Section I Tumuli 1843. Saturday the 9th of September 1843 a remarkable barrow at Cross Lowe [Map], near Parwich [Map], was opened. It had every appearance of being a small tumulus about three feet in height; but was found to have been constructed above a depression in the rock, about two feet deep, thus increasing the height of the artificial structure to five feet. It was thought that the most effectual way of opening this barrow was to begin a cutting on both the north and south sides, and thus to meet in the middle; this was done with the following interesting results: on the north side a secondary deposit was founds about eighteen inches below the surface of the mound; it was the skeleton of a young person, and was accompanied by a small urn, much ornamented, and a bone pin. On the south side the floor was found to decline rapidly towards the centre, on approaching which a very rude cist was discovered, formed of stones set edgeways upon the solid rock, which supplied the bottom of the cist, on which lay a large and strong human skeleton, with the head towards the south-east; about a foot from the head was placed a coarse urn, sparingly ornamented. Besides these the cist contained a large quantity of rats' bones, one horse's tooth, the fragment of a celt, and a small piece of chipped flint; and at the feet of the skeleton lay a large heap of calcined human bones, which on examination proved to be the remains of two children; near them a curiously-shaped and neatly-ornamented urn was deposited. On removing a large stone, which formed that side of the cist approximating to the centre of the barrow, another skeleton was uncovered, which was that of a young person, accompanied by a small urn, or incense cup, which was placed at the head. The occurrence of this interment on the exterior of the cist caused a careful examination of the surrounding parts in the immediate neighbourhood of the principal interment, which led to the discovery of four more human skeletons, upon the same level, and to all appearance deposited there at the same time as the body within the cist. Near the surface of the tumulus another skeleton was disinterred, which was accidentally discovered by part of the skull falling down, owing to the ground being undercut, for the purpose of following up the traces of some of the other skeletons. It was not accompanied by relics of any description.

Thomas Bateman 1845. In the afternoon of the same day a far more interesting barrow was opened, the name of which is Green Lowe [Map]. It is situated upon the tract of land known as Alsop Moor which has since proved very productive of ancient British remains. This tumulus had been heaped over a rocky and unequal surface, in which a hole had been cut in order to serve the purpose of a cist. In removing the upper portion of the barrow a few human bones, horses' teeth, and rats' bones were discovered, and on clearing out the soil with which the cist was filled, the skeleton of a man in the prime of life was laid bare; his knees were contracted and drawn up until they nearly approached the head; and immediately in the rear of the shoulders were placed an elegant and most elaborately-ornamented drinking-cup, a piece of spherical pyrites, or iron ore, before alluded to as being an occasional ornament of the Britons, a flint instrument of the circular-headed form, and a splendid flint dagger; a little lower down the back of the skeleton there lay three beautifully-chipped and barbed arrow-heads of flinty seven other instruments of the same material but of inferior workmanship and three instruments made from the ribs of some animal neatly rounded at each end and much like a mesh-rule for nettings or perhaps used as modelling tools in the construction of urns. Still lower down, close to the pelvis, lay the remains of an infant; across the pelvis lay a bone pin, made from the leg of a small deer, which had probably been used to secure the folds of some vestments in which the body had been enveloped previous to its interment. The contents of this barrow are highly interesting, as they present a striking degree of similarity to the contents of barrows discovered in Wiltshire, particularly to the relics engraved in plate 18, vol. i of Sir Richard Hoare's work. The drinking-cup there figured bears a characteristic resemblance to the one here discovered, which is quite different to any heretofore found in Derbyshire; indeed, had railways then existed, and communication with distant places been as easy as at the present day, we should have attributed both vessels to one designer and manufacture. All the flints here discovered had undergone the action of fire, and present a spotless white, which materially improves their appearance.

Thomas Bateman 1845. On the 4th of June, 1845, another large flat barrow was opened, which is situated upon the level summit of a hill upon Alsop Moor, known by the name of Net Lowe Hill [Map]. This barrow is about twenty-five yards in diameter, and not more than two feet in height; it was opened by cutting through it in different directions, so as to divide it into quarters. In each of these trenches, on approaching the centre, were found horses' teeth and an abundance of rats' bones; and in one of them a small piece of a coarse urn. In the centre of the tumulus was found a skeleton extended on its back at full length, and lying on a rather higher level than the surface of the natural soil; close to the right arm lay a large dagger of brass (broken in two by the weight of the superincumbent stones), with the decorations of its handle consisting of thirty rivets, and two pins of brass. In vol. i, plate 23, of Sir Richard Hoare's "Ancient Wiltshire" a dagger is engraved of a precisely similar character the number of rivets or studs and pins being exactly the same; close to this dagger were two highly-polished ornaments made from a kind of bituminous shale known in the south of England as Kimmeridge coal and equally well known to the archaeologist as the material of the coal money and of many other ancient British ornaments. Those in question are circular and moulded round the edges having a round elevation on the fronts to allow of two perforations which meet in an oblique direction on the back for the purpose of attaching the ornaments to some part of the dress or more probably to the dagger-belt of the chief with whose remains they were interred. In vol. 1, plate 34, of Sir Richard Hoare's book a similar ornament of jet is engraved, which is smaller, and does seem to have a moulding round the edge. It is a singular fact that, although the skeleton had evidently been never previously disturbed, the lower jaw lay at the feet of the body. Along with the above-mentioned articles were numerous fragments of calcined flint, and amongst the soil of the barrow were two rude instruments of the same.

