found. (See Woodcuts in Archæolog. Journ. vol. iv. pp. 129, 189, 190.) The best illustration of the Irish penannular brooches of the like type is supplied by Mr. Fairholt, in his curious memoir in the Transactions of the British Archaeological Association, Gloucester Congress, p. 88.[1]
The silver torc, found on Orton Scar with the fibula, is a simple twisted bar, of decreasing thickness towards the extremities, which are hooked, forming a fastening which closely resembles that of the silver tore found with coins of Canute at Holton Moor, near Lancaster. That example is, in other respects of more complicated construction, being formed of a number of wires twisted together like a cable.[2]
The dimensions of the fibula are,—length of acus 11 inches; greatest diameter of circular part, 5 inches; width of the dilated part, 2 inches; weight 8 oz. 8 dwts. The diameter of the tore is about 5¾ inches; its weight 3 oz. 18 dwts. A broken silver fibula (diam. 4 inches) closely similar in form and ornament, was found in Cumberland in a fishpond at Brayton Park, and is represented in Pennant's Scotland, vol. ii. p. 44.
Professor Buckman gave a further report of the progress of the excavations at Cirencester, which had been productive of many interesting results, since the communication which he had made to the previous meeting. (Journal, vol. viii. p. 415.) Extensive vestiges of buildings were exposed to view, extending over nearly three acres; and two altars, an interesting statue of Mercury, sculptured in the stone of the district, a tile bearing the impress t p f a., pottery, coins, and various relics, had already repaid the zealous researches of the antiquaries of Corinium. Mr. Buckman sent several drawings of these remains for the inspection of the Society.
Mr. Wynne Ffoulkes offered the following observations on a representation of an ancient British sword (as supposed), insculptured on a rock, upon the mountains north of the estuary of the Mawddack, near a farm house called Sylvaen, between Barmouth and Dolgellau, in North Wales. "Circumstances have led some antiquaries to regard this sculpture (if so rude a specimen of ancient work be worthy of that name) as representing, on an exaggerated scale, an ancient leaf-shaped British sword. It measures in length about two feet seven inches. There are two such carvings at this spot, the other being graven on a block of rock lying nearly at right angles with that from which the rubbing exhibited was taken. The field in which they are situated is called 'Cae Cleddau,' the field of the swords, while the country people still tell the inquiring antiquary that they are swords—a circumstance which seems to bear testimony to their antiquity, since we may fairly assume that no sword has been made after that type since the Romans ruled our island. Tradition indeed would lead us to regard these singular vestiges as commemorative of the last battle between the English (the Romans?) and the Welsh, fought with equal valour on both sides on the plain where these relics are found. The result was the conclusion of a peace between the contending chieftains on the battle field; and the Britons, as an earnest of their keeping the treaty, threw a sword, it is said, into the air, which, striking against this
- ↑ Compare especially plate 5, fig. 3. This Irish example presents the dragon's jaws, and other points of close resemblance to the fibula from Westmoreland. The silver ornaments found at Largo in N. Britain, Archaeological Journal, vol. vi. p. 252, were doubtless parts of fibulæ of analogous type, deprived of their acus.
- ↑ Archæologia, vol. xviii., pl. 18.
