The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-30 00:00:00

The Tumuli of the Yorkshire Wolds.

The third week of the scientific examinations of
the British barrows in Yorkshire has been spent by
the Rev. Wm. Greenwell, of Durham, and with him
Capt. Egerton, of Londesborough, Dr. Neis, Rev.
F. Simmons, rector of Dalton, Rev. Canon Mus-
grave, rector of Etton, and others, on the Goodman-
ham Wolds, near Enthorpe, on the estates of Lord
Londesborough. The removal from Weaverthorpe
proved to be one from a district where inhumation
had been the regular custom to one exclusively of
cremation. A group of barrows of various sizes were
opened, varying from 12 to 40 yards in diameter,
and from lift. to 6ft. high, all being more or less
ploughed down. They were situate on rising and
sloping ground in one of the smaller wold valleys,
and probably the whole group of burial mounds num-
ber about 30. Of these some were opened in 1809,
and many others at different times since. All are
made of soil, mixed with flint and chalk, and some-
times very large pieces or blocks of flint. The results
of the openings showed that nearly all the bodies were
burnt, and that the burnings had been made on the
spot, an unusual circumstance only previously found in
the examination of the small tumuli at Castle Howard.
One barrow, however, revealed a highly important
feature. Barrow No. 4 showed that the body was
placed before burning in precisely the same position
as the non-cremation people placed their Indies in
the ground. The burnings had been very imperfect
and the body was but charred, the bones showing
the doubled-up position admirably. This seemed a
remarkable and important discovery, showing that
the custom of contracting the body for burial as
adopted by the supposed aborigines was continued
by the later race, who burnt the body and collected
the fragments. The pottery found during the week
was also remarkable. Several urns were found ac-
companying the burnt burials, but none of them con-
tained burnt bones, and with one exception were
miniature cinerary urns, and not like those which
accompany but do not contain burnt bodies. There
was also a singular absence of flint implements, both
with the bodies and in the material of the houes, and
what was further remarkable the searchings made
in the adjoining fields showed that flint chippings
and implements were particularly scarce in the sur-
face soil. The researches, however, were on the
whole of a peculiar nature and of great interest.
The barrow first opened was 16 yards in diameter,
and 4ft. high. Four and a half yards east of centre,
and a little above natural surface, an urn was met
with, measuring Bin. in height, the rim overhanging
and ornamented with punctured markings in the
clay, arranged in squares of nine impressions. This
urn was empty and upright, and about Ift. west of
it a second urn, also upright, was found, the pottery
being quite plain, but the rim overhanging. The
bottom of this second urn was on a level with the
top of the first. Both urns were surrounded with
burnt earth, mixed sparingly with chßrcoal, and
both were p 'aced amid singularly scanty remains of
burnt bodies, of which the first was of a young per-
son, and the second much younger—a mere child.
The centre of the hone yielded nothing—the bodies
having been burnt and interred on the same places.
Two chippings of foreign flint and one long scraper
(" thumb flint"), very like the type of the one found
with the red urn in the Ganton barrows, were the
only implements found in the barrow.

The second barrow was of 12 yards diameter and
2ft. high. Five yards east-south-east of centre, on
the plane, a burnt body was found, quite like those
of the first barrow, and also burnt on the spot.
There were, however, very few traces remaining of
the bones. Three and a half yards east of the
centre a second burnt body was found, also burnt
on the spot, and with very few bones remaining.
One yard and a half east of the last a third
burnt body was found, more bones remain-
ing, but still very few, and those of an
older person. This was also burnt on the spot.
Three yards south-east of centre, and one foot above
surface, an urn was found lying on the side, the
mouth to the east, and beneath it an " incense cup"
of 2in. in diameter, and liin. high, the pottery quite
plain. The urn has a rim with horizontal workings
of impressed thong, and below the rim the urn has
a line of V markings, also of thong. The urn is 4in.
high, and with it was the least possible trace of
burnt bone—microscopic, in fact—the body having
been almost completely burnt on the spot. Two
yards east of centre, lift. above the natural surface,
was another burnt body, and upon the bones, or
a little among them, was an urn, standing upright,
sin. high, with [overhanging rim and ornamented
with punctured holes; the surface of the urn was too
much decayed to make out the pattern. In this case
the body was burnt on the spot. A change occurred
two yards east north-east of centre, where a burnt
body was found on the surface of the ground, but
not burnt on the spot. At the centre, but lift. above
surface, an urn was found reversed over a burnt
-body, which had been nearly burnt up on the spot,
very few traces of bone remaining. This urn was
sin. high, ornamented with five lines of vertical
markings, forming perpendicular zigzag impressions,
and was a perfect miniature of a cinerary urn,
beautifully made and quite perfect. The line mark-
ing had been made by a sharp pointed instrument of
wood or bone. No flint was met with in the material
of this barrow.

The third barrow opened was 14 yards in diameter
and 2ft. high. In the centre was an urn upright,
standing upon burnt bones. This urn was after-
wards found to be standing on a second urn, which
was laid 'on its side, the mouth to the west, and de-
posited also among burnt bones. Both urns were
Sin. high, and with overhanging rims, but quite
plain. The bodies had been burnt on the spot.
The fourth barrow was 19 yards in diameter and
4ift. high. In the centre, 32ft. above the plane, a
body, burnt on the spot, was found, and in some
places the bones remained only just charred, as re-
gards the curvical vertebra, very slightly so. Large
quantities of charcoal lay underneath the bones,
which lay in the position in which they had been
placed before being subjected to the fire. This was
a remarkable discovery—the body, half charred, lay
on its right side, and was doubled up with the knees
to the chin, and with the head to the south-west.
At the head was placed an urn 7in. high, with over-
hanging rim, and ornamented with horizontal and
perpendicular line markings, arranged to form
squares, the squares forming lines round the urn.
The body in this case was placed in a hole of 3ft.
diameter, a cist sunk into the ground, and around
it was a great redness and much sign of burning.
Here was a connecting link between the inhumation
and cremation customs, showing that the method of
burial uniformly adopted in the former was also that
in use in the latter, prior to the application of the
fire ; in fact, the latter people prepared their body
for burning just as the early people deposited theirs
in the ground, in the 'customary doubled up or con-
tracted position. In the houe, also, were found a
flint score, from which implements had been struck,
and a quartz pebble, which had been used as a
pounder or hammer, all broken round the edges for
use, a counterpart of the one found behind the head
of an unburnt body in one of the Weaverthorpe
barrows.

The fifth houe was 19 yards in diameter and 2ft.
high. In the centre was a cist 4ft. deep, and 10ft.
by Bft. measurements, formed east and west. At
the bottom was a contracted and unburnt body laid
on the left side, with head to south-east, and close
to the south side of cist. Above the body were
great masses of charcoal— large blocks of it, in fact.
'The body had as nearly as possible gone to decay.
Parts of another skull—the parietal and occipital
portions were found about a foot above the
other body, but no other bones were with them.
Was there here a displacement of one body to inter
another ? There were no signs of such, and the
archaeologists present could not determine, and
there is no satisfactory conclusion arrived at respect-
ing the pieces of the second skull.
The sixth and last barrow opened of this series
was a return to the cremation type. The 11011 C was
23 yards diameter, and lift. high. In the centre
was a cist, 3ft. deep by 2ft. Sin. diameter, evidently
made before the body was burnt, the burnt bones
chiefly remaining on the place of cremation. Char-
coal was in the hole, and some few bones were in
it and above it, the burning about being extremely
large. Several large flints were placed over the in-
terment.

'These openings were on the southern slopes of the