238
MUSEUM NOTES No. IV.
VIII.—ADDITIONAL OBJECTS FROM THE ROMANO-
BRITISH SETTLEMENT AT CHIGWELL, ESSEX.
Very many of our readers are acquainted with the interest-
ing series of objects so admirably arranged and exhibited by
Mr. I. Chalkley Gould in the Epping Forest Museum, and with
the little " Handbook " which he prepared in explanation there-
of.2 At the Meeting of the Club on January 25th, 1902, Mr.
Gould showed some specimens which had recently been dis-
covered at the site, and made some remarks on the same,
which are embodied in the following notes. Most of the objects
have been added to the series in the Museum : —
" I exhibit a few coins and some fragments of ' Samian ' and
other pottery from the Chigwell Settlement, Though mostly in
poor condition the coins are of value to us, being approximately
indicative of the period of occupation of the site ; at the same
time it must not be forgotten that Roman coins circulated for
ages after the death of the rulers whose superscription they
bore."
" Most of the coins hitherto found at Chigwell have suffered
so much decay as to render identification impossible, but those
shown exhibit sufficiently distinguishing impressions, while a
few are in very good condition.
" They consist of the following specimens :—
NERVA (Silver). Bust facing to right.3
(A.D. 96-98) Inscription, imp. nerva caes aug pm tr p cos ii
cos iii pp
Reverse. Two hands joined. concordia exercituum
HADRIAN (Brass). Bust facing to right
(A.D. 117-138) Inscription. Gone.
Reverse. Two figures and an altar. Almost un-
decipherable.
1 Notes on the Romano-British Settlement at Chigwell, Essex, &c. Essex Field Club
Museum Handbooks, No 2, 1895. Price 31/2d. post free.
2 In his book Le Tombeau de Childerie I. L'abbe Cochet relates that Roman coins circu-
lated in some country districts of France (even down to 1853) where such pieces were known
as sous a La Vierge. They appear frequently to have found their way into the church
offertories, enabling clergy and sacristans to make respectable collections of such coins !
3 This coin is kindly lent by Mr. W, Daniels of Chigwell, the others belong to the writer.
—I, 0, G.