Archaeological Journal/Volume 3/Archaeological Intelligence (Part 3)

 

Archaeological Intelligence.

 

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PRIMEVAL PERIOD.

Amongst the meagre evidences which can be adduced in relation to the earliest occupation of our island, there are none more valuable than observations connected with sepulchral deposits; and although little may remain to be added to the facts collected by Douglas, Cunnington, Sir Richard Colt Hoare, and other zealous investigators of British tumuli, it is of importance that the circumstances observed in the examination of any barrow or burial-place, should be faithfully recorded. However trivial and tedious such recitals may appear to some of our readers, it must be remembered that tumuli supply almost the only indications of the civilization, customs, manufactures and commerce of the first inhabitants of Britain; that their comparison may ultimately enable the archæologist to reduce to a scientific classification, facts, which at present remain in vague confusion, and thus tend to establish a distinction between the various tribes or successive occupants of the country.

The following notice of the recent examination of two British tumuli, in Cambridgeshire, has been communicated by Mr. W. T. Collings; one of them, opened on May 20th last, is in the parish of Bottisham, on the borders of Newmarket Heath. It is placed on an elevated range of hills, forming the escarpment of the chalk, which makes it conspicuous for miles over the flat country around. This position, with the fact that an immense quantity of charcoal was found throughout the composition of this tumulus, which is of large size, measuring about 90 feet in diameter, although the deposit was, in comparison, very trifling, would incline us to think that it had been used as a site for a beacon-fire, to guide the traveller over the wild waste of fen-country which spreads in all directions around, and hence, probably, the name "Beacon-course." The cutting was made from east to west, commencing at the eastern side of the tumulus, in the direction of its centre, in which, at a depth of about three feet, there was found a cinerary urn, in an inverted position, slightly tilted on one side, and surrounded by charcoal and burnt earth. It was filled with charcoal, but contained only one small fragment of bone. This vessel, which was of the simplest manufacture, moulded by the hand, and sun-baked, measured, in height, five inches, and its diameter, at the largest part, was five inches and a half. From the deep red colouring, and the general appearance of the surrounding soil, it would seem that a small hole had been first dug, charcoal and bones burnt in it, the vase placed on the fire in an inverted position, and the whole covered up. About ten feet eastward of the central deposit, on the south side of the line of excavation, and half a foot deeper, a deposit of fragments of bone was found, apparently calcined, with but little charcoal, or burnt earth, forming a layer not more than three inches thick, and two feet in circumference. There were several pieces of the skull, a portion of the alveolar process, inclosing a tooth, apparently that of a young person, pieces of the femur and clavicle, and other fragments. A little to the north of this spot there appeared a mass of charcoal and burnt earth, containing nothing of interest. After digging five or six feet deeper, operations were discontinued; and on the next day shafts were excavated from the centre, so as completely to examine every part, without any further discovery; and in every direction charcoal was found mingled with the heap, not in patches, but in fragments^[1].

The other barrow was raised in a less conspicuous situation, about 300 yards down the south slope of Allington Hill, part of the same range situate about a quarter of a mile to the south-west. Both are marked in the Ordnance map. An entrance was obtained from the east-north-east, passing south-south-west, through the centre of the mound. Here a thin layer of charcoal appeared, extending many feet in every direction. Amongst the soil thrown out, portions of two vases, broken, probably, at a previous opening, were found, sufficing to prove that this had been an early Celtic, and not Roman, deposit. One was the lip of a vase of red ware, the other a portion of a jar of the usual coarse unbaked pottery, of black colour. In this tumulus were found two small rounded pieces of hard chalk, of the lower strata, called clunch. One was a perfect ball, smooth, measuring an inch in diameter; the other was of the same size, ground down in a regular manner, reducing it to a turbinated shape, as here represented. It had been, probably, intended to perforate these as beads ; a specimen of the same material, ground down in a similar manner, and perforated, is in the possession of Mr. Collings^[2].

