ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS ballast. About two acres had been worked at that date, and a cemetery of the Anglo-Saxons revealed." The graves were at intervals of 2 or 3 ft. to as many yards, and were indicated by a dark streak in the gravel or sand. A north-and-south trench disclosed about 100 skeletons laid with the heads to the south-west and feet to the north-east, about 18 in. below the surface and just within the gravel. Over an area of about 250 sq. ft. skeletons were lying in all directions, and nothing was found here but one small knife ; but with the others were urns, beads, brooches, spear-heads, and other articles, and all were disinterred by the workmen without proper supervision, the association of objects not being generally determined. It was, however, clear that on the site bodies had been buried after cremation in cinerary urns and others unburnt, either with or without coffins, but in either case with the garments, weapons, or ornaments of the deceased. Cremation and simple inhumation seemed to have been contemporary on this site, but it was held that the small number of urns showed the former practice was on the decline , and the small accessory vessels of pottery found with skeletons were merely a survival from the days of incineration. This is, however, inconsis- tent with the view that both methods of disposing of the dead were adopted by contemporaries ; and the presence of small vessels, not used as cineraries, was probably due to a radical change in the religious beliefs of the popula- tion, possibly to a new wave of immigration. Descriptive notes on the various classes of objects accompany the numer- ous illustrations in Mr. Tymms' paper, and the most interesting points may here be mentioned. Perhaps the greatest rarity is a coffin of Barnack stone, 5 ft. 8 in. long. It was without a lid, and lay about 15 in. below the surface, containing a few bones of a young person, accompanied by one half of a small bronze clasp and one or two pieces of iron. On the left side, but possibly belonging to an adjacent burial, were found a shield-boss and spear-head of iron. Besides the ordinary form of shield-boss with a stud on the point, one of conical form was discovered that may have been the earlier form,"* and only one sword is known to have come from the heath. This was of the usual length (36 in.), retaining traces of a wooden scabbard, and Willi 't in the grave were a shield-boss and spear-head, fragments of two buckets, two long brooches, two clasps (probably at the wrists), two flat rings (apparently annular brooches without their pins), and some beads (generally confined to female interments). Among the spear-heads may be noticed one with a long slender head and a socketed ferrule for the butt-end, while two arrow-heads of iron are recorded from this site. The bow does not appear to have formed part of the military equipment in England during the pagan period, but a few other arrow- heads have been collected from cemeteries of that period, as at Marston St. Lawrence, Northants ; North Luffenham, Rutland ; Lowesby Hall, Lei- cestershire ; and Chessel Down, Isle of Wight, where several together were " Many objects found in 1849, '" ^^^ collections of Messrs. Warren and Gwilt, were illustrated by Roach Smith, Co/l. Jntij. ii, 165, plates xxxix-xli, A and B. They include girdle-hangen, perforated coins and beads, bracelet-clasps, brooches of various types, and a bucket-mount, the last being figured in Pag. Sax. pi. XXXV, fig. 3, with part of girdle-hanger (fig. 2). See also pi. xxxix, I (buckle), and 2 (girdle- hanger). The site is marked on the I -in. Ordnance Survey Map, sheet 189. "" One of the early 5 th century from Vermand, Aisne, is figured by Eck, Deux Cimetiirei gallo-romaini, pi. ii, fig. 1. 339
