II.

NOTICE OF THE DISCOVERY OF A CINERARY URN AT GAULDRY, FIFESHIRE. BY ALEXANDER HUTCHESON, F.S.A. SCOT., BROUGHTY FERRY.

On 11th February last a fine cinerary urn was uncovered by the plough in a field on the farm of Balgove, close to the west of the village of Gauldry, the property of Mrs Anstruther Duncan of Naughton. I heard of the discovery a day or two afterwards, but could not manage to visit the place until 20th February, when I did so along with Rev. Dr Campbell, Balmerino. I found the urn had been, unfortunately, much broken, the plough having removed the base as it stood inverted in the ground, and no part of this portion has been recovered.

The urn has been of large dimensions, and it is possible to give all these with accuracy except the height. It is tall and graceful, of overhanging rim, neck and body form. It measured 14 inches across the lip and 16 at the lower part of the neck, whence it, curving, tapered to about 6 inches at the base, and could not have been less than 20 inches in height and from to an inch in thickness. The rim, which is 3 inches high, is divided into a series of rectangular panels, the field of each being crossed by groups of right lines produced as if by the impress of a twisted cord, and arranged vertically and horizontally alternately. Below this, on the neck, is a succession of chevron-like triangles, crossed like the panels in the rim by a like series of right lines of similar impress, but in this case wholly horizontal, and plain between.

The lower part of the urn is perfectly plain. From its broken condition, a photographic representation would have been ineffective, but for the information of the reader, I may be permitted to refer to the illustrations to the Hon. John Abercromby's paper in the last volume of the Proceedings, taking No. 13 for the form of the urn, although the

Gauldry example is of more graceful outline than that. The markings on the overhanging rim are similar to those on No. 13, while the type of ornament on the neck will be found on the rim of No. 43, but without the vertical lines between the chevrons.

The urn was said to have been inverted over a quantity of bones, and on visiting the site this was abundantly evident, many small pieces of calcined bones being visible amongst the earth. I should have liked to put the earth through a riddle, but none was available. Mrs Anstruther Duncan being at the time from home, no further search could be made, but information of the discovery having been made to her, she has most obligingly signified her desire that further search be made on the site, and it is to be hoped that when the crop is off the ground this may be accomplished, as it seems probable other urns may be met with. The urn has been deposited in the Duncan Hall, Gauldry.

I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr Thomas Barrie, schoolmaster, Gauldry, who kindly accompanied us to the field and pointed out the site and furnished particulars of the discovery.

III.

NOTICE OF THE EXAMINATION OF A CAIRN AND INTERMENTS OF THE EARLY IRON AGE AT THE BLACK ROCKS, GULLANE, HADDINGTONSHIRE, ON 14TH MARCH 1908. BY EDWARD EWART, M.D., GULLANE, AND ALEX. O. CURLE, SECRETARY.

An imaginary line following the direction of the west wall of Muirfield golf-course northwards would reach the seashore at a spot known as the Black Rocks. It is a desolate region of ranges of sand-hills alternating with hollows swept out by the prevailing westerly winds. A high ridge of sand running landward affords a situation for a tall mast or beacon which indicates the eastern extremity of a measured mile for the use of steamers doing their steam trials in the adjacent waters. Το the north-east of this ridge lies a hollow more expansive than its neighbours, from whose surface in recent years the sand has been blown away, leaving exposed several large cairns, of which that under descrip

tion was one.

Its position lay near the base of the sand ridge 63 yards or so above high-water mark, and about 34 yards below the line of the 20-foot beach. Composed of large black whinstone boulders gathered from the shore, many of them in weight as much as a man could lift, it lay with its longest axis north and south and formed in outline an irregular oval. Its extreme length and breadth were 20 feet and 13 feet respectively, and at its apex it attained a height of about 4 feet 6 inches, falling gradually away towards either extremity. The large boulders forming its foundation were regularly laid in transverse lines, and had sunk deep in the surface of red tenacious loam on which they had been placed (fig. 1 shows the cairn denuded of sand and before excavation). The removal of one or two stones from the top brought to light a collection of human bones enveloped in a newspaper, while a number of others lay immediately adjacent. These bones were in a condition similar to the others in the cairn, and were undoubtedly from an ancient interment

recently disturbed. At a slightly deeper level to the northward, and separated from the last by small stones, were disclosed the remains of another skeleton. It lay east and west on the right side, facing north, in a contracted position, and with the skull closely confined between two large boulders. One hand lay under the head and the other under the pelvis. The body had apparently been covered with soil, and the presence of sand thickly intermingled with comminuted shells was observed about it. The skull, though recovered complete, subsequently fell to pieces. There was no sign of a cist, though a flat stone set on edge stood immediately to the east of the spot where the skull lay. An area sufficient for the interment appeared to have been left in building the cairn or afterwards prepared by the removal of boulders. Slightly to the

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Fig. 2. Spiral Ring of bronze. (1.)

north-west, and partially underneath the second interment, lay the remains of a third skeleton. The skull, which was broken, lay on its side, and the bones around it had been much disarranged. Still further to the north of the last, and on the same level, the remains of a fourth skeleton came to light. The skull lay in a vertical position, with some bones of a hand directly in front, while behind lay several vertebræ and the shoulder blades. Immediately to the south was a large flat stone, and between it and the bones was found a small spiral ring of bronze very much decayed and broken (fig. 2). Slightly to the westward of the third skeleton, but at a lower level and on the natural surface, in a much disturbed condition, lay the remains of a fifth skeleton. Here also were apparent the shells and sand previously observed. At 11 feet from the southern extremity of the cairn, and slightly to the east of the centre, lying on the natural surface, which had not been disturbed, and sur