It is very uncertain for what purpose the objects, designated by Mr. Collings as beads, were fabricated. They are frequently found in tumuli, or near earth-works and remains of early occupation: they are mostly formed of indurated clay, bone, or stone, sometimes almost spherical, whilst other specimens are of flattened form, perforated, in all cases, in the direction of the smaller diameter. They vary from about one to two inches in diameter. The conjecture appears probable that they may have been used in connection with the distaff, and the occurrence of such an object in a tumulus might thus serve to indicate the interment of a female. Some northern antiquaries, however, have regarded such perforated balls as weights used in fishing, either for the line or nets.

Spear and Celt Mould.

The very curious object here represented, is the moiety of a set of moulds for casting spear-heads and celts of bronze; it is formed of hone-stone, and was found between Bodwrdin and Tre Ddafydd, in the western part of the Isle of Anglesea. It measures, in length, nine inches and a quarter; each side measures, at one extremity, two inches, and, at the other, one inch and a half. It is obvious that a second precisely similar piece of stone was requisite, by means of which four complete moulds for casting objects of various forms would be obtained, comprising a celt of simple form, with a loop on the side, for the purpose of attaching it to the haft, spear-heads of two sizes, with lateral loops, for a like purpose, and a sharp-pointed spike, four inches and a half in length, probably intended to be affixed to a javelin, or some missile weapon. This stone was unfortunately broken by the pick of the workman who found it: it was in the possession of Mr. David Pierce of Caernarvon, and the drawing from which the annexed woodcut has been taken, was executed by Mr. H. Pidgeon of Liverpool, whose accurate pencil has contributed many interesting subjects to the collections of the Institute. Rowlands remarks, in his History of Anglesea, that the weapons or implements, termed celts, had often been found in the Island; he gives also representations of some having the loop at the side, similar in fashion to those which would have been produced in this mould. A considerable number were found, about the year 1723, under a stone on the shore, near Rhiedd, on the Menai, where, as Rowlands supposed, the Romans had effected their landing, the spot being still marked by the name Maes-Hir-Gâd, the great army's field. Considerable doubt has been entertained in regard to the purpose for which these objects were fabricated: an argument might perhaps be fairly drawn from this mould, that they were properly warlike weapons, and not implements for domestic or mechanical uses, the celt being here found in conjunction with objects unquestionably of warlike use.

 

SAXON, OR EARLY NORMAN PERIOD.

Details of supposed Saxon Tombs, Crypt, Bedale, Yorkshire.

Sculptured stone and altar, Bedale crypt.

Sculptured remains of early character, by some accounted Saxon, and bearing much resemblance to the curious crosses at Carew, Nevern, Penally, and other places in South Wales, are found scattered throughout the Northern counties. Of some interesting fragments existing in Durham and Yorkshire, a notice, accompanied by drawings, has been received from Mr. W. Hylton Longstaffe, of Darlington. In forming graves in the choir of Bedale church, portions of ancient tombs were found, resembling in fashion the remarkable sepulchre existing at Dewsbury^[3]. The covering of these tombs was formed like a ridged roof, covered with diamond-shaped tiles, overlapping one another precisely like the Roman roofing found at Bisley, of which a representation has been given in the Archæological Journal^[4]. One portion, found at Bedale, in the spot now reserved as the family burial place of Mr. Harker of Theakstone, is now in the possession of that gentleman: the side is rudely sculptured with foliage, the gabled-end being plain. The other is now placed on the stone altar, in the crypt beneath the choir of Bedale church: although much defaced, it surpasses the former in the character of decoration. On the end, as it has been supposed, was pourtrayed the Temptation in Eden; on one side, the Saviour crucified; on the other two serpents interwoven, biting their tails, and a demi-lion recumbent. This kind of ornament, which may be noticed in many of our earlier monuments, is accounted by the northern antiquaries as appropriate to the period, termed by them, the iron age, and characterized, amongst various peculiarities, by these "Schlangenzierathen," and "Drachenzierathen," snake, and dragon ornamentations^[5].

