I Mr. URBAN, Slawfton, Jan. 1. MAKE no apology for troubling you with the following lines, as the fubject of them is a piece of curious and rich Antiquity; a fubject which you, by your ufeful and wide-fpreading Mifcellany, are always ready to communicate to the publick in general, and your Antiquarian correfpondents in particular. (See Plate III. fig. 1). The fubject is a large and rich broche, or buckle, which was found about five or fix years ago, with fome human bones, in digging for gravel, fomewhere between Hufbands Bofworth (co. Leicester) and Welford (co. Northampton); but in which lordthip, I know not. However, I inclofe a correct drawing of the fame, coloured as it now appears. But, as the colours cannot be fhewn in your plate, I will fubjoin a faithful defcription of the whole for the fatisfaction of your Antiquarian friends; hoping that fome of them will favour me, in a future Number, with their conjectures upon it; as to the time fuch ornaments were worn; in what manner; by what degree of perfons; or whatever elfe on the fubject may occur to their minds, and does not at this time occur to me. It appears to have been found in (or very near) the route of the hafty retreat of part of King Charles the Firit's army to Leicefter, after its defeat in Nafeby field, June 14, 1545. Whether it belonged to fome of the officers or fuite of that ill-fated monarch or not, I dare not determine; but I am inclined to think it to be of a much earlier date. This, perhaps, may be af certained by fome of your learned correspondents in a future Magazine, after I have given a defcription of the ornament in queftion. I, therefore, proceed. The under part of the broche confifts of one entire circular thin plate of filver, its diameter 24 inches, with a circular hole in its centre of an inch in diameter. GENT. MAG. February, 1800. On this plate lie two nearly femicircular moveable thin plates of pure gold, each inch wide, fastened together, and to the filver plate by a fingle gold wire paffing through them at aa. Each of thefe gold plates is environed with a double-twifted wire of the fame. Each femicircular plate is circularly divided into three divifions or compartments by a fingle gold wire laid upon the fame. Each compartment is overlaid with notched wire (which I have endeavoured to reprefent by dotting) of the fame metal, and in the fame forms, as fhewn in the drawing. At nearly equal diftances upon these plates are four gold fockets, two on each plate, placed in a kind of wreath of double-twifted wire of the fame metal, in each of which is ftudded a pearl about the fize of a white pea; and in the crown of each pearl is fet a ruby about the fize of a common pin's head; one of which (that juft below the point of the tongue of the buckle) is gone, the other three remain bright and fparkling; but the pearls have quite loft their luftre, and are fomewhat corroded by lying in the earth, and now appear of a dead white, inclining to a light brown. The rubies, which I have marked bb, have a flat furface; but that marked c is rofe-cut; as probably was that in the oppofite angle, which is now wanting. The buckie and tongue are of filver, the rim of which appears to be of twifted wire, but is not fo, being only caft in that form (which, I believe, is called cable filver), the under furface being flat, and falls within the gold plates upon the inner projecting part of the under filver plate. The upper part of this plate is much tarnifhed, especially the outer and inner projecting extremities, which appear as dark in colour as is fhewn in the drawing. The buckle and under fide of this plate are of a brighter colour, but rather dull. The gold belonging to this curious broche weighs 4 penny weights, I Mr. URBAN, Slawfton, Jan. 1. MAKE no apology for troubling you with the following lines, as the fubject of them is a piece of curious and rich Antiquity; a fubject which you, by your ufeful and wide-fpreading Mifcellany, are always ready to communicate to the publick in general, and your Antiquarian correfpondents in particular. (See Plate III. fig. 1). The fubject is a large and rich broche, or buckle, which was found about five or fix years ago, with fome human bones, in digging for gravel, fomewhere between Hufbands Bofworth (co. Leicester) and Welford (co. Northampton); but in which lordship, I know not. However, I inclofe a correct drawing of the fame, coloured as it now appears. But, as the colours cannot be fhewn in your plate, I will fubjoin a faithful defcription of the whole for the fatisfaction of your Antiquarian friends; hoping that fome of them will favour me, in a future Number, with their conjectures upon it; as to the time fuch ornaments were worn; in what manner; by what degree of perfons; or whatever elfe on the fubject may occur to their minds, and does not at this time occur to me. It appears to have been found in (or very near) the route of the hafty retreat of part of King Charles the Firft's army to Leicefter, after its defeat in Nafeby field, June 14, 1645. Whether it belonged to fome of the officers or fuite of that ill-fated monarch or not, I dare not determine; but I am inclined to think it to be of a much earlier date. This, perhaps, may be af certained by fome of your learned correfpondents in a future Magazine, after I have given a defcription of the ornament in queftion. I, therefore, proceed. The under part of the broche confifts of one entire circular thin plate of filver, its diameter 24 inches, with a circular hole in its centre of an inch in diameter. GENT. MAG. February, 