A HISTORY OF KENT furniture was not likewise placed on the pyre. The elaborate sword, which is now in Saffron Walden museum, belongs to a definite type represented also on the Continent, and has a ring attached to one side of the ogee pommel, perhaps for a sword- knot. Other examples have been found in Kent (as at Gilton), and are not un- known abroad (as Vallstenarum, Isle of Gothland). In the national collection are some interesting relics from Wingham, about midway between Sandwich and Canterbury, excavated by Lord Londes- borough (then Lord Albert Conyng- ham) in 1843.' Four graves had been found on a hillside on Witherden Farm some time before, containing beads of glass and amethyst, an iron spear-head and other articles ; and a similar num- ber were opened by his lordship on the hill-top, one being of special interest. It was shaped like the letter T, one skeleton lying at the feet of another : one, apparently female, had an urn at the feet, and about the body a cowrie- shell, beads, two gold pendants' of bracteate form (pi. ii. fig. 10), a silver bracelet, a jewelled hairpin^ and a fine circular brooch * with star design (as pi. i. fig. i). The adjoining skeleton had a bronze bowl " of the usual type on the breast. Eleven years later the same site was explored by J. Y. Akerman,' who several that had been rifled. One was that of a woman, head west, with beads and what was considered an iron distaff ; the other skeleton was a male adult with a few relics of Sword-hilt with Gilt Mounts, CoOMBE (3). found two graves mtact amont Other discoveries of some importance have been made in this area. Several fine specimens of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship are pub- lished' from Wickhambreux, and were found in 1886-7 by the late Mr. G. Dowker in a gravel-pit about one-quarter mile east of Supper- ton. Besides swords, shield-bosses and swords there was found a bronze bowl which lay in a large grave with a sword : remains of a leather scabbard were noticed, and next the hilt, which lay towards the west, Jrch. XXX. 550. « Pag. Sa Ibid. pi. xi. fig. I; Coll. Ant. i. 104. Proc. Soc. Antiq. 1st ser. iv. 199. 3l. xi. fig. 4. 5 Pag. Sax. pi. 8 Arch. Cant. : 356 » Ibid. pi. xl. fig. 3. • Arch, xxxvi. 178. 6-9, figs. 1-6 (coloured).