Hawkswell Cross.

In the churchyard at Bedale there are two fragments of a cross sculptured with knotwork; of the larger a representation is given on the next page. Several ancient ornamented stones existed there, which have been destroyed in rubbing floors and entrance-steps; this, fortunately, proved of too hard a quality to be thus employed. In the churchyard at Hawkswell, five miles distant from Richmond, there is the shaft of another sculptured cross of small dimensions, 53/4 ft. in height, and apparently the perfect cross measured not more than 6 ft. In the pavement, within the altar rails, may be noticed a fragment of early sculpture, representing a serpent, with rude foliage, resembling the ornaments of one of the three sculptured crosses at Gainford, to which public attention has recently been called by Mr. Walbran^[6].

In the tower of Aycliffe church, near Darlington, Durham, two interesting crosses may be seen. Surtees conjectured that they had been erected in memorial of ecclesiastical synods, there holden, A.D. 782, and 789. The base of the cross here

Sculptured Crosses at Aycliff.

Fragment of Cross, Bedale.

represented had long stood in the churchyard, and during some repairs of the church the fragments were taken out of the walls, into which they had been built as materials, and re-united. Subsequently, having been injured by a storm, they were removed to the tower. It is elaborately sculptured with knot-work, the only figure being a Holy Lamb, rudely sculptured. The second cross at Aycliffe is of very curious character, greatly resembling the sculptured crosses preserved in various parts of Ireland. Its dimensions are, about 43/4 ft. high, by 15 in. wide. On the eastern side appear three figures, and a crucifixion; adjoining to the crucifix appear figures holding up the spear and reed with a sponge; above the limbs appear the sun and moon, according to early conventional forms of representation. On the southern side is the Crucifixion of St. Peter, with elaborate knot-work; and other curious subjects decorate the western side.

 

NORMAN PERIOD.

Seal of Bishop Wolstan.

At the recent meeting of the Institute at York a remarkable original deed was exhibited, being a grant from St. Wolstan, bishop of Worcester, of fifteen hides of land in Alveston, formerly called from its Saxon occupant Eanulfestune, Warwickshire, to the monastery of Worcester. An impression of the episcopal seal was appended, and the deed bore date, the day of Pentecost, in the third year of king William, the younger, A.D. 1099. This document had been given by Dugdale in the Monasticon from transcripts in the Worcester Cartulary, Cott. MS. Tib. A. 13, and the Annales Wigornenses, Claud. A. 10. He had printed it also in his History of War- wickshire, from a very ancient register in the custody of the dean and chapter of Worcester; and it may be found in Heming's Cartulary, printed by Hearne, with the ancient Saxon description of the boundaries. The existence of Wolstan's original charter does not appear to have been noticed^[7]. This deed, independently of its fine state of preservation, is of considerable interest, as fixing precisely the period of the completion of the new buildings, erected by Wolstan. After reciting his purpose and endeavours to augment the monastery constructed by St. Oswald, his predecessor, both in the erection and appointments of the church itself, and increase of the establishment, he stated that he had added to the number of the monks, who were about twelve in number, and had formed a congregation of fifty, for whose sustenance he gave the lands in Alveston, long possessed unjustly by certain powerful persons^[8], and acquired by him with much labour and cost from William the Conqueror. He dated his gift in the twenty-seventh year of his episcopate, and the first of the occupation of the new monastery by him erected, of which the refectory and adjoining buildings, as also the crypt under the choir, and the transept, are now the principal remains^[9]. William of Malmesbury informs us that these works had commenced A.D. 1084, and he gives an interesting relation of the emotion of St. Wolstan, when, on their completion, the old church, erected by St. Oswald, A.D. 983, was about to be demolished^[10].

 

PERIOD OF GOTHIC ART.

