224 MORTIMER : PRE-HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF FIMBER. 
decayed wood, apparently oak. There were also a small bronze 
buckle and other bits of bronze. Down the centre of this cross- 
formed excavation, at a depth of 4^ feet, ran a walled cross, pi. ix., 
fig. 8, composed of two and in some places three courses of thin 
stones, the interstices filled in with chalk gravel, and a little clay 
obtained from a distance (the centre of Fimber being the nearest 
place from whence it could be obtained). Each arm of tliis walled 
cross was about 8^ feet long, 16 inches in width, and from ,8 to 10 
inches high. The stones composing it were mainly of chalk, some 
of which had been slightly dressed, and there were also a few bits of 
untooled liassic and oolitic stones. Below this walled cross the 
excavated cross extended downwards, and was also charged with 
gi"avel discoloured with a little soily matter, containing, but not so 
numerously as the above, potsherds, bits of animal bone, iron nailsmuch 
rusted, and, what is still more interesting, some bits of a British 
food vase. This excavation reached to a depth of 9 feet, and at the 
bottom each arm measured lOj feet from the centre of the cross 
excavation, and nearly 4 feet in width. On the bottom, which was 
undisturbed angular chalk gravel, was a second, plate ix., fig. 9, un- 
finished, or partially destroyed (probably during some party conten- 
tion, religious or secular) walled cross also mainly composed of rough 
pieces of chalk stone, with occasional bits of liassic and oolitic rocks, 
interspersed with clay, which seemed to have been used as mortar. 
This structure measured 18 inches wide and 8 inches high where it 
had not been injured, and its arms were a little longer than those of 
the more perfect cross 4j feet vertically above it. 
The age of these crosses is uncertain, but probably they date 
from late Roman through Anglo-Saxon, and were in use up to early 
mediaival times as places of assembl}^, (a few similar crosses have 
been discovered in other places near old settlements) whilst tlie 
discovery of flint-flakes and bits of a British vase indicate the site 
of a British barrow and the breaking up of a British interment, 
whilst the pieces of lias and oolite may have been portions of the 
slabs of a cist, which, with its contents was destroyed at the time of 
digging the cross-shaped excavation, which completely occupied tlie 
centre of the mound. We also noticed places where patches of the 
original British barrow seemed to remain undisturbed. 
