Saxon North Doorway, Somerford Keynes.

Sculpture of Scandinavian type, Somerford Keynes. [From the Illustrated Archeologist, June, 1893.]

jaws and form a triquetra knot in the triangular space above the heads. The bodies of the beasts are more elaborately ornamented than in any other case that has come under my notice. There are spirals just below the ears and on the thighs. The decoration of the body consists of a mid rib with cross ribs branching out from it and sloping down at an angle at each side from it. The teeth, eyes, ears, claws, and all the other details are shown with remarkable clearness.

Fragment (J) at Colerne has upon it portions of one or two dragons. The head of one is plainly visible at the top of the stone and its claw in the middle of the left side. The body is ornamented with a mid rib having a pelleted chevron on one side and cross ribs on the other. The interlaced work in the background is formed by the tails of the dragons, which are narrowed down to bands of the same width throughout.

Upon the fragment at Somerford Keynes are sculptured the heads and necks of two beasts facing each other, their mouths touching and holding a round ball. The outline of the stone corresponds partly with the outline of the beasts, the bodies of which are ornamented front and back. The tufts of hair round the edges are conventionalised by making them end in little spiral curls. The rest of the bodies are covered with Scandinavian decoration like that on the Runic-inscribed slab found in St. Paul's Churchyard, and now in the Guildhall Library.

Foliageous Ornament. There are only two examples of stones with foliageous ornament upon them in Wiltshire-at Britford, and on the fragment of a coped stone (D) at Ramsbury.

The foliage at Britford consists of scrolls branching out on each side of an undulating stem, and having a large leaf in the centre of each scroll. The sculpture is in extraordinarily good preservation and all the details beautifully executed.

The foliage on the coped stone (D) at Ramsbury consists of two sets of scroll-work, like that at Britford, one on each of the rounded sloping faces of the monument, the scrolls being interlocked with each other where they intersect along the central ridge.

VOL. XXVII.-NO. LXXIX.

F