The tomb of St. Richard, bishop of Chichester, A.D. 1245—1253, has recently been "restored," and a series of small statues, representing his friends, and eminent contemporaries, have been designed in close conformity with the style of the period, as decorations of the sunken panels around the altar-tomb. The work was entrusted to the skilful hands of Mr. Edward Richardson, and it has been executed with great care and judgment. The prelate had been first interred, by his own desire, in a humble tomb in the north transept; when canonized by Pope Urban V., A.D. 1275, the remains were removed with solemn ceremony, in the presence of Edward I., Queen Eleanor, and the court, to a sumptuous sepulchre, or shrine, visited each year by numerous pilgrims and devotees, whose offerings greatly augmented the funds of the establishment. So highly in estimation were the relics of St. Richard, that the commissioners at the Reformation relinquished the purpose of destroying the shrine, from fear of popular commotion. The tomb and effigy appear to have suffered considerably when removed during the times of the Commonwealth, and they were replaced at the Restoration. In subsequent times they had been defaced by rude hands, and covered with innumerable initials or dates, commencing about 1608, incised upon the stone. It was reported that it had been disturbed about sixteen years since, but, from appearances during the recent examination, this did not seem to have been the case. On removing the effigy and stone table for repair, the grave of stone courses appeared perfect; the earth which covered the remains had sunk to the depth of several inches. On the surface lay fragments of hazel wands, or branches, such, probably, as pilgrims were accustomed to cut by the way, and suspend around the shrine, in token of zealous devotion. Part of a staff, resembling the remains of the crosier in the hand of the effigy, was found, with fragments of vessels of glass, earthenware, and other objects in the loose earth probably thrown into the grave when previously opened, A layer of black mould, an inch in thickness, visible on each side of the grave, with iron nails found amongst it, indicated that the remains of the bishop had been deposited in a plain wooden chest, not in a stone or leaden coffin. This appeared fully to accord with the narrative of his biographer, Ralph de Bocking, in regard to the simple and humble notions of the bishop. The bones were not disturbed: the form of the skull resembled that of the head of the sculptured effigy: the arms were crossed upon the body. The head of the pastoral staff was sought for in vain; it had, probably, been taken away when the grave was formerly opened. Considerable traces of rich colouring were found by Mr. Richardson on the vestments, and on every part of this interesting tomb : no attempt to restore these decorations has been made. The oaken screen, which protected the shrine of St. Richard, still exists in the chapter-room of the cathedral.

The remains of hazel-wands described by Mr. Richardson, if they may be regarded as tokens of pilgrimage, are deserving of notice. Similar staves, preserved and deposited in the graves of ecclesiastics, in Hereford cathedral, have been found in several instances, as related by the dean of Hereford; Archæologia, vol. xxx. Such a hazel-wand, roughly trimmed, as if cut by the way-side, lay in the tomb of Richard Mayo, bishop of Hereford, with sea-shells, tokens, as supposed, of a pilgrimage to St. James, made when that prelate was sent to escort Catherine of Aragon, the affianced bride of Prince Arthur, son of Henry VH., on her arrival in England. No other instance of a similar usage appears to have been noticed.

The following communication of some curious details connected with a singular discovery in the church of Kingswear, Devon, is due to Arthur Holdsworth, Esq., and the Rev. John Smart, incumbent of the parish. That small church, adjoining to Dartmouth harbour, was in the patronage of the Premonstratensian canons of Torr, and it was served by a priest appointed by that house; some have supposed that he resided in the tower, as there is a fireplace on the first story, with a chimney passing up through the wall, and terminating in one of the battlements. The church had become decayed, and has been taken down, with the exception of the tower. The south wall was removed to the foundation, and, in so doing, a grave was found just within the chancel screen, a little eastward of a door leading to the rood-loft. This grave was double, 4 ft. wide, by 7 ft. long, and sunk a few feet deeper than the foundation ; bones of a tall man were found in it, with a piece of leather of sufficient size to give the impression that the corpse had been wrapped in that material. Unfortunately, as it was known that, in 1604, Kingswear had been afflicted by malignant disease, when 145 corpses were interred, Mr. Smart directed that all remains should forthwith be reburied, and in consequence the contents of this grave were removed, without careful examination. When it had been cleared out, a cavity appeared in its side, leading through the natural soil under the foundations, of sufficient size to allow a man to creep through it, the double grave affording him room enough to kneel and accomplish his purpose. This hole was found to enlarge into a circular space, 3 ft. in diameter; after the removal of the foundation wall, the maiden earth over the excavation was opened, and the cavity found to be 3 ft. in depth, surrounded by a rude wall of dry masonry, sufficing to prevent the falling in of the sides.

