Mortimer : British Burial at Middleton. 231 



In contact with the base of this vessel had been placed a 

 hne knife-dagger (fig. 2), 6 J inches in length, a broad flint 

 flake (fig. 3), a punch-like worked flint, 2 J inches long (fig. 4), 

 and a lump of iron pyrites. Probably the last two were used 

 as strike-a-lights ; I have previously found similar objects in 

 graves of this date. The pyrites had stained the flint dagger, 

 partly eaten a hole in the side of the earthenware vessel near the 

 bottom, and a fragment of pyrites was still adhering to the 

 punch-like tool. From this it would appear that all the objects 

 had been placed in close contact at the time of interment. 



2 



3 4 



A jet button, an inch and a quarter in diameter (fig. 5) and 

 a bone pin, also accompanied the skeleton but the pin was lost. 

 Subsequently a second button, of similar size, was found (fig. 6), 

 which probably belonged to the same interment. 



On August 17th and i8th, 1906, I excavated a considerable 

 area adjoining the site of this burial, but nothing further was 

 found. 



The Middleton interment, with its accompanying relics, 

 is almost identical with that found at Garton Slack.* 



So far as I know, there are only six other instances recorded 

 in England where a flint knife-dagger has been found together 

 with a ' drinking-cup.' 



* Body No. 6, Barrow 37, Group 11 ; see 'Forty Years' __Researches.' 

 1908 July 1. 



