Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/533

Rh tumulus, the workmen suddenly dislodged some large stones, and with them a piece of pottery, which proved to be part of a large urn, which was surrounded on all sides by a kind of wall of large flints, put together very closely, but without any kind of cement or mortar. When some sand had been thrown out, I descended into the hole, and gradually loosened the stones with a knife, working very carefully around the urn. The stones were at length cleared away, and the urn appeared standing on a bed of gravel on the natural level of the soil. It was then carefully lifted out. Its mouth was filled up by a large water-worn flint, which had evidently been placed over the top as a covering, but had been forced down by the weight of the superincumbent earth. The dimensions of this urn, which is of unusually large size, are as follows:—Height, 17$1⁄2$ in.; across the mouth, 13 in.; circumference of the widest part, 3 feet 10 in.; do. of the bottom, 22 in. It is formed (as are all the other fragments discovered) of sun-burnt clay, without ornament of any kind, and was filled with sand, pieces of charcoal, flints, and a large quantity of burnt bones. I carefully sifted the whole contents, but not a vestige of beads, ornaments, or weapons could be traced. I may, however, perhaps, except one flint, of which the shape and appearance is such as to lead to the belief, that it may have been chosen as suitable to form a celt from. Professor Worsaae's opinion, however, seems to militate against this surmise, since he believes that stone objects are rarely found in those graves which contain burnt bones. I have submitted the bones contained in the large urn to the inspection of an experienced surgeon, who assures me that they could not have belonged to one individual only, as they differ both in appearance and texture. Some of them doubtless belonged to a very young person. Next day I again visited the spot, accompanied by Mr. Bolding. On digging a trench on the south-east side of the tumulus, a few fragments of another urn appeared; this also was of sun-burnt brown pottery, but of a much thinner texture than any before discovered. These pieces were ornamented with a pattern made by puncturing the clay six or seven times in a line with a small pin or such like instrument.

"I understand that the Rev. J. Pullcyn, of Holt, has part of an urn equal in size to the largest of those above described; it was discovered by some boys in a sand bank by the side of the road at Wiverton, in a place not above two miles from Salthouse Heath. Broken fragments of Celtic pottery have also been found in the neighbourhood, at Runton, near Cromer. They were parts of urns, filled with burnt bones, which had been interred so near the surface of the earth as to be broken by the plough in passing over them."

The communicated an account of the peculiarities of Roman construction, and other details of the vestiges recently brought to light by his researches at Hadstock, in an interesting report drawn up by Mr. Buckler. A notice was also sent by, relating to the coins, urns, and various remains found on the site of the extensive villa, of which the discovery had been related at the previous meeting. (See page 389.)

The, secretary of the Kilkenny Archæological Society, sent the following notice of ancient querns, referring especially to a perfect and very interesting specimen recently presented by the Society to the Institute. A representation of this curious object is here given, and the ordinary mode of its use is very distinctly explained by Mr. Graves. The