Bishopsbourne Grave B

Orientation: Very nearly north and south, the head[s] towards the south.The next barrow opened was a smaller one, adjacent to the former, of which the elevation was so small as to be scarcely distinguishable from the surrounding ground. The grave was filled, like No. 1, with the chalk which had been dug out of the original excavation. The body, which was perhaps that of a female, and the various articles which it had once contained, were entirely decomposed. A small mass of dark-coloured earth a little above the shoulder, apparently decomposed wood, seemed to be the remains of a small box. The bones were distinctly traced by the colour of the earth, a small fragment of the skull being all that remained entire, and from the quantity of black mould which occupied the place of the body, resembling that which in other places was found to have resulted from the decomposition of wood, we may be led to suppose that the body was placed in a wooden chest. Another large quantity of similar black mould lay together in an elongated form on the left side of the body towards the foot of the grave. In the corner to the right of the feet we found some fragments of small hoops imbedded in wood. This small barrow lay on the east side of the one first opened.