134 Vestiges of the Earliest Inhabitants of Wiltshire. 



deceased. We have examples of all these Celtic vessels in our 

 Museum, but at Stourhead there is an unrivalled collection of 

 them, the produce of the Wiltshire barrows, examined by Sir 

 Richard Hoare : they furnish an admirable insight into the ce- 

 ramic skill of the ancient Britons : and speak in eloquent tones of 

 their habits and their ideas. 



But in addition to the urns above mentioned, flints of various 

 sizes and portions 1 of earthen vessels are sometimes found : and it 



^irR. Hoare's Ancient Wilts, i.. 71, 83, 124, 161. h\, 11. 



The following is an extract from a letter in illustration of this subject written 

 in 1845 by the Rev. Ferdinand Keller, President of the Society of Antiquaries 

 of Zurich to Sir Henry Ellis. "In almost all the accounts of the opening of 

 Pagan Sepulchres and tumuli, mention is made of the discovery of fragments of 

 pottery, strewn in the soil, which appear to be portions of vessels similar to such 

 as are often found by the side of the human remains interred in those tombs ; 

 and consist of earthenware, not baked in a kiln, but imperfectly hardened by a 

 lire. These potsherds are found in sepulchres where there are no urns, and are 

 almost always fragments of different vessels. Archaeologists have considered 

 them to be the relics of the Lyke-wake held at the funeral. Kleeman observes 

 that it was customary to bring the corpse to the place of interment, clad in 

 festive garments, and shew it to the friends : a banquet then commenced, and a 

 share was offered to the deceased. The revelry must have been of a very 

 lively (!) character, from the quantity of broken pottery found in these tombs. 

 Another remarkable circumstance in connection with Pagan places of burial is 

 the discovery of flints, which are found in all parts of the tumulus, buf chiefly 

 over the skeleton, varying considerably in size. This fact has been noticed by 

 antiquarians, who do not appear to have recognized the observance of a heathen 

 custom, and have not ascertained whether it may be regarded as characteristic 

 of the customs of Celtic or Germanic tribes. These traces of ancient usages 

 appear to throw light on a passage in Hamlet hitherto unexplained [Hamlet, 

 Act v., scene 1.] At the burial of Ophelia, Hamlet remarking that the usual 

 rites were not observed, supposes that the deceased had perished by her own 

 hand. Upon this, Laertes enquires with what rites the corpse is to be interred, 

 and the priest replies that her death had been doubtful ; that, but for the 

 command that her obsequies should be otherwise ordered, the corpse should 

 have rested in unconsecrated soil ; and " for charitable prayers, shards, flints 

 and pebbles should be thrown on her." Mr. Keller supposes that Shakspeare 

 had in view some ancient usage, retained possibly in some part of England, in 

 accordance with which those who, like pagans, had laid violent hands upon 

 themselves, were buried with ceremonies peculiar to the heathens. Upon 

 which Mr. Bateman remarks, "as far as our experience has given an opportu- 

 nity of coming to a decision, we should unhesitatingly say, that the Celtic origin 

 of the custom is demonstrated in the course of the present volume. The 

 fragmentary pottery, the flints and the pebbles, to which we may add the teeth 

 of oxen, have been all but universally present in the earlier tumuli opened 



