Kingston Down Grave 7

Tumulus and grave much as the last. The bones pretty entire: the coffin very much burnt. Near the head were six small beads of baked earth of different colours, as at No. 6; and one other bead of blue glass: three slender rings of silver wire; they had each of them a kind of sliding knot, in order to their fitting a larger or a smaller finger, like those found at Ash, and described at No. 27 of my inventory of antiquities there discovered. Another silver ring of the same sort, with a yellow bead strung upon it [M 6091]. Another silver ring with a bit of ivory [M 6090]. About the knees were six small silver instruments, each about two and a quarter inches long, all strung by a small hole at one of their ends, by a slender silver ringle or piece of wire, which last was also strung to a double chain consisting of four twisted silver links, each about one inch long [M 6092]. The instruments were, an ear-picker, two tooth-pickers, and three other bodkin-like things, whose use I cannot guess at, especially as they were broken in taking out of the ground. At the other end these four twisted links were strung upon one single link, twisted in the same manner but rather longer than themselves; and upon one of the four smaller links, there still adheres by its rust, a silver pin, which, however, is broken; but appears to have been very like the common pins now in use, and about three-quarters of an inch long. Here were a great many other broken links, much of the same sort, and several nail-like bits of iron. Surely a woman's grave.[1][1]This curious assemblage of implements of the toilette was doubtless worn attached to the girdle. It was a fashion which, like many others of early date, may be traced in the middle ages, and has descended to our own times, the modern chatelaine being its latest representative. The keys which we notice in the graves of the Saxon women were worn upon the person; and not many years since it was customary with our good housewives to carry by their side these guardians of their domestic stores and treasures.- C.R.S.