21 
so rotten that it was impossible to lift it np. The coffins as 
may he imagined, were closely packed together; in several 
instances two or three were side by side. As to position, all lay 
east and west, although by no means towards the same point. 
When the coffins were opened it was found that they had been 
subjected some time or other to the tidal action of the river. 
Warp, stones, and pieces of wood had been washed in, and in 
several instances the lighter bones of the body had been thrown 
by the water into a heap at the head of the coffin. The fact 
that the lower part of the Church Hill next to the river is a 
deposit of recent times, goes far to explain this. It is evident 
that the river has been nearer to this cemetery than it is at 
present, and that through some drain, perhaps, the tidal water 
has been able to penetrate and leave its deposits among the 
remains of the dead. Out of this excavation seven coffins were 
taken, two of which, through the kindness of our friends in 
that town, have found their way to the Museum at York. The 
neighbouring ground is no doubt filled with similar remains; 
when the next house was rebuilt some time ago they were 
found in the soil which it covers, and there will no doubt be 
ample opportunity in coming years of continuing investiga¬ 
tions into this most interesting graveyard. I shall now give 
a more detailed account of the seven coffins that have been 
preserved. It must be remarked before I begin to do so, that 
they are all of oak:— 
1. A coffin 7ft. 5in. in length, 22in. wide at the head and 
16Jin. at the feet. The interior is hollowed out by the axe, 
leaving a thickness of 2in. The two ends are solid, about 5in. 
thick. The lid, which is broken, is rounded, and when put 
\ 
together the whole must have closely resembled the trunk of a 
tree. In the inside, which was filled with warp and stones and 
wood from the river, was the skeleton of a man in good 
preservation. The teeth were considerably worn. Extending 
from the right hand to the foot of the coffin, and laid under the 
left leg, were the remains of three long, thin, hazel rods or 
sticks. 
2. The coffin of a child, 3ft. 6Jin. long, and of uncertain 
width. It has been made of boards, neatly fastened into each 
