The Romans do not seem to have adopted this kind of sepulchre, for although tumuli have been discovered in this country containing articles of Roman workmanship, yet our best antiquaries do not allow