114 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
It may be as well to state definitely that there is not a
sherd of Gallo-Belgic ware from the site.
DESCRIPTION OF THE POTTERY.
Finer Ware.
Pedestal Urns. There is one fragment of thick brown ware,
with black surface, which is almost certainly from a large
pedestal urn, the form of which, however, cannot be ascertained.
It also possesses a curious feature of these vessels at Sheepen,
namely, the general shaling or flaking-off of the interior surface.
Mr. Dunning has already described Plate IX, figs. 1 and 2
(Ant. Journ., xiii, p. 188):—Fig. 1. "Hollow pedestal base.
Hand made coarse brown ware with fine flint grit, tooled
"brown surface."
Plate IX, fig. 2. "Pedestal base with beaded edge and
"almost solid foot. Wheel-turned, fine grey ware. This type
"of base is frequent in Essex on pedestal urns of the first half
"of the first century A.D., for example, at Lexden (Swarling
"Report, p. 21, Pl. XI, 1)."
This type of pedestal is extremely rare, if indeed it occurs
at all, at Sheepen.
Bowls. Plate IX, fig. 3. (Mr. Dunning's description).
"Upper part of a large globular bowl with inbent rim for a lid
"and three raised cordons on the body. Wheel-turned, fine
"hard grey ware with smooth dark grey slip and corky surface.
"Similar bowls, usually provided with covers or lids, and some-
"times with a series of cordons on the body and a foot-ring,
"have been found in Essex at Braintree,5 Colchester,6 Creeksea,7
"and Lexden8; another bowl of this type, but probably slightly
'earlier in date, was found by the Abbe Cochet in a small Belgic
"urn-field at Sainte-Beuve-en-Riviere, Seine Inferieure."
Plate IX, fig. 4. The fragment is, in my opinion, from
the top of one of the covers or lids to which Mr. Dunning
refers. Such lids are not uncommon at Sheepen, all in thick
native ware with soapy surface, while the bowls occur rather
less commonly. One lid (with exceptionally wide top) is
illustrated, Swarling, Pl. IX, 35.
5 Colch. Mus. Rep., 1905, p. 15.
6 Ibid., 1906, p. 4 ; Proc. Soc. Ant., XX., 213.
7 Colch. Mus. Rep., 1926, p. 10, Pl. III.
8 Ibid., 1909, p. 11, Pl. VI ; and 1923, p. 10.