A HISTORY OF KENT Broomfield, Essex.' The vandyked rim of one among several two-handled bronze bowls (as fig. 1 9) has at present but a single parallel ' ; and the bowl here illustrated still contains hazel-nuts ; this and several examples else- where support the view that the vessels placed in graves contained food Bronze Bowl, King's Field, Faversham {}j). and drink offerings. Most of the pottery found in the King's Field was of Roman manufacture, and consisted of reddish-buff ware with one or two handles. Swords with cocked-hat pommels, spear-heads, and shield- bosses were common, some of the last-named having tin discs attached ; while a large number of beads came from the graves of women. A fine set of horse-trappings in gilt-bronze (see fig. 20) exemplifies the art of the period, and a number of draughtsmen made of horse-teeth (as at Taplow) illustrate the well-known gambling pro- pensities of our forefathers. Parallels from adjacent counties have been cited, and it would be surprising if no typical specimens of Prankish work occurred in so large a cemetery. Several pieces of coarse garnet cell-work may have been made across the Channel about the time of Childeric's death (a.d. 481), and there are two small pieces of damascened iron, with silver inlay. This art was much prac- tised in Gaul, but in England seems to have been confined to the sword or scramasax. Several shoe-shaped rivets for securing the belt to the buckle were also imported like those found in the Isle of Wight.' There > V.C.H. Essex, i. p. 324 > F.C.H. Bucks, i. 202 (Taplow barrow). = f'.C.H. Hants, i. pi. at p. 388, fig. 11. 372 E3 Gilt Horse-trapping, Faversham (^^).