Shuttlestone near Parwich. On the 3rd of June we examined a mutilated barrow in a plantation upon Parwich Moor, called Shuttlestone [Map], which had originally been about four feet in height; it consisted of a compact mass of tempered earth down to the natural surface of the land, below which point, in the centre of the barrow there appeared a large collection of immense limestones, the two uppermost being placed on edge and all below being laid flat, though without any other order or design than was sufficient to prevent the lowest course resting upon the floor of the grave, inside which they were piled up, and which was cut out to the depth of at least eight feet below the natural surface; thus rendering the total depth from the top of the mound to the floor of the grave not less than twelve feet. Underneath the large stones lay the the skeleton of a man in the prime of life and of fine proportions, apparently the sole occupant of the mound, who had been interred whilst enveloped in a skin, of dark red colour, the hairy surface of which had left many traces both upon the surrounding earth and upon the verdigris or patina coating a bronze axe-shaped celt and dagger, deposited with the skeleton. On the former weapon there are also beautifully distinct impressions of fern leaves, handsful of which, in a compressed and half-decayed state, surrounded the bones from head to foot. From these leaves being discernible on one side of the celt only, "whilst the other side presents traces of leather alone, it is certain that the leaves were placed first as a couch for the reception of the corpse with its accompaniments, and after these had been deposited, were then further added in quantity sufficient to protect the body from the earth. The position of the weapons with respect to the body was well ascertained; and is further evidenced by the bronze having imparted a vivid tinge of green to the bones where in contact with them. Close to the head were one small black bead of jet and a circular flint; in contact with the left upper arm lay a bronze dagger with a very sharp edge, having two rivets for the attachment of the handle, which was of horn, the impression of the grain of that substance being quite distinct around the studs. About the middle of the left thigh bone was placed the bronze celt, which is of the plainest axe-shaped type. The cutting edge was turned towards the upper part of the person, and the instrument itself has been inserted vertically into a wooden handle by being driven in for about two inches at the narrow end - at least the grain of the wood runs in the same direction as the longest dimension of the celt, a fact not unworthy of the notice of any inclined to explain the precise manner of mounting these curious implements. The skull, which is decayed on the left side, from the body having lain with that side down, is of the platy-cephalic form, with prominent parietal tubers - the femur measures 18½ inches.

Thomas Bateman 1845. On the 19th of June, 1845, a very interesting barrow, called Stand Lowe [Map], was opened, which is situated upon an elevation, opposite to Moot Lowe [Map], on the other side of the Dovedale road. On digging towards the centre of the barrow, numerous chippings of flint were found, amongst which were six rude instruments, mostly calcined, one of which had been used as a saw, and is very curious; about the same place was found a broken whetstone. The centre being gained, an iron knife was found, of the kind attributed to the Saxons by the modem school of antiquaries, which was immediately followed by a bronze box, of a circular form and much decayed, ornamented by rows of little indented dots, and having a moveable handle, wrought into the form of a serpent's head, the eye being perforated through for convenience of suspension the hinge of the lid is very perfect, and of workmanship which would not disgrace a Birmingham artisan of the present day; near this box lay a small knife which appears to have been protected by an iron sheath, two bronze rings, which had evidently been used as buckles or fibulae, and some other articles of iron, which bear evident marks of having been folded in linen, and are now so shapeless from the effects of rust, that it is difficult to assign a use for them. About the same place was found a small piece of a ribbed vessel of thin yellow glass. There being no indications of bone, or change of colour in the soil, the scrupulous care, so necessary on these occasions, was not used; consequently, the hack was struck amongst a quantity of glass-beads, fortunately, one only was broken; on examination were found eleven glass beads of various shapes and sizes, three of which are remarkably variegated; a bead made of silver wire twisted in a spiral form, and diminishing in the size of the whorls each way from the centre; and a silver needle, with a curiously-formed eye. Amongst the beads were picked up the remains of twenty-six human teeth, consisting merely of the enamel or crown of the tooth; which, owing to some cause perhaps the nature of the soil were the only vestiges of the primeval beauty over whose mouldering remains this barrow had been raised by the hand of affection. At the time of interment the beads were doubtless placed round the neck and from the position of the box, knives, and rings, it is equally evident that they lay on the left side of the body. In Douglas's "Nenia Britannica," plate 18, page 72, a somewhat similar box, containing thread, and a similar needle are figured, which were found in a barrow at Sibertswold, in Kent, opened by Dr. Faussett, about the year 1767. The fact of finding instruments of flint with an interment of this comparatively modem description is rather remarkable, but not by any means unprecedented.