North east angle of the Chancel. Kingswear, Devon.

It was partly filled with earth and rubbish, and the bottom contained lime mixed with bones of infants, to the depth of about 9 inches. The masons employed in the work affirmed that this had been quick-lime, and it was reckoned by a gentleman present that there were the remains of ten or twelve children. The skulls were as thin as parchment. Mr. Holdsworth conjectured that it had been sought to conceal these remains, where they could not be traced: no spot could be more secure than this mysterious hiding-place constructed under the foundation wall of the church, situate on the side of a hill, so that this portion of the wall externally was some feet below the surface. The cavity appears to have been made with most cunning skill, so as not to disturb the building, which would at once have aroused suspicion; a large grave, as he supposed, was made within the chancel, near the south wall, to prove the ground, which was found to be a rock, sufficiently soft to be readily penetrated, yet solid enough not to fall in. The grave having then been enlarged to double size, so that a man might stoop and work in it, through its side, the cavity within was excavated, surrounded by a rude wall, and the remains placed in it. Whether the corpse of a man were laid in the grave as soon as it was made, for security, and removed from time to time, to give access to the cavity within; or it were buried afterwards, as a bar against intrusive curiosity, can only be matter for conjecture. The man who could have formed so curious a place of concealment for the bodies of the infants, would not have scrupled to use any means for the accomplishment of his object; and the circumstance of the corpse having been wrapped in leather, had it been possible to ascertain the fact, might have shewn a provision for more ready removal, when access to the interior hiding-place was desired.

The frequent discoveries of mural decorations in colour, recently made even in small parish churches, on the removal of the thick coats of whitewash with which their walls for many successive years had been beautified, appear to establish the fact, that all churches, from the Norman times until the Reformation, were decorated with colour in a greater or less degree, both on the plane surfaces and the mouldings. Mr. Charles Dorrien has forwarded to the Committee sketches of subjects brought to light during the restoration of the church of Mid-Lavant, Sussex; these paintings, apparently of the latter part of the fifteenth century, are arranged in compartments, and seem to have formed a series representing the Sacraments and Services of the Church. One of them exhibited the rite of interment; the priest, vested in an alb, touches with the processional cross the corpse wrapped in the shroud, marked upon the breast with a large cross patée. On the south wall of the nave appeared a large figure of St. George, date, about t. Hen. VII. Mr. Dorrien remarked that indications were discernible of three successive decorations; the earliest being coeval with the fabric, and consisting of designs in outline in coarse red paint. Many traces of mural paintings have been found in the churches of that part of Sussex, but mostly foliated ornaments and zig-zag patterns.

A notice and representation of similar paintings, recently uncovered on the north side of the nave in Melcombe-Horsey church, Dorset, has been communicated by the Rev. Charles Bingham. They are in very imperfect condition, the design apparently of the earlier part of the fifteenth century. In one compartment appeared a gigantic St. Christopher, at whose feet were pourtrayed a siren and numerous fishes. Adjoining to this figure was seen St. Michael weighing a soul in the balance. Near to the personification of the departed spirit was introduced a figure, in very small proportions, with the right hand upraised in benediction, and a book in the left. It may possibly represent an ecclesiastic, supplicating mercy towards the deceased; there is no nimb around the head. The church is a building of Decorated character, without any portions of earlier date.

