Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/340

 or)o PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF About the month of February or Marcli hst an iron spear, supposed to be of the Anglo-Saxon age, was found in digoing clay at Naunton Close, about half a mile from that side of Leckliaiiipton Hill Avhieh faces Cheltenham. The spear lay beneath about 7 feet of yellow clay, and 2 feet of blue clay. It measures IGi inches in length, and bears resem- blance to the spears assigned to Anglo-Saxon times. Other reliques have from time to time been found there by the workmen in digging clay for Mr. TliackwelTs Pottery Works, and some of these have been purchased bv Mr. Jenkins of Leckhampton, who deals in antiquities. They were sent fur the inspection of the Meeting, and comprised the following : — An iron trident, probably the lower portion of a fishing spear, called in some parts of England " a gleeve : ' the barbed prongs have disappeared, but a strong iron ferrule remained, which probably was fixed on the end of the handle, and the workmen who found these reliques informed Mr. Jenkins that the handle fell to pieces when it was dug up. — Two iron keys, presenting no features characteristic of their age. — A small iron adze, about 4 inches in length ; and a circular piece of iron, perforated in the centre, the use unknown. Mr. Allies sent also fragments of fictile ware, found in the clay at the same place, the site as he is disposed to conclude of an ancient pottery. They arc of three colours, red, white, and grev, and arc probably formed of the clay of the place, the pottery now made there being of the same colours. Red ware is made of the vellow clay, white ware of the blue, and the grey ware is produced by the two clays combined, the deepness of the grey colour depending of course upon the comparative proportions of the yellow and the blue clays in the mixture. The ware thus produced is not to be confounded with the Roman slate-coloured pottery, the sombre hue of which appears to liave been produced by suffocating the fire of the kiln, according to the explanation suggested by the late Mr. Artis.^ Several handles of earthen vessels had been obtained by Mr. Allies ; the outside or convex face of these is formed with a hollow, and rudely ornamented with punctures ; one of them has small knobs in this liolluw. No bronze olijocts had been found. Portions of foundations of a building of stone were discovered at one part on the border of the present excavations. The bed of blue clay, Mr. Allies observed, may have been the bottom of an ancient lake, which was filled up with the detritus of oolite, ttc. from Leckhampton Hill and the neighbourhood. The dejith of this bed is unknown. It contains in places, generally at a depth of about five feet, strata of indurated grit, shells, and brokiii pentacrinites. There occur also fragments of fossil jdants, supposed to be of a species of Sigillaria." He sent Bi)ecinien8 with bones and teeth of animals found in the clay, which prove, on examination by Professor (Juekett, to be of the horse and ox, with some remains, jiossibly, of the Hos longifrons. Tiie place which, as has been ol»served, may have been anciently a lake, still presents the ajipearance of a trough or hollow, through which a rill runs at limes. The thickness of the upper stratum .
 * Sc-o Mr. Alli<'M' notice of tliiH laml of ' Sci« Dr. Uiicklimd'H (IcDlngy, Bri(lf,'c-