ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS art, and of their great practical acquaintance with the mystery of the smith,' during the dark era which preceded their conversion to Chris- tianity. But little light is thrown upon the physical characteristics of the post-Roman people of Derbyshire by the remains which have been considered in this article, and this is mainly due to the decayed and broken condition of the skeletons. In Mr. Bateman's list 1 only five skulls which can be assigned to this period with a reasonable degree of authority, were sufficiently perfect to admit of their shapes being specified. Of these, four are described as oval and one as short. The lengths of four thigh-bones are given as ao|, 19^, ig| and 17 inches respectively. The latter may be disregarded, as it seems to have related to an immature person. The remaining three indicate a stature in life ranging from 5 feet 1 1 inches to 6 feet 33 inches. If this scanty evidence can be accepted as representative of the post- Roman people of the county, it points to the predominance of a tall long-headed type, and this quite accords with what has been observed elsewhere in the country. 1 Digging!, p. 257. 277