The attention of the Central Committee has been called, by Mr. Richard Hussey, to the existence of a good example of the domestic arrangements of the fourteenth century, in Somersetshire. The rectorial manor-house at Crewkerne, consists of the original buildings, apparently in the style of the reign of Edward II., with an addition in the Perpendicular style. It is in a very dilapidated condition, and will, probably, be soon pulled down to make way for a modern dwelling-house. The original features are in part concealed by ivy, but some of them are perfectly visible: a window in one of the gables is of two lights, and, as is not uncommon in domestic buildings of that age, has a transom. There is a projection on the eastern side of the house, possibly intended as a chapel. This building appeared to be a valuable specimen of domestic architecture, during a period of which few similar works exist, and it deserves to be carefully planned and drawn. The original part seems to have been but little altered; the general composition is very picturesque, and the site, adjoining to the western side of the church-yard, was well chosen. Mr. Hussey expressed the hope that some Member of the Institute might be disposed to examine this fabric without delay, and preserve memorials of its character and details.

The market-place of the town of Ashburton, Devon, a curious timbered fabric of considerable antiquity, consists of an open arcade, formed with pointed arches of wood, supporting a lean-to roof, on either side, and a single upper story. Its dimensions are about 150 feet in length, by 10 or 12 feet in width, the upper part of the building being considerably less wide, on account of the pentise roof on each side. This ancient structure has fallen into decay, and, according to the report of the Rev. Arthur Hussey, it will inevitably, unless some steps be taken to prevent its removal, be demolished on the expiration of an existing lease, terminating at the death of a person above eighty years of age. He suggested that, at least, some examination of its construction should be made by a competent person, and a representation, plan, or section, preserved, as a memorial of an interesting specimen of a class of buildings, of which few now remain.

Mr. E. J. Carlos, in reference to the singular matrix of a mayoralty seal for the city of London, found in the chateau of Gièz, of which a representation had been given in the Archæological Journal^[11], communicated the following observations. He stated that he had regarded it as the seal made in lieu of the former mayoralty seal, on occasion of the avoidance of the old charter of the city of London, by a writ "quo warranto" in the year 1683. The new charter granted to the city would render requisite the fabrication of new seals for the corporation, and the office of mayoralty. The old charter was restored by King James II., previously to his forced abdication, and he, probably, carried the civic seals to France, with the great seals of England and Ireland, These last are enumerated in the inventory of his effects, published in the Archæologia, xviii. p. 229. The mayoralty seal, being of base metal, might not be considered deserving to be included in that inventory. Mr. Carlos remarked that the seal found in Touraine, which clearly could not be assigned to the period of the regent, duke of Bedford, resembled the ancient one in general design, the debased character of the architectural ornaments, and the changes made in the saints and armorial scutcheons excepted. The figures, as he supposed, represent St. Edward the Confessor, and St. Thomas of Canterbury, in place of St. Peter and St. Paul. The design of the matrix well accords with the age of Charles II. or James I.; had it been a fabrication for any improper purpose, it is obvious that a more close imitation of the original would have been produced.

In Trinity Term, 35 Car. II., 1682, judgment was given on the famous quo warranto, that the corporation be seized into the king's hands as forfeited; and the charter appears to have been surrendered, an example which was successively followed by the other corporations of England. Considerable sums were exacted by the crown for their restitution. King James II., in the last year of his reign, restored the charter to the citizens of London by Lord Chancellor Jefferies, and one of the first acts of the new regime, after the revolution, was to reverse the judgment on the quo warranto, and declare the city a corporation. Mr. Carlos is of opinion that King James had contemplated the grant of a new charter as an act of grace from himself, and in anticipation of such intention had caused new seals to be fabricated for the corporation and for the mayoralty. There is, however, no evidence that any such seal was delivered, or used, and the old seals continued in use, with perfect propriety, as they bore no allusion to the charter, and as the quo warranto did not abolish the corporation, but only seized it into the king's hands. When, however, King James, according to the supposition of Mr. Carlos, contemplated the grant of a new charter, in order to palliate an unpopular measure, he very probably would cause new seals to be made, to shew that the matter of the new charter emanated from his prerogative. At last, the Prince of Orange being in motion, the king restored the charter to the city.

