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The Musetim Gazette 



JOHN FOSTER'S ACCOUNT OF A PREHISTORIC 

 DISCOVERY. 



The following is taken from one of the Essayist's letters. 

 It was addressed to his mother, and written in 1816 : — 



"Though nothing unusual has taken place within our walls, a field 

 two or three hundred yards from the house has presented to me a 

 very striking spectacle. In digging for gravel there have been found 

 in different situations a number of human skeletons. I have seen as 

 many as four of them uncovered. One of them was within a rude 

 structure of stones, placed somewhat in the form of a coffin. Another 

 seemed to have been in some kind of coffin of wood, as there were 

 several very large iron nails, and an extremely small bit of decayed 

 wood. About the others there were no stones nor relics of wood. 

 They were in each instance complete, there being very little decay, 

 excepting that the bones, of course, were in a state of separation from 

 one another, and that the skulls were too brittle to be taken up per- 

 fectly whole. The teeth were in as perfect preservation as when the 

 bodies were deposited. One set was remarkably fine, and being but 

 little worn, indicated that the person was young, though of full growth, 

 In another instance, a considerable number had been lost before the 

 person's death, and the remainder were so much worn down as to 

 indicate a person of very considerable age. The stature or other 

 dimensions did not appear to be materially different from the present 

 state of the race. There were no coins, weapons, or other circum- 

 stances to assist curiosity in the enquiry after the dates of their inter- 

 ment. The most natural conjecture is that they might be Romans, 

 as they were very near the mound of a large Roman camp, as it is 

 judged to be. Other skeletons have at various times been found in 

 these fields. One circumstance with respect to those just now found 

 would seem to indicate that they were people of pagan times ; they 

 were placed mostly in a direction north and south ; whereas the 

 Popish Christianity, had it been then in the country, would un- 

 doubtedly have prescribed most authoritatively that they should have 

 been laid east and west. It may therefore be fairly conjectured that 

 they have lain quiet and unknown in these beds of dust much more, at 

 any rate, than a thousand years. In those beds, though now in a 

 broken and dislocated state, they are again deposited, excepting some 

 fragments that I and Dr. S. took away, consisting of several jaws 

 and portions of skulls. 



" I have been extremely struck and interested by these spectacles, 

 which I was glad to have an opportunity of seeing. They have much 

 more power over the imagination than the bones that may sometimes 

 be seen in opening or digging graves in our churchyards. To the 



