. fig. 10.) It seems probable that 

 this cavity once held a cinerary Urn, and was covered by another 

 stone at top. A few fragments of coarse red earthenware and small 

 pieces of charred bones which were scattered through the earth 

 around, seemed to confirm this conjecture. It had certainly been 

 disturbed. 



