On a Roman Statue and other remains in Dover Museum

( -202 ••)• ON A ROMAN STATUE AND OTHER REMAINS IN THE DOVER MUSEUM. BY GKEOR&E PAYNE, E.S.A., E.Ii.S. IN the year 1887, during excavations for the foundations of the Oarlton Club, in the Market Place at Dover, the statue, figured on the accompanying plate,* was exhumed. It is of oolite, and in. its present state measures about 4 feet in height. The figure, which is draped about the legs, is probablyintended to represent a nymph or some tutelary goddess, who presided over the sea or the River Dour, which rises near Ewell, flowing into the sea at Dover. The connection between the name of that river and Dttbris, the Roman name of Dover, is unmistakeable. The mutilated state of the statue rendered it impossible to give an adequate idea of its beauty or original outline, as the surface had entirely decayed away. This interesting discovery, which was kindly communicated by Mr. Roach Smith, iF.S.A., is a novel feature in the history of Dover, shewing that the town was adorned in Roman times in a manner which was not before suspected, and leads us to expect that remains of a richer nature will be met with in the future. We are indebted to a member of our Society, Mr. Lambert Weston, of Waterloo Orescent, for finely * From a drawing kindly prepared by Mr. Barnard Rook, of Sittingbourne. P.OOK, on. I.VWT1** k.*NC. CAMUGH *». ID«0CB, » C REMAINS (4 FEET HIOH) OF A ROMAN STATUE, DUG UP IN THE MABKET PLACE, DOVER. •A ON ROMAN REMAINS IN DOVER MUSEUM. 203 executed and tinted photographs of other objects, which have been added to the Dover Museum during the past few years. A brief account of some of these was furnished to the Royal Archseological Institute, by Dr. Astley and Mr. "William Clayton,* but the following descriptive .list of them, accompanied by illustrations, will doubtless be welcomed: Erom a field, in the rear of Dover College, adjoining land formerly belonging to the Priory, I, 2. SAMIAN TATEIM, one stamped OSIN, the other O.IN.T.VSS.A. 3. Urns', hlack, 8 inches x 7%. 4. UnN,t dull red, 8£ inches x 7. 5. UiiiTjt red, 9 inches x 6. 6. TJRH-jt red brown, 9 inches x 8. 7. UBN,f red brown, 8f inches x 8. 8. URN, black, 4£ inches x 4. 9. MOBTAKTUM, stamped SAV (urnus). 10. LIMPET SHEMIJ of very large size. II. G-LASS YESSBI, globular body, 4 inches X 3f; neck, § inch high. 12. GXASS YESSEI, globular body, 4j inches x 3f-; neck, l-£ inch high. 13. UEIJ-, black, 4 inches X %\. 14. UEN, brown, 3 inches X 5. 15. UEN, brown, 3 inches x 4. 16. URN of Durobrivian ware, exterior roughened like oatmeal cloth, 8J inches X 3. 17. PATERA, black, stamped IVINOE. 18. PATERA, black, 19. JUG, with handle, cream coloured, 7f inches x 6. * Arch. Journal, vols, xvi., p. 297; xxiv., p. 279. + Contain calcined bones. % The peculiar custom of burying single shells, with the dead, is not uncommon; shells being regarded as charms, hence they are sometimes found pierced for use as amulets. Among the shells hitherto met with in graves are cowries, nerites, limpets, and snails. These are referred to in the Henia JBrittanica, in the Inventorium Sepulchrale, in the Reliquice Diluvianoe, also by Sir R. 0. Hoare. They were found in the Deveril Barrow by Mr. Miles, as recorded in the Gentleman's Magazine, and by the late Rev. William Vallance at Sittingbourne. 204 ON ROMAN REMAINS- .*•• 20/ JUG, witfehandle, "red;"8J inches x- 5£. 21. JUG, with handle, red, 7 inches X 5f. 22, 23. Two BRONZE ARMLETS, round. 24,—26. Three BRONZE ARMLETS, flat, with fluted edges. • 27. BRONZE ARMLET, twisted. Prom Oastle Hill, Dover, by the "Water-works. 28. Bottle-shaped YESSEL, red. 29. URN, black. ,; , 30. URN, black. The following vessels were found at Buckland, on the Dover and Folkestone Road, on property which formerly belonged to Mr. Kingsford: A. URN, red, mended with bronze rivets, contained ;bones and a bronze fibula. B. URN, brown, with bones, projections on the sides of tbe vessel. C. UKW, cream ; ornamented with diagonal Jjnes. D. GLASS PHIAL, in the form of a candlestick; the base of which was 3\ inches in diameter, the neck about 1 iuch wide, and the height 7 inches, .This type of glass vessel is uncommon in Kent ; there are. three or four examples in the magnificent collection of Mr. G-eorge Joslin, at .Colchester. . . 33. YASE of black ware, P. YESSEL of red-brown ware, with two handles, [This was not found at Buckland, but in excavating on the premises of Sir B . Dickeson, iu the Market Place at Dover.] , G-. NECK of YESSEL of yellow ware, H. URN, black. I . YASE, black. J. YASE, red. K. URN, blue-black. L. YASE, blue-black. M, N". Ours of black ware. 0. YASE, black. P. BOWL, black. Q. YASE, yellow ochre, B. YASE, indented, grey. S. YASE, grey. T. PATERA, black. DOLIUM ; it contained a Samian patera stamped CNNTOS. PRAGMEHTS of patera stamped ERONTINI—HABHISE. IN THE/DOVER MUSEUM. 205 The foregoing articles are of Eoman date and apparently all belonged to sepulchral deposits. Taken in conjunction with other discoveries which have been made in and around Dover from time to time, they shed further light on the past history of (the locality. Mr. Gordon, the Curator of "the Dover Museum, kindly informs me that Anglo-Saxon interments have recently been met' with, "in excavating "foundations on the Priory Hill, at Dover. "With human skeletons, there were found swords and spears in a fragmentary condition. At the head of one grave were many limpet shells; and in another, jasper (?) stones. Mr. Gr. Wilks, Town Clerk of Hytbe, has obligingly 6ommunicated particulars of nine Anglo-Saxon graves, found on opening a chalk quarry, up the hill between Folkestone and Dover. The details of these discoveries may be looked for from his pen.