"The more elaborate objects, now laid before the Institute, were exhumed from the same spot, having been preserved from day to day as the men proceeded with their work. Amongst these, one relic appears to be a portion of a spear-head, and it is interesting from the paucity of remains of a warlike description found at Corinium. I have also sent some other examples of objects in iron, the purpose of which it is very difficult to determine; these, and nails in great variety, are all the specimens here discovered of that material. I would call attention to a group of five forms of Armillæ, of bronze, which are of interest as being found amidst such mixed objects; those represented in the Remains of Roman Art' were obtained from the burial-ground of the Romans, beyond the western wall of the Castrum.-(See the Notice of that volume, Archaeological Journal, vol. vii, p. 410.)-Amongst the Fibula occur some of well-known forms, with others of less common type, one of them a specimen of the rare fashion, well illustrated by that found at St. Albans. (Archæol. Journal, vol. vii, p. 399.) Another, of the bow-shaped type, is elegantly formed with three distinct curved ribs. One, somewhat similar, with two ribs only, found on the site of the Roman baths at York, was exhibited at a meeting of the Institute by Mr. Whincopp. One of these ornaments is still quite perfect, and might be employed for that same purpose for which it was originally formed, some centuries ago. Other objects appear to belong to the class of articles for the toilet, one of them probably an instrument for cleaning the nails, in which the neat style of ornament and the stone of a green colour, bearing some resemblance to malachite, on the top, afford a good example of the general care bestowed by the Romans in the construction of minor objects and implements of this description. Amongst the rings discovered, some are plain, and were perhaps not finger rings; one of those exhibited, however, was undoubtedly for the finger, and probably was set with an intaglio or gem of some kind. Another is 'penannular,' the tapered extremities being crossed, but not united, a mode of construction which admitted of the expansion of the ornament to fit any finger. There is also a Bulla or pendant of the same character as that discovered at Reculver, and figured by Battely (Antiq. Rutupinæ, p. 129), noticed also and copied by Mr. R. Smith, in the Antiquities of Richborough,' pl. vii. p. 207. The specimen now produced presents the heart-shaped form, but it does not contain any cavity in which perfume or relics could be deposited. Its style of ornamentation is curious; not being produced by engraving, but by cutting away portions of the metal, which perhaps exposed the colour of the material to which it was fastened ; this indeed might have been the receptacle or reliquary, as Bronze Implement. there indications that this little object was originally Orig. Size. appear of considerable thickness. There is an example of the ligula, of the usual form of Roman spoons with the pointed handle. In this example a small impressed ornament of concentric circles at intervals around the margin in the bowl of the spoon must not be overlooked, 3 These armilla bear much resemblance to those found in the rubbish-pit at Cadbury Camp, Devon. Archaeol. Journal, vol. v., p. 193. 4 Compare other specimens. Montf. Antiq. t. iii., pl. 37. as it shows the attention bestowed by Roman artificers to prevent the appearance of baldness and poverty. 64 The same kind of ornament will be found on other objects here discovered, and is significant as showing that those specimens, so like the modern escutcheon with which key-holes are concealed, are in reality Roman, and may in all probability have been used for a like purpose by the Ancients, though as far as I am aware nothing of the kind has been noticed before. We cannot appeal to any examples of these objects in situ, so that the original intention remains a question of considerable obscurity. There have been found various other relics of bronze, fragments of ornaments, &c., and with these a ring of lead; other pieces of this metal were found, but what was their design or date we have no means of ascertaining. "Amongst the objects not formed of metal, there was one so peculiar, that I send it on the present occasion with those of a dissimilar kind. It was brought by a workman who assured me that the orifice of the centre had a metal pin in it, which he foolishly was at great pains to remove; it might possibly have been some kind of knob or handle. "Another singular relic, a large ring, is sent with this, though found with another of a similar kind in some other part of the camp, simply because it is made of a like substance. As to the nature of the material, I am at a loss to determine: it does not seem to be wood, as I had at first imagined; it is perhaps a composition of vegetable and earthy matter, modelled somewhat after the manner of certain objects of papier mâché. I have not yet made an analysis of this, which I hope to do soon; in the mean time I shall be glad of any notes as to the uses and composition of these articles. This ring is massive; one side rather thicker than the other its diameter 3 inches; it may have served as an armlet, or fastening of the mantle.