Guilton Grave 12

Grave as before, and about three feet deep. Bones almost gone; the head of an hasta and the head of a pilum both on the right side of the head; from the sockets of each, which I carefully compared, I judge that the staff of the hasta was near an inch diameter, and that the staff of the pilum was about three quarters of an inch diameter, i.e., at that end; but that they were both of them smaller at the other end, as I found on examining the ferrules or spikes belonging to them, which happened both of them here to be perfect enough for such an examination; for I found the ferrule of the hasta, as in No. 10, was three-quarters of an inch wide, and the ferrule of the pilum was not more than half an inch wide, I mean in the clear. They were both of the same shape as that which is described at No. 10. From them also it appeared that the length of the hasta was six feet or rather more, and that the length of the pilum was but about four feet and a half. I am fully convinced that they were both of them deposited on the outside of the coffin: I mean between the coffin and the side of the grave; the heads of both of them had some very coarse cloth very visibly adhering to them, or, more properly speaking, turned into their own iron, by the rust perhaps. They were both wrapt in the same cloth, for they lay close together. Here was also the blade of a large knife, or rather of a dagger; it was ten inches long, exclusive of the strig, and two-edged. Here I found also a pretty large brass[1] buckle, with a long shank, neatly wrought [M 6011]; it appears to have been gilded, and on its tongue are neatly set three garnets, and some greenish stone. Here were also the blades of two small knives, and some nail-like pieces of iron.[1]There is the very same sort of buckle as this to be seen in the 63rd plate of Humphreys's Supplement to Montfaucon, and is there marked No. 1. It is, very remarkably, there called a woman's head-dress; but I imagine it must be owing to some mistake. It is one of the large Frankish girdle-buckles, described as of iron plated with silver.- C.R.S.