The seal in question appears to have been intended as the mayor's official seal, used on his own authority, and attached to precepts for the election of common council men, and other documents. Its ancient use was for sealing statutes as mayor, probably in pursuance of the statute of Acton Burnel (2 Edw. I.) which authorized the mayors of London, York, and Bristol, to have seals for statutes acknowledged under that act. The corporate seal was distinct from this; it was used to certify acts of the whole corporation, and always affixed in the presence of the court of common council, the "parliament of the city."

Ring, Bredicot.

Earring, Bredon Hill.

Several curious objects of personal ornament, found in Worcestershire, have been submitted for examination by Mr. Jabez Allies. Amongst them may be noticed an ear-ring of silver, weight sixty grains, found with Roman brass coins of Allectus, Quintillus, and Constans, the acus of a fibula, and a silver penny of one of the Edwards, struck at London, in a field called Nettlebed, situate on the south side of Bredon Hill, near the ancient camp^[12]. On the lower part of the ring appears a cavity formed to receive a gem. The ring of base metal, plated with gold, and inscribed with a cabalistic or talismanic legend, represented in p. 267, was recently dug up, near to the church-yard at Bredicot. It appears to be of the fourteenth century.

Thumb ring, Saxon's Lode.

A ring of later date, formed of silver considerably alloyed or plated with baser metal, and strongly gilt, found in dredging in the bed of the Severn, in January last, at a place called Saxon's or Saxton's Lode, a little southward of Upton, supplies a good example of the signet thumb ring of the fifteenth century; the hoop is grooved spirally, it weighs 17 dwts. 18 grs., and exhibits the initial H. Signet rings of this kind were worn by rich citizens, or persons of substance, not entitled to bear arms. Falstaff bragged that in his earlier years he had been so slender in figure that he could readily have crept through an "alderman's thumb ring," and a ring thus worn, probably, as more conspicuous, appears to have been considered as appropriate to the customary attire of a civic dignitary at a much later period. A character in the Lord Mayor's show, in the year 1664, is described as "habited like a grave citizen,—gold girdle and gloves hung thereon, rings on his fingers, and a seal ring on his thumb."

Early coped coffin-lid, Repps, Norfolk.

Early coped coffin-lid, Bircham-Tofts, Norfolk.

The Rev. C. Boutell, M.A., Local Secretary, placed at the disposal of the Committee the accompanying engravings of two early stone coffin-lids, the one discovered in the year 1843, in the church-yard at Bircham-Tofts, in the county of Norfolk, and remarkable for the singular arrangement of the sculptured letters on either side the cross: the other, now forming part of the pavement of the small Decorated church of Repps, in the same county. This stone is slightly coped, and the cross with its accompanying ornaments are rudely, but still boldly executed in low relief. The church of Repps, though a very unpretending structure, possesses an excellent specimen of the circular flint towers of such frequent occurrence in this district; it is surmounted by an octagonal heading of ashlar, so arranged as to form an arcade pierced towards the cardinal points with open windows, all in good preservation. It is probable that the stone last described commemorates the founder of the Norman tower of this church, and that consequently its date would be in the eleventh century.

The singular ring, of which a representation is here given, is in the possession of the Rev. Walter Sneyd. It is of mixed yellow metal, gilt; on either side of the hoop there is a crown, of the form commonly seen on coins or money of the twelfth century, and on the signet are the words, ROGERIVS REX, chased in high relief. In the form of the character they correspond closely with legends on coins of Roger, second duke of Apulia of the name, crowned king of Sicily, A.D. 1129: he died A.D. 1152. Roger I., deceased A.D. 1101, had expelled the Saracens, and taken possession of the whole of Sicily. This ring has every appearance of genuine character; but it is difficult to explain for what purpose it was fabricated, the inscription not being inverted, and the letters in relief ill-suited for producing an impression. It seems very improbable that King Roger should have worn a ring of base metal, and the conjecture may deserve consideration, that it was a signet not intended for the purpose of sealing, but entrusted, in lieu of credentials, to some envoy.

