304 Inaugural Address by the President of the Society, 



Fifteen skeletons were found in the settlement, of which the bones 

 were sufficiently perfect to enable a computation of their stature to 

 be made, viz., twelve males and three females. Of these, two were 

 buried in a crouched position, and the rest extended. A diagram 

 was shown at the meeting by means of which their relative stature 

 as compared with those found in the other ancient places in the 

 neighbourhood, could be seen at a glance. The calculation of the 

 stature from the bones was done according to Dr. Topinard's method. 

 Various methods of comparison may be adopted. The average 

 height of any number of skeletons may be found by adding together 

 the estimated stature of the several skeletons and dividing by the 

 number of skeletons. In the case of a small number of skeletons, 

 such as this, this is an imperfect means of comparison, because 

 individuals of exceptional stature vitiate the result. The better way 

 is to place the whole of the estimated heights in a diagram according 

 to their sizes, side by side, from left to right, and take the central 

 individual, if an odd number, or the mean between the two central 

 individuals, if an even number, as the medium stature of the whole. 

 A comparison may also be made by comparing the males and females 

 taken together, of one place, with the males and females taken 

 together, of another place, or by comparing the males of one place 

 with the males of another place, and the females with the females. 

 Adopting the latter, as the most reliable method, and using the 

 medium stature, rather than the average, as a test of height, I find 

 the following results. The medium stature of the males at Wood- 

 yates was 5ft. 4*2in. ; that of Woodcuts, 5ft. 4'7in. ; Rotherley, 

 5ft. l'5in. ; while that of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Winkelbury 

 was 5ft. 6'9in. Of the females the medium stature at Woodyates 

 was 4ft. 9"6in. ; at Woodcuts, 5ft. O'Oin.; at Rotherley, 4ft. 9'9in.; 

 at Winkelbury, 5ft. 2'3in. Thus it will be seen that the stature of 

 the Woodyates skeletons is slightly higher than that of the other 

 Romano- British villages of Woodcuts and Rotherley; but by what- 

 ever method of computation the comparison was made, it was found 

 that the stature of the Anglo-Saxon skeletons in the cemetery at 

 Winkelbury was from Sin. to 4in. taller than any of the Romano- 

 British settlements; whilst the only two Bronze Age skeletons that 