1800. On this plate lie two nearly femicircular moveable thin plates of pure gold, each inch wide, fastened together, and to the filver plate by a fingle gold wire paffing through them at aa. Each of thefe gold plates is environed with a double-twifted wire of the fame. Each femicircular plate is circularly divided into three divifions or compartments by a fingle gold wire laid upon the fame. Each compartment is overlaid with notched wire (which I have endeavoured to reprefent by dotting) of the fame metal, and in the fame forms, as fhewn in the drawing. At nearly equal diftances upon thefe plates are four gold fockets, two on each plate, placed in a kind of wreath of double-twifted wire of the fame metal, in each of which is ftudded a pearl about the fize of a white pea; and in the crown of each pearl is fet a ruby about the fize of a common pin's head; one of which (that just below the point of the tongue of the buckle) is gone, the other three remain bright and fparkling; but the pearls have quite loft their luftre, and are fomewhat corroded by lying in the earth, and now appear of a dead white, inclining to a light brown. The rubies, which I have marked bb, have a flat furface; but that marked c is rofe-cut; as probably was that in the oppofite angle, which is now wanting. The buckie and tongue are of filver, the rim of which appears to be of twift-. ed wire, but is not fo, being only caft in that form (which, I believe, is called cable filver), the under furface being flat, and falls within the gold plates upon the inner projecting part of the under filver plate. The upper part of this plate is much tarnished, especially the outer and inner projecting extremities, which appear as dark in colour as is fhewn in the drawing. The buckle and under fide of this plate are of a brighter colour, but rather dull. The gold belonging to this curious broche weighs 4 penny weights. weights, and the filver 5 pennyweights 12 grains. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, IN J. TAILBY. Jan. 2. N the great inclofures which have taken place of late years in the county of Lincoln, little or no attention has been paid to the means of religious improvement. Houfes have been feattered up and down, without considering whether the inhabitants could ever have an opportunity of attending the public fervice of their God. The fact is, that hundreds of people, who live on the farms of the inclofed fens, never fee the infide of a church, nor have any communication with the Clergy. I will not take up your time by endeavouring to point out to you how much the interefts of Religion and Morality fuffer on this account, because it must be ob vious to you and every body. The only thing now to be done is, to endeavour to remedy this evil for the future; and as it is generally fuppofed that other great inclofures are about to take place in that extentive county, I have fent you a fketch of a village (fig. 2), many of which I could with to fee completed on Wildmore and other fens. It would certainly add much to the comfort and happinets of the villagors thus in aux tz; the minifter furrounded by his parithioners, and the purifhioners within a reasonable difiance of the church. They would be inclined, I thould hope, to have proper intercourie with each other, and, by mutual good offices, to pronicte benevolenes and fmpathy, The cottages alio, by being brought narer to the centre, inftead of being, as they generally are, carried to the outskirts of the parith, would live more under the eye of the nuimitter, and enable him to affith them with more readincis, either lumanely or officially. If the plan fhould feen feasible, you will oblige me by inferting it in your valuble Mifcellany. A,, church and church-yard., B, minifter's houfe, with garden and a few acres of ground. C, cottages, with gardens and a fmall portion of ground annexed. D, Portions of land, containing each about 50 acres, and belonging to their respective occupiers, inhabiting each his farm-houfe. E, farm-houfes, fituated in fuch a manner that each is in the centre of his ground, and none at fo great a difiance but that may have ready communication with their minifter and with each other. Beyond the letter E, the grounds of each farmer are to run to the boundary of the parish. E. R. Tis Mr. URBAN, Perth, Jan. 4. THE annexed fketch (fig. 3) is a reprefentation of the infeription on a ftone lately found in the porch of a gentleman's feat near Comrie, upper part of Strathearn, Perthshire. To decypher its character, or to difcover to what æra it belongs, has hitherto baffled all who have seen it *. The houfe where this ftone was found is in the immediate neighbourhood of the plain of Dalganrofs, a Roman ftation. Gordon, in his Itinerarium Septentrionale, and Gen. Roy's late publication, may be confulted. The former contends that the battle between Agricola and Galgacus was fought here; the latter maintains an oppofite opinion. The parith church is alfʊ in the vicinity. Of what nation this ftone is a monument fome of your learned correfpondents may be able to determine. The houfe in which it was found was built in 1661; and as, from its fize, the fione formed a lintel, it has been used as fuch ever fince, without any regard to * it is probably only part of a tombitsue from fome church. The firit word may be dre, tor domine; but the reft must depend on knowing what antient families were bu ried here an in the neighbom hood in the 14th or 14th centuries. The account of the panth in the Statistical Account of Scotland, XI. 178, furnishes no light. EDIT. |