Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/199

ROMAN URNS DISCOVERED AT CHESTERFORD. 141 served the purpose of a lid, is shown in the accompanying woodcut. In an inverted position, it exactly fits the mouth of the urn, which it covered. This dish presents no pecuhar features. It is of the common bright red ware, and is not ornamented. Its dimensions are, — diameter (top), 7 inches (the same as the mouth of the black urn) ; depth, 1:|; inch ; height, If inch ; diameter (base), 3 inches. It bears the potter's stamp impressed in the usual manner, — NASS. I.S.F. In the Roman JJstrinum at Litlington, near Royston, the cinerary urn was occasionally found covered, in like manner, by a patera, as stated in the account given by the late Mr. Kempe (Archseologia, vol. xxvi. p. 371, plate xhv). In reference to the occurrence of urns with lids amongst Anglo-Roman remains, I may mention that amongst the numerous ancient vessels which, through the kindness of Mr. Neville, I have seen exhumed at Chesterford, I have never seen an example with a lid, properly so called, and made originally for the purpose. An olla of black clay, however, similar in form and dimensions to that now de- scribed, and having its original cover, was found at Old Ford by Mr. Stock, and is given in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, vol. iv., p. 393. In the Anglo- Roman vessel which was found at Winchester, as communicated to the Institute in 1849, by the Rev. Wm. Gunner, and of which there is a representation in the " Archaeological Journal" (vol. vi. p. 184), the lid appears evidently to be a patera, merely used as a cover, because, in an inverted position, it chanced to be precisely of the proper size to cover the larger vessel. In Mr. Neville's museum at Audley End, there are numerous patera3 of exactly the same shape as that exhibited by Mr. Gunner, and which I imagine was used to serve as a lid, exactly as the Samian patera in the present instance. Many instances have occurred at Chesterford of the discovery of one vessel inside another ; ^ and one large urn was exhumed which contained three others, each of dif- ferent ware, — one of them a beautifully ornamented pocidum of Castor ware ; another of red ware ; and a third was a jug with a handle, a vessel of very elegant form, and made of white clay. These were found closely packed in the large urn with earth and ashes. JOHN LANE OLDHAM. ' See some remarks on such deposits. Archaeological Journal, vol. vi. p. 235.