154 



Pre-historic Remains in East Yorkshire. 



wealth, Mr. Mortimer has devoted his leisure time in the exami- 

 nation of the sepulchral monuments which dotted the landscape 

 in the vicinity of the Yorkshire Wolds. 



Mr. Mortimer has carefully examined all the evidences 

 available in the southern portion of the Wolds ; the adjoining 

 northern section of which has been systematically worked by 

 Canon Greenwell. Some 300 barrows have been carefully 

 opened and their contents examined and transferred to the 

 Driffield Museum by Mr. Mortimer or his late brother Robert. 



A catalogue of the Museum, issued in 1900, contained an 

 enumeration of the relics in the Museum collection. ' Forty 

 Years' Researches,' however, contains details of the excavations 

 of the barrows, as well as of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, sites of 

 Roman occupation, pre-historic trackways, earthworks, etc. 



Unquestionably, the details of the barrow openings form the 

 most substantial, and, at the same time, the most interesting 

 part of the work, and the descriptions are enriched in value by 

 plans and sections of the various barrows, showing the relative 

 positions of the different interments, with the implements, 

 ornaments, or vases buried with them. This feature is a new 

 one in works of this kind, and its value cannot possibly be 

 over-estimated. Whilst it occasionally happened that not only 

 the skeleton but the entire suite of objects buried with it had 

 entirely decayed, still the rule was that earthenware vessels, or 

 other objects were found in association with the skeletons. 

 These were frequently in a very decayed and fragmentary 

 condition, but Mr. Mortimer has restored them in a way which 

 could only have been accomplished by a man of extreme ability 

 and patience. 



As a result of his labours the Driffield ^Museum contains one 

 of the finest collections in existence of British food vases, 

 cinerary urns, drinking cups, and incense cups, weapons and 

 implements of bronze, iron, stone, bone, horn, jet, and other 

 materials. Fortunately, in Miss Agnes Mortimer, the author 

 possesses an artist of exceptional ability, who for many years 

 devoted her time to makinof most faithful draw^in^fs of everv 

 object of importance in her father's collection. These drawings 

 have been reproduced in the present work by the half-tone 

 process, and the 125 plates, which are occupied by them, as well 

 as the numerous illustrations in the text, form by no means the 

 least valuable part of the work ; in fact, the collection of 

 drawings alone enables the possessor of each book to have 

 practically an archeeological museum upon his shelves. 



Naturalist, 



