Near Wardlow, a barrow [Map] [Wardlow Barrow 1 [Map]] was examined, in the year 1759, by the Rev. Mr. Evat, of Ashford. There were discovered in it about seventeen human bodies. These appeared to have been laid upon the surface of the ground, on long flat stones. They were inclosed by two side-walls, and the head and breast of each were protected from the incumbent weight of stone by a flat one laid over that part of the top. Two bodies near the middle of the barrow were walled up, and covered from head to foot, in the form of a long chest, with a stone cover to each. Jaw-bones, teeth, &c., were found undecayed, but none of the larger bones of the bodies. The barrow was thirty-two yards in diameter, and five feet high; the coffins or cells were two feet deep, and the complete ones were seven feet six inches long.

About 1778 or 1779, on removing a large heap of stones (a cairn?) a little east of Winhill Point, near Hope, an ill-baked urn, of rude workmanship, was found under it, standing on the surface of the ground, with the top covered with a flat stone.

About the year 1787, Major Booke opened a barrow [Note. It isn't clear which of the four Calton Barrows, Chatsworth [Map]: Calton Barrow 1 [Map], Calton Barrow 2 [Map], Calton Barrow 3 [Map] and Calton Barrow 4 [Map] is being referred to.] situate at the southern extremity of the earthwork at Calton, near Chatsworth, where he found an Urn of very coarse clay, slightly ornamented by zig-zag scratches, containing ashes of a light brown colour: it was found near the bottom of the tumulus, placed between two stones, set edgeways, and covered by a third; it measured near five inches in height, and near six in diameter at the mouth.

Towards the north-east end of Stanton Moor is a small Druid circle, inclosed with a vallum of earth and stones, not raised above two feet; within this at the west end was a little barrow [Map]; opened about the year 1787, by Mr. Rooke; this barrow was about six feet in diameter, and but slightly higher than the surrounding field. The Major here found three large urns of coarse clay, placed in a row, about eight inches from each other. They rested upon stones a little below the natural soil, within twelve or fourteen inches of the top of the barrow.

Seing so near the surface the heavy rains and the roots of fern and gorse which had so penetrated the urns, made it difficult to move them without their falling to pieces; in taking out of one of them the ashes and bones which it contained, the Major found at the bottom, a smaller urn, also full of burned bones, covered with a piece of clay of a circular form.

In 1799 Mr. White Watson, of Bakewell, procured several urns from tumuli, upon Stanton Moor, one of which with an incense cup found at the same place is here engraved. From the information of the person employed, it appears that three were frequently found in one barrow, arranged in a triangular form. Several other barrows were opened upon Stanton Moor by the Rev. Bache Thornhill, in which were discovered only such interments as had undergone cremation, and in most cases the ashes had been gathered together and placed within urns; the remains of three varieties of these vessels, with their contents, were presented by William Pole Thornhill, Esq., of Stanton, to the writer. Amongst the calcined bones were two pins, one of bone, the other of bronze, a few pieces of flint, and a large pebble with a vitrified surface resulting from the strong degree of heat to which in common with the other articles, it had been exposed.

More recently an entire human skeleton was found near an ancient bole or smelting-place for lead, in the same locality. Nothing remarkable is connected with this discovery, as any accompaniments that might have been deposited, were unnoticed at the time of the exhumation. The head of the femur is in a morbid state, being much diminished from its natural size, whilst the corresponding socket in the pelvis is filled up to an equally unnatural extent.

In the autumn of the year 1847, three urns were found in the same locality by persons engaged in cutting drains; they were about two feet beneath the surface, and appeared to have been baked upon the spot. They all contained human bones in a calcined state, and in one was found a small instrument of flint. When first discovered the largest one was inverted, and over the least of the two smaller, which stood upright, was placed a large stone.

On the 15th of March, 1788, a farmer, who occupied the land on Middleton Moor, known as the Garratt Piece, having occasion to burn some lime upon that ground, dug for the purpose into a tumulus [Map] [Garratts Piece Barrow [Map]], or lowe, there situate.

