The morning news., 1897-08-29
ANCIENT MOUNTS IN ENGLAND.
Rare Relics Found In Them-UndiS-
turbed for Centuries.

NufDeu lOr
From the Philadelphia Times.
Scientific men are deeply interested in
archaeological discoveries just made con-
cerning the ancient Britons. Thirteen
graves opened at little place called
Danesdale. near Drifield, in East York
shire revealed relics that showed that
the burials took place a least a thousand
years before the advent of William the
Conqueror TO British soil. For so long
that the memory of man runneth not to
the contrary, the mounds of graves just
opened have been supposed to be the
last resting places of ancient Danes. They
were called the Danes graves. Indeed
the town of Danesdale referred to gained
its name from that supposition. The
graves or mounds are 173 in number, but
only thirteen have thus far been opened.
They are surrounded by forests, and upon
some of the mounds huge trees are grow
ing.
Archaeologists have long believed that
investigation of the ancient mounds
would lead to important discoveries. 1t
was this sentiment which led the East
Riding Antiquarian Society, through Can
on Greenwich of Durham, to institute the
inquiry which resulted in opening the
mounds Deep down in the first mound
opened was found not only the bones of
an ancient Briton, but the iron tire of his
chariot the iron bit and trappings of his
morse, and bronze pin, beautiful in de-
sign, and enameled. The shape of the
SraVs and the curious curled-up position
OF the skeleton left no doubt as to the
age to which all belonged, and disposed
to the satisfaction of every one of the
Damsh theory which had so long pre-
vailed
Perhaps the most notable of the relics
so iar as establishing the antiquity there
Oh Is concerned, was the bronze pin. 1t is
a specimen of the earliest known British
enanelling and is of a type most peculiar
70 the iron period. 1t has a peculiar twist
IN the shank which makes its origin an
absolute certainty. 1t is one of the Gu
riou5 facts found in British history that
pins such as the one described only ex-
isted curing a certain period. Distinct
changes in articles of this sort were made
at certain point in the development of
Britain. This fact is known absolutely
and therefore this pin settles beyond
question the point as to the time before
WhicA it must have been made.
Two otner graves were opened at Arras
and Beverley in which chariots were
found, and in the one at Arras the tires
ana naves OF the wheels were complete
The tires are of iron and the naves of
bronze. There were also found in these
graves an iron mirror with bronze mount
lngs, the end of shank of a bronze whip
and two or three rings through which the
reins of the chariot must have been car
ried. The bones found at Beverley had
gone to decay, but at Arras the human re-
mains and the bones of the horses appear
ed as fresh as if they had been buried a
hundred years ago.
The graves referred to as having been
opened were not close together For in
sta nee the places of discovry, Danesdale
and Arras, are twelve miles apart. The
theory advanced by the archaeologists
who have taken the matter up is that the
district throughout which the mounds are
found was formerly the burying place of
the ancient Britons, probably years before
the Danes attempted the conquest of the
island. The relics discovered Indicate that
they once were part of and the property of
leaders among the aboriginal inhabitants
of Britain.
There has been dispute for a very
long time between archaeologists as to
the occupation of the territory in which
the mounds were found by the Danes and
by the early Britons. One faction of dis
putants held that the mounds, being ac-
cepted as graves of ancient Danes, were
conclusive evidence that the Danes were
in possession of the country centuries be
fore some persons claimed to believe The
second faction held that the Danes had
never held possession of the country but
that it was for centuries located in the
center of the stronghold of the Britons of
early days.
The formation of the tires and the naves
of the chariots found also indicated
hitherto unknown communication between
the Romans and the early Britons The
tires and the naves are almost exactly
similar to those now in the British Mu-
scum at London, which are known to
have been in use in Rome about the same
period in which the original chariots to
which the British tires and naves were
attached sped over the soil of the island.
1t established a new fact in history in
reference TO the relations and power of
Rome and while it settles one dispute
makes seemingly incorrect a number of
assertions regarding the period in which
the burials in the British graves took
place.
1t is very likely that several more Of
these mounds will be opened for the pur-
pose of ascertaining whether they are the
resting places of Britons of a certain cen.
tury, or whether. as many believe. the
mounds are located in what was the
burial ground of the leaders of the early
Britons for many centuries. Should the
latter prove true it is more than likely
that discoveries will be made which viii
entirely change the history Of Britain as
far as it relates to that period which led
up to the conquest.
LOVERS CURIOUS OATHS.