The Osceola times., 1886-12-11
IRON IN BRITAIN.
fts Manufacture Mentioned by Cesar.
Pliny, SoIinus and other Romans.

oe precisely ascertained. Cesar men,
tions that the currency of the inhab-
itants OF Britain consisted partly of iron
rings, adjusted TO certain weight
("utuntur aut acre aut apnulis ferries,
I'D certum pondus examinatis, pro num-
mo"), and, as he states in the Same
breath that their brass was imported
(,'ere utuntur importato'), it may rea-
sonably be inferred that their iron was
of home manufacture. However, Ce-
sar may nave erred in asserting that
Britain produced but little iron (''nas.
citur ibi in maritimis regionibus] fer.
rum: scd ejus exigua est copia }, his
allusion il useful as proving his knowl.
edge Of the fact that the island was not
destitute Of this invaluable mineral.
The ''maratime regions referred to by
him were, in all probability. the wealds
of Kent and Sussex. Tacitus tells us
that Britain produces ''gold, silver and
other metals Pliny alludes to the
smelling Of iron in this province,
and Soinus not only mentions the Brit
ish iron. but specifies the agricultural
and other implements fabricated from
it in his time. A discovery was made
by DR.. c. l.. Prince, of the serva'ory.
Crowborough Beacon, in the year of
1874, OF tibulae. cons and Samion ware
in cinder-bed at Crowborough. These
he took to Rev. Edward Turner, of
Marcs.ield, whose archaeological acu-
men pronounced them TO be evidently
Roman. Immediately upon the judg-
mcnt being pronounced, MIR. Turner
directed his attention to heap of
scora or cinders so called laid ready
for use by the side of the London road.
In this heap he also found a small frag-
ment of pottery, which, on examination.
proved TO be Roman. These cinders
had been dug on Old Land farm, in
his own parish of Marestied, and close
to Buxted He at once visited the spot.
and found that the workmen engaged
ia the digging were exposing to view
the undoubted rema ms Of q Roman set
tlement. The place in question Is the
site of one of the innumerabe fields of
iron scorG making the localities OF the
extinct furnaces and forges OF the Sus-
sex wcald. The bed was originally of
great extent, no less than six or seven
acres of it wary ng in depth from two
to ten feet having been already re-
moved for the purpose of repairing the
roads. A few DAYS prev ouslv
70 Mr.. Turner's visit the labor
ers had opened, in the middle of this
field, kind Of grave, about twelve
feet in depth, at the bottom of which
lay considerable quantity OF broken
Roman pottery, evidently the rema MS
of funeral deposit. The number of
skeletons also discovered in this cinder-
bed led to the inference that the IRON
works at his place were carried on by
the Romans during long sere of
years. So exceedingly numerous were
the remains of Roman pottery on the
spot that scarcely barrow-load of cin-
ders was driven out that did not con
tain several fragments of ii. The prin-
ciple objects re cued from destruction
were the coins of Nero, Nespas an.
Tetr,cus and Dooletan, fibulG, armil-
l9. fragments of coarse tict le vessels,
chiefly domestic, red Samian ware,
glass, sheet lead full of nails. From the
the preponderance of the coins of YES
pas an it is very probable that these
works were commenced during the
reign Of that Emperor. At Sedllecombe
and Westiield. respectively, five and
three les north of Hastings, coins
have been also found n cinder-beds. Be-
fore dsmissng the historical portion
of this subjects which relates to
the Romans il may be stated
that the greatest iron-works carried on
by the Romans in En- gland were in tho
county Of Gl0ucestershire. So extcn-
sve were those works, and so imper-
feet the smelling practiced by them.
that in the sixteenth and following
centuries the iron-masters, instead OF
digging for ore, resortcd TO the beds of
scor ~ for their principal supply Of
metal. The scOrim found at Mares
field and other Roman iron-works are.
owing TO the fact of this imperfect
knowledge, much more valuable than
other cinder-beds for road-making, be-
cause they contain far greater pro-
ortion of iron. As regards the seven
or eight centuries " ich succeeded the
departure of the Romans from Br tain.
history and archaeology are al Ike silent
on the subject Of Sussex iron. But
doubtless the Romanized Britons, and
the Saxons after them, continued the
art of smelling and working iron upon
the old sites. 1t is probable also that
the establishment of the Danes IN Eng
land improved this manufacture. At
this period small pieces of mallea-
BILE iron, called foot blasts. were the
chief objects made. But he art. under
stood as such. was altogether unknown.
or in so rude state that 1t could not
be prosecuted with advantage. In
Doomsday- Book the iron trade Of Sus-
sex is not mentioned. although the iron
trade of Cheshire, Hereford. Gloucester,
Somerset and Lincoln is spoken Of The
earliest actual record If the iron trade
of Sussex is contained in the murage
grant made by Henry H., in 1865, to
the town of Lewes. This empowered
the inhabitants 10 raise tolls for the re-
pair of the town walls after the battle.
Every cart laden with iron for sale, from
the neighboring weald. paid one penny
toll, and every horse-load of iron hall
that sum. In 1881. reign Of Edward l.,
-'oh was Shiticu AZ Si' I>toiaiu > i"i'o'
In 1920. reign OF Edward H., Peter de
Walsham. sheriff of Surrey and Sussex,
by virtue of a precept from the Kings
exchccquer, made provision of horse
shoes and nails of different sorts for the
expedition against the Scots.-Art Jour
qdl
A Curious Javanese Custom,
A .,,.a,. .,.,1,, DS ,b. ,afipaa M