Ring, Flodden Field.

The gold ornament here represented is in the possession of Mr. J. N. Paton, sen., F.S.A., Scotland; it is reported to have been found on the field of Floddon. Its weight is 8 dwts. 17 grs. A somewhat similar gold ring, but of less weight, found in the church-yard of Dunfermline, the burial-place of King Robert Bruce, was purchased a few years since by Mr. Paton; but it is no longer in his possession. The junction of this ring had been ornamented with a precious stone. A third, resembling the ring above represented, was dug up, a few years since, on the field of Bannockburn, and is now in the possession of a person residing in Stirlingshire. These particulars, with a drawing by the skilful hand of Mr. Pidgeon of Liverpool, have been received through the Rev. Dr. Hume, Local Secretary of the Institute in that city, who is engaged in preparing for publication a detailed account of the curious remains discovered near the mouth of the Dee, to which allusion has been made in the last Journal.

Two gold rings, resembling in general character the ornament found at Floddon, were exhibited at a recent meeting of the Society of Antiquaries. One of them, in the collection of Mr. Whincopp, of Woodbridge, was found, as stated, in an earthen vase, near Bury. The other was ploughed up on the Sussex Downs near Falmer, and is now preserved by Dr. Mantell amongst the curious antiquities found at Lewes, and in the adjoining district, of which some account has been given by Mr. Horsfield. It is not easy satisfactorily to define either the purpose for which these ornaments were intended, or the period to which they should be assigned. By some persons they have been regarded as ear-rings, a purpose for which their weight alone renders them ill-suited. They appear to offer some analogy with the tore of the Celtic age, whilst examples of twisted and intertwined ornaments, apparently of Saxon workmanship, may be adduced, especially those discovered in Cuerdale, Lancashire, and the armilla found at Halton, in the same county.

 

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1. Soil, light; subsoil, gravel; circumference, about 300 feet; diameter, from 80 to 90 feet; present height, 14 feet; but the plough has frequently passed over it, for the land has been under cultivation since 1801.
2. Diameter of the tumulus, 24 yards; composition of the tumulus, surface soil intermixed with chalk and fragments of flint; subsoil, hard chalk.
3. See the representation given by Whitaker in his Loidis; a foliated ornament, forming a repetition of volutes, runs along the side: at the end, which is formed as a gable, there is a panel, enclosing a cross.
4. Vol. ii. p. 44
5. Leitfaden zur Nordischen Alterthumskunde, Kopent. 1837; p. 63.
6. See his History of Gainford, where representations are given.
7. The various readings noticed on collation with the original have not appeared sufficiently material to justify the reprinting of this curious document at length. It deserves notice, however, that in the Monasticon the date had been erroneously printed m.lxxxviij. an error not noticed in the new edition. In the Hist. Warw., and Hearne's edition of Heming's Cartulary, it is correctly given.
8. These were, as we learn from Domesday, Bricstuinus, who, in the times of the Confessor, held a moiety of the lands granted by Wolstan; Britnodus, and Aluui, being occupants of the remainder. See the statement of their recovery by the bishop, Domesday Book, f. 238. b.
9. The expression is as follows:—"anno ingressionis nostre in novum monasterium, quod construxi in honore dei genetricis, primo." It would appear by the context that the church, rebuilt by Wolstan, had, as well as the monastic buildings, been completed previously to the date of his grant.
10. Anglia Sacra, ii. 241.
11. See p. 74 of this volume.
12. Described in the "Antiquities of Worcestershire," by Jabez Allies, F.S.A.