A HISTORY OF NORFOLK stroyed, but between twenty and thirty were preserved,' though the con- tents were scattered about. Among the objects picked up on the spot were a spindle-whorl, a glass bead and almost microscopic shells, some metallic plates, perhaps portions of a mirror of the Roman pattern, two studs and fragments of a bone comb ornamented with double concentric rings. It is interesting to note that at the distance of about half a mile, in the parish of South Acre on the other side of the river Nar, could be traced earthworks of considerable size, and an ancient lane, now over- grown with bushes, runs from one spot to the other. In 1 89 1 the existence of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery evidently not far from this site was first suspected on some urns coming to light at the western boundary of the Priory Field ; and a thorough examination of the site was suggested by Dr. Jessopp and carried out through the liberality of Mr. Henry Willett of Brighton. The field lies about a mile and a half to the north-west of the village, bordering on the high road to King's Lynn. It covers the southern side of a gently sloping chalk hill, the surface soil rarely exceeding a foot in depth. The urns had been deposited so near the surface that in almost every instance the repeated ploughings to which the soil had been subjected had de- stroyed some of the mouths and necks, and in many cases shattered them so completely that they fell to pieces at the first attempt to remove them. The urns were met with in such quantities that it became impracticable to mark the exact position of each on the chart. It was clear however that they had been deposited without any regard to order or regularity, sometimes singly, frequently in pairs, sometimes in groups of four or five close together. Considerably more than fifty specimens were recovered, though only about twelve were got out whole ; all were of coarse pottery, evidently made of the sandy clay of the district, and burnt in smother kilns, which gave them the black appearance of the Roman Upchurch ware. In size they varied from a diameter of 12 inches to that of 7 or 8. Some were quite plain, but the ornament was not the same on any two specimens. The favourite design consisted of repetitions of a circle about half an inch in diameter filled with cross lines, or a larger one containing a cross of four lines with triangles near the circumference. The method adopted in all cases* was stamping with a stick or other implement cut to the required pattern. Sometimes large rough flints had been laid upon the mouth of the urn by way of protection. The urns had not been deposited upon the bare chalk, but in every instance upon a bed of mortar 6 inches deep ; and so deeply were they imbedded in this that it was often difficult to raise them without leaving the bottom of the vessel behind. In every case the urns were more or less filled with the surrounding soil, but also contained a conglomerate of broken human bones burnt and discoloured. Some also contained the thin hollow bones of a bird about the size of a rook. Very little of the skeleton remained in each
- Some were given to Norwich Museum by Lord Leicester. Society of Antiquaries, Proceedings,
vol. iv. p. 172. 2 Traced patterns appear in addition at Shropham (figs. 8, 1 1, 13). 330
