ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS bronze, two small circular brooches or buckles, and two small bronze plates riveted together, which once served to pass the owner's waistbelt more readily through the buckle.' Excavations at Hunstanton Park ^ have yet to be completed, but promise interesting results. On the summit of a mound, at the depth of two or three feet, a few days' digging has brought to light about a dozen skeletons, with a number of beads, brooches, knives and spearheads, and also fragments of a cinerary urn. The bodies, which had been partially disturbed, had not been uniformly deposited, so that at present no deduc- tions can be drawn from the discovery except that here was probably a mixture or succession of nationalities such as might be expected on the coast at the terminus of the principal trade route in the district. The third division comprises burials in which there is no trace of cremation. Not only are the cinerary urns or their fragments entirely wanting in these cases, but the number and condition of the brooches and other relics recovered show that they have not been subjected to the intense heat of the pyre. This seems to be the case at Holkham, a spot that must have been open to indiscriminate attacks from pirates. The evidence is very scanty, but is perhaps sufficient to justify the present classification. As long ago as 1721 several skeletons, with a number of glass beads, iron spearheads and pieces of brass which were no doubt mutilated brooches, were found at the side of a hill in this parish,' and perhaps from the same site were the three square-headed brooches sketched by Stukeley in a volume of Miscellaneous Collections.^ Three typical brooches from Sporle are figured in Akerman's Pagan Saxondom^ and are now preserved at the Norwich Castle Museum. One is of the square-headed variety, and practically unornamented ; another, of smaller dimensions, has a cruciform head which is notched like the wards of a key ; and the third is a larger cruciform specimen with what has been called the 'spectacle' ornament at each extremity, consisting of rude attempts at reproducing the human face. They were found all together on the opening of some mounds on a farm called 'Petty Cards' at Sporle in 1820. The name of the farm has been considered a corrup- tion of Peddar's Gate,* and in one of the barrows which seem to have flanked the prehistoric highway known as Peddar's or Pedlar's Way seven skeletons are said to have been discovered, placed side by side ; with some of these were remains of shields ' sufficient to show that they were circular, with wooden laths converging to the centre. To these the leather facing of the shield was apparently fastened with twine or packthread, some yards of which were preserved. The dimensions ' Journal of Archeeological Institute, vol. xxvi. p. 288. 2 Mr. Hamon le Strange, the owner of the property, has kindly communicated the following par- ticulars of his discoveries, which he intends to put on permanent record when complete. 3 Gough, Additions to Camden, vol. ii. p. 113.
- Albert Way's Catalogue of Antiquities belonging to the Society of Antiquaries, 1847, p. 20.
6 p. 69, pi. xxxiv. fig. I ; pi. jDcxix. fig. 3 ; and pi. xl. fig. I.
- Norwich Museum Catalogue (1853), p. 24.
■^ Roach Smith, Collectanea Antigua, vol. ii. p. 237. 1 337 z