He began his work on the outer edge of the barrow, clearing it away as he proceeded, to the level of the natural surface. On reaching the centre, he found, lying immediately under the usual depression of the summit of the barrow, and placed upon the level of the ground, a skeleton, whose extremities were towards the east and west; near the point of the shoulder was a very extraordinary ornament of copper neatly enamelled with various colours, red being the most predominant; it is circular, and has a hook in the form of a serpent's head, probably for suspension. In addition to this, part of another ornament of similar workmanship; part of the iron umbo of a shield and a shallow basin of thin brass, much broken and crushed, were found abont the same place. (For a similar basin see Archæologia, vol. xviii, page 80.) The design visible upon the circular and enamelled ornament is precisely similar to an illuminated capital Q in the Saxon manuscript entitled, 'Textus Sancti Cuthberti,' a production of the seventh century, formerly preserved in the cathedral of Durham, but now in the Cottonian library, (Nero, D. 4.) There is a good engraving of it in Astle's 'Origin of Writing,' plate 14, a. This interesting barrow was reopened by Mr. William Bateman (age 1), on the 19th of June, 1826, but was found to have been entirely rifled on the occasion above described.

In the month of May, in the year 1787, a barrow was accidentally opened upon the moor near Middleton-by-Wirksworth, by a labourer getting stone for an inclosure, who, on arriving at the middle of the tumulus found a perfect skeleton extended on the ground, with an iron spear-head at his right hand. This weapon passed into the hands of Mr. Gell, the owner of the land, who subsequently discovered several other spears of the same shape, knives, and a quern, or hand mill-stone upon other parts of his property.

In May, 1793, Major Booke opened a large barrow on a rising ground near Hopton, which is called Abbotts Lowe [Map], and is about 196 feet in circumference. At the depth of about five feet from the top of the barrow was a very large urn, about seventeen inches in diameter, which was placed in an excavation in the native soil, about eighteen inches deep. It contained a deposit of burned bones and ashes, and was broken to pieces in attempting to remove it.

In the year 1795, two kistvaens, or British sepulchres, were discovered by Major Booke, on opening a large tumulus upon Fin-cop, about two miles north-west from Ashford. In one of these was a skeleton, with the face downwards, having a piece of the black Derbyshire marble, two feet long, nine inches wide, and six inches thick, lying on the skull; under the head were two arrow-heads of flint. The other contained burnt bones and ashes. In other parts of the tumulus were found three urns of coarse pottery, full of ashes and burnt bones, two skeletons, deposited on the level ground, and a spear-head of stone. In the same cist that contained the skeleton with the face downwards was found a small, flat, circular stone, which had a thin body of stucco on both sides; the top, which was of a yellowish colour, and had apparently been varnished.

In 1827 and 1828, Mr. Thomas Birds, of Eyam, opened several tumuli on Eyam Moor and on Leam Moor (adjoining), but never found anything more than rude urns and burnt bones. The barrows on Leam Moor, Abney Moor, and about High Lowe are very numerous, and many of them have been explored by Mr. John Oxley, of Sheffield (the then possessor of Leam Hall), Major Rooke, Mr. Samuel Mitchell (age 23), of Sheffield, and others, and many of them remain untouched. There are also numerous barrows upon Shalton Edge, overlooking Castleton and Hope. Some years ago some fragments of a very fine urn were found by a man engaged in planting, upon the side of Win Hill near to the summit. At the same time were found many ashes and some stags' horns.

In April 1834, Mr. Mitchell examined a tumulus on the Hathersage Moors adjoining the boundary of Bamford Common, upon which were recovered several rudely-shaped and sun-baked urns, which were filled with burnt bones, but no whole human bones occurred, and not the slightest appearance of rats' bones was noticed, which may be accounted for by the bodies Having been consumed previous to interment, and so presenting nothing tempting to the rats. This barrow was placed near to a Druidical circle.

The same gentleman, in 1826, opened several of the small tumuli in the vicinity of the "Cairs Work," or "Carls Wark [Map]," near Hathersage, and found them to contain nothing more than simple deposits of calcined bones, without the accompaniment of either urns or instruments. They may therefore be presumed to have been cast up at a very early period indeed. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Mitchell had an opportunity of opening a similar cluster of barrows on Broomhead Moors, in Yorkshire, close to the edge of Derbyshire, which displayed just the same features as those at the Carls Wark.