the third one was found at Elton. It is somewhat peculiar in the twisting of the wire at the top. Circular fibulæ have also been

1241

L.JENITT del So

found in the county.

Of armillæ a very fine pair, here shown,

have recently been found at Stony Middleton, about eight feet

below the surface.* They are of base silver and appear to have been much worn. They will be seen to be very similar in pattern to a pair found some few years ago at Castlethorpe, along with a number of Roman coins and other remains, which have been described in the "Archælogical Journal."

Iron knives have occasionally been found along with human

remains of this period. Instances of this have occurred at Middleton-by-Youlgreave and at Hartington, as well as in other

localities. They appear to have had wooden handles, which, of course, are, except small traces of texture, entirely decayed away. Spear and lance-heads, which have also been interred with the dead, have also been found. Of these, for purposes of comparison with those of other localities, I give two examples.

The first, which is of iron, is from Little Chester, where it was found along with human remains, and the second, which is of

bronze, was found at Hartshay. It is, as will be seen, of somewhat unusual form, and has a loop on either side. Another form, from Wardlow, is also here given. It is of bronze and is 3 inches long.

Combs and bone pins have been found occasionally with interments of this period.

Coins are, as a matter of course, very generally found with interments of the Roman period both in England and in other countries, and Derbyshire is no exception to the rule. Coins

were buried with the dead in conformity with a superstitions belief that they would expediate the passage of the soul across the lake in Hades. The magic power of money in all connections with human life, originated this custom. In all worldly matters money then was, as it unfortunately now still is, the main, if not the only sure passport to place and honour; and thus it was believed that the soul of the man who had not received the usual rites of burial, and in whose mouth no fee for the ferryman of the Stygian lake had been placed,* would wander hopelessly on its banks, while decent interment and a small brass coin would obviate any disagreeable enquiries that Charon might else be inclined to make as to the merits or claims of the applicant. Thus in the cinerary urns of the period of which I am speaking, coins are very commonly found, and also in interments by inhumation a small coin has in more than one instance in Derbyshire been found within the skull in such a manner as to leave no doubt of its having been placed inside the mouth of the deceased. In some instances a considerable number of coins have been found deposited together, or scattered about in a barrow along with the human remains. In Haddon Field a large number of coins, principally consisting of third brass of Constantine, Constans, Constantius II., Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian, were found along with bones, fragments of pottery, traces of decayed wood, and a portion of a glass vessel. At Minning-Low (the fine chambered tumulus described on page 188, ante), where several interments of the Romano-British period have undoubtedly been made in the earlier Celtic mound, many Roman coins along with portions of sepulchral urns, etc., have from time to time been found. These are principally of Claudius Gothicus, Constantine the Great, Constantine junior, Valentinian, and Constantius II. In a barrow near Parwich upwards of eighty coins of the later emperors were found. At Little Chester, some in connection with human remains, and others scattered about in different parts of the station, some hundreds of Roman coins have at various times been found. In my own possession are considerably more than a hundred examples from that locality, ranging from Vespasian to Arcadius, and including Vespasian, Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Faustina senior, Marcus Aurelius, Faustina junior, Commodus, Gordianus III., Philippus senior, Volusian, Gallienus, Salonina, Postumus senior, Victorinus senior, Tetricus senior and junior, Claudius Gothicus, Carausius, Allectus, Constantius Chlorus, Helena, Licinius senior, Constantinus Maximus, Constantinus II., Constans, Constantius II., Family of Constantine, Magnentius, Valens, Arcadius, etc.,

etc.

"Nec habet quem porrigat ore trientem."-Juvenal.

In other parts of Derbyshire coins have been found in considerable numbers, sometimes in connection with interments, but more commonly without. Beads have also occasionally been found. The one here engraved was found near to a deposit of burnt bones in a barrow at Harley or Harlow Hill. It is of blue glass, and is of the most usual form of Roman beads.

JEWITT de

Of the pottery alone of the RomanoBritish period, sufficient interesting matter to fill a couple of goodly volumes might easily be written. It will, therefore, be easily understood that in a paper like the one I am now drawing up, which is simply intended to be a descriptive sketch of the contents of Derbyshire gravemounds, any account of the different kinds of ware made by that people, and of the modes of manufacture which they adopted, would be not only unnecessary, but, to some extent, out of place. Those who desire general information upon the Samian ware, the Durobrivian pottery, and the pottery of the Upchurch marshes, cannot do better than refer to, and study, the three excellent articles on those wares which have already appeared in the pages of THE INTELLECTUAL OBSERVER from the pen of my friend Mr. Thomas Wright, which will be found to give them all the information they can desire. The Roman cinerary urns found in Derbyshire are mostly of the usual globular form, and of a dark bluish-grey colour in fracture. They are somewhat coarse in texture, and are thrown on the wheel. Other varieties, both in form, in colour, and in material, however, occur, as will be seen from the following examples and descriptions. The first engraving exhibits one of

the hard bluish-grey vessels I have just now spoken of. When found, it was like the others I am about to notice, filled with burnt bones. The next engravings show two urns containing human remains, the smaller one of which was found at Little Chester. It is formed of a black clay, mixed with small pieces of broken shells-a kind of

pottery much used for sepulchral purposes. The larger urn, from my own collection, is of a hard and compact clay, and is beautifully "thrown" "thrown" on the wheel. These examples are entirely devoid are entirely devoid of ornament. The next

example, also from Little Chester, is of a totally different

diameter at the mouth.

When found, it was filled with

burnt bones, among which were some small fragments of

bronze ornaments, which had evidently been burned along with the body. Along with this engraving I give, for the purpose of comparison representations of two other urns from different localities, which will be seen to be of the same general form as the one I have described, although differing from it in ornamentation and in colour of clay.

In the regular cemeteries of the Romano-British period, the cinerary urns were usually surrounded by a group of vessels of various forms, sizes, and uses, which probably had orginally contained wine, unguents, aromatics, etc. Among these, vessels of various makes are found, and occasionally a Samianware cup, a patera, or a bowl. Although in Derbyshire no