The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-30 00:00:00

THE YOBKSHII?E WOLD TUMULI,

Although the weather has been of a wintry character
quite unusual at this period of the year, and, in consequence
extremely unfavourable to outdoor work on the welds, the
Rev. Canon Greenwell, of Durham, has prosecuted his ex-
aminations of the British grave mounds remaining unopened
on the North Wrolds, but has not quite succeeded in com-
pleting his researches, in consequence of the heavy snow-
fall. The discoveries have been of much interest. A
barrow of apparently very large size upon the Sherburn
Weld proved to bo a natural hill, which had been adopted
as a burial mound, and apparently much added to by the
Britons. The centre yielded nothing, the natural rock
came to the top, and it is probable that the primary inter-
ment had been ploughed away. Even now the mound
measures 901 t. by 74ft., and is north and south. At a point
18ft. from the supposed cen Eral point, in a direction W.S.W.,
and upon the natural surface, was an unburnt contracted
body on the left side, with the head to the south-east.
The right hand was bent at the wrist, over the hip. Be-
fore the face and chest and as far as the knees were the
scattered remains of a burnt body, some of the bones
being underneath the unburnt body. The two different
modes of interment had evidently occurred at the same
time. Tho other tumulus was on Canton Weld, and was
bOft. in diameter, and only one foot high. In this, too, re-
duced by cultivation, the central interment had
gone, otherwise the tumulus was prolific. At four-
teen feet E.S.E. from the centre an unburnt body
was found lying on the right side, with the head
to S.W. by S. The right hand was to the face, and
the left on the knees, and the burial appeared to bo
that of a man of GO years. There was a great deal of
charcoal about the head. The body was laid on a deposit
of black-coloured earth, 4in. thick, which contained pieces
of pottery, flint chippings, and broken animals' bones, the
burial having been made in a hollow sin. deep . A peculiar
deposit of the black, ashy earth extended in a line 2ft.
wide from the body to 7ft. west of it, and in the black
were many animals' bones. At about sft. nearly west of the
head was a separate deposit of the black earth, containing a
large number of fragments of a peculiar black pottery and
numerous animals' bones, all broken up. At 13ft. from the
centre the the E.S.E. .was 'body on the right side,
with the head to the south, the right hand up to the face,
and the left on the knees. Before the face was an urn,
ornamented by impressions of a pointed instrument. Beforo
the chest wos a flint knife, carefully clipped on both edges.
Overlying the thighs of the body were the leg bones of a
much younger person, not more than about 12 years old.
This upper body was on the left side, with the head of
W.S.W. There was a great deposit of charcoal about these
bodies, and numerous pieces of animals' bones mixed in
it. At 20ft. N.W. of centre was the body of a man on
the left side, with the head to the east and hands up to
face. Under the hips was a well-formed broad flint knife,
beautifully chipped over the surface with a round
" scraper" and numerous flakes. There is but one other
barrow to investigate.