❜ "With respect to the place were these relics were found, it may be further remarked, that the excavation into which the mixed Roman rubbish was scattered, appears to have been first used by the Romans as a place from whence to obtain gravel, since gravel of a fine quality occurred there for some depth, and a quantity had been evidently removed at some former period. The remains of walls may have been those of dwellings of an early kind, which afterwards became disused, and the space was then made use of as a laystall or rubbish heap. This is confirmed by the position of the pottery, as although no article was found entire, yet diligent search enabled us to find most of the fragments, just as though a partially broken crock had been thrown away, and had become still more damaged by the fall. We may thus account for the heterogeneous mass of Roman matters, in which the articles of domestic use and those of personal adornment had been swept away by negligence. The coins may have met the same fate, and as these are mostly the smaller brass (no silver ones having been found) this circumstance tends much to confirm this view of the subject. "At all events, the finding of so many curious relics in so circumscribed a space should give us great encouragement in following out the excavations we hope soon to be enabled to recommence. To this end the Institute should be made aware that we have permission to break ground and to carry on 5 A ring, precisely similar in fashion and size, found at Lincoln, and formed of shale, apparently, or jet of coarse quality, is in Mr. Trollope's Museum. VOL VIII. сс extensive examinations, which will be done so soon as the small requisite fund we are collecting for the purpose shall have been sufficiently augmented, to enable us to carry out these interesting researches with effect." We hope on a future occasion to give representations of some other varied relics of antiquity lately brought to light at Cirencester, through Professor Buckman's well directed researches. MR. GREVILLE J. CHESTER Communicated the discovery of several curious bronze relics, of the Roman period, some of which were exhibited to the meeting. They were recently found at Sutton Courtney, in Berkshire, near Abingdon, and consist of a bronze strigil, a small bronze bell, and fragments of bronze chain, composed of links of various sizes. This part of the county of Berkshire has produced a remarkable variety of ancient remains at different periods, and many of these relics have been collected by Mr. Jesse King, of Appleford, who kindly contributed a large series of objects of antiquity, British and Roman, exhibited in the museum formed during the meeting of the Institute at Oxford. The strigil is formed of very thin metal, coated with a patina of fine colour, but unfortunately the extremity of the hollow part of this implement has been broken off, the metal being excessively fragile, and it is impossible to say positively what might have been its form in its complete state. It is of very good workmanship, and some incised ornaments, designed with elegance, appear upon the handle, although much encrusted wita arugo. There are several examples of the form of the strigil in the British Museum, but it does not appear to have been frequently found in our country with Roman remains. This may indeed be mentioned as a singular circumstance, since so many discoveries of Roman baths and sudatories have been made in various parts of England. Battely, in describing one found at Reculver, in Kent, of which a representation may be seen in his "Antiquitates Rutupinæ," p. 115, speaks of it as the only one discovered, to his knowledge, in Britain. A pair of bronze strigils formed part of the remarkable collection of objects of bronze, glass and pottery, one of the most interesting discoveries of Roman relics ever made in our country, namely, the sepulchral deposit brought to light in 1835 by the late Mr. Gage Rokewode, in one of the Bartlow Hills, Cambridgeshire. It is feared that these strigils perished in the conflagration of Lord Maynard's house in Essex they were found deposited with a frame of a folding chair, of iron, probably a seat destined for use in the bath, and a little vessel of earthenware, or unguentary. These two strigils, of which representations are given in Mr. Rokewode's Memoir in the Archæologia," vol. xxvi., were precisely similar, in size and form; and it might be conjectured from this that strigils were used, like brushes for the bath, in pairs; the handles were formed, as those of some continental specimens, with a very narrow opening, too contracted for the fingers to be passed through it, but as if intended to receive a band, the use of which, Mr. Rokewode observes, might be to suspend the strigil to the wrist, when not actually in use. It is seen thus suspended on one of the Canino vases. The strigil exhibited to the Society by Mr. Chester is so much damaged that it is not possible to assert that the ligula, or hollowed part, was recurved, usually its form; it pro 66 6 The fragment, as now seen, measures in length, about 6 in. 7 This strigil may now be seen in the Library, at Trinity College, Cambridge, with a few relics from Reculver. bably was so, as appears by comparison with one formerly preserved at the Library of St. Genevieve, at Paris. 8 With the strigil were found, as already stated, several fragments of bronze chain, formed of links of various sizes, and to the smallest are appended little pellets, forming a sort of tassel. It is to be regretted that these remains are in so fragmentary a state; enough remains to show that they composed one of those scourges, called plumbatæ tribulatæ, or mammillatæ, not often found in England. There is, however, in the Hon. Richard Neville's museum, one found at Chesterford, with Roman coins. A representation of it was given in the Journal in 1849. Another is figured in the "Archæologia," but it is not described as found in this country. These cruel scourges were used for the punishment of slaves, and by the Theodosian Code it was forbidden to punish a free-born person with the plumbate. They were used in gladiatoral conflicts, in the worship of Cybele, and in the torture of Christian martyrs: sometimes small bones were attached to the chains, or dentated rings of bronze, to make the punishment more severe. In the fragments exhibited, found in Berkshire, it may be observed that the edges of the rings are sharp, and they are combined in pairs, giving greater flexibility, and rendering the lash more severe. It may deserve remark, that in a bas-relief published by Muratori, Cybele is seen striking a kind of drum or tambourine with a scourge of this kind." With these curious relics from Sutton, Mr. Chester exhibited two other ancient objects of bronze found in Norfolk, and laid before the Society by permission of Mr. Plowright, of Swaffham. One of these is a celt, deserving notice as being ornamented with engraved lines; examples of celts thus ornamented have been of rather uncommon occurrence in England until lately, although frequently found in Ireland; some very curious engraved celts have, however, been brought before the Institute by Mr. Brackstone and Mr. Dunoyer, found in Yorkshire and other parts of the North of England. Mr. Plowright sent also a bronze hook, or falx, found in Norfolk. Implements of this kind are not uncommon in Ireland: they have sometimes been called reaping-hooks, although wholly unsuited for such a purpose. By other antiquaries it has been conjectured that they are the golden sickles with which the Druids, as supposed, used to cut mistletoe. Whatever may have been their use, it is worth remark that the active research of later years has brought to light in England many of the types of ancient remains, heretofore regarded as exclusively Irish. This is the second bronze falx communicated to the Institute within the last few months the first was found in Cambridgeshire, and was exhibited by the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. It was unique in the peculiarity of being edged on one side, the inner side only-that now shown resembled the ordinary form of the Irish implement of this description, and is sharpened on both edges. These hooked instruments do not appear to be known to the antiquaries of Northern Europe, nor are they to be found, as far as we are aware, in the remarkable museum at Copenhagen. M. PULSKI remarked that he had seen similar chains, but of larger size, 8 Du Molinet, Cabinet de la Bibl. de S. Genevieve, p. 25. There is a strigil in the Museum of the Corporation of London, found on the site of the Royal Exchange. * See a specimen of the Plumbata, Cab. de S. Genev., p. 4, with pendants resem- Archaeol. Journ., vol. vii. p, 302. with pendant tags, found in Hungary, and that they had usually been considered by archaeologists, in that part of Europe, as appendages of horsefurniture. MR. FREDERICK MANNING sent a notice of an ancient vessel of large size, discovered in May, 1848, deeply imbedded in the mud at Southampton. From peculiarities of construction, and other circumstances, it was affirmed by persons who examined the remains, that this vessel was of very ancient build, and the conjecture obtained credence, that it possibly had been a Roman galley. The station of Clausentum was not far distant; some antiquaries, indeed, have placed the site at Southampton. MR. WILLIAM F. VERNON, of Hilton Park, Staffordshire, gave the following particulars relating to a curious bronze image, connected with the ancient manorial customs of his paternal property at that place, and still there preserved. This singular figure, which has been regarded by some antiquaries as an image of the German deity, Busterichus, was exhibited. "The earliest mention that I can find of Jack of Hilton, in the deeds at Hilton, is in a bill, entitled-A Bill in the Court of Wards-Petition to the Rt Houble Lord Burghleigh, Lord highe Tresorer of England, Mr of her M. highness' court of Ward and Lyveries.-Gilbert Wakering, versus Townshend & others.' Sir Gilbert Wakering, it should be observed, was appointed by the Queen guardian of Margaret Vernon, 39 Eliz., 1596–7. Lord Burleigh died 1598. The age of this document may thus be very nearly ascertained. "This bill, after many complaints against the defendant, goes on to say— "And whereas there hath beene belonginge to the cheafe capital mesuage of the manner of Hilton, aforesaid, being parcell of the warde's inheritance, tyme whereoff the memorie of man is not to the contrarie, an ancient statue, image, instrumente, or heir loome of brasse, of the fashion, proportion, and likeness of a boy, comonly called Jack of Hylton, which evrie yeare in the Cristmas tyme was accustomed to be placed in the hall of the manor house at Hilton aforesaid, where & when the tenante of the same mannor did and used to doe certayne servyces for the better retayninge of the same & their tenures in memorie; and the same statue, image, instrument, or heir loome, the said Henrie Vernon at the tyme of his diceace (21 June, 1592) did leave in the saide capitall mesuage of Hilton, meaning & intending that the same should come & be unto his heirs and to the lawful owners of the said manner house of Hilton, yet so it is that the said Henrie Townshend and th'other parties aforesaid, or some of them, or some other person by their or some one of their meanes, direction, or privitie, hath lately embezeled and deforced, and keepeth and detayneth the same statue, image, instrumente or heire loome, in a place farre distante from the said mannor of Hilton, and doe withholde the same from her Majties said warde, to the discontinuance of the services of the tenante of the said mannor of Hilton, and to the danger of the loss & utter extinguishment of the same services, contrarie to the meaning of the said Henrie Vernon, and against right, &c.' 6 "I also find another petition in the Court of Wards from John Vernon, the ward's uncle, against Henry Townshend, dated 1598, and directed To the right honble Sr Robert Cyrell Deverax, of the most noble order of the Garter, knight, Earl of Essex & Ewe, and Mr of her Majties Court of Warde & Lyveries.' "In most humble manner sheweth, &c., &c., inter alia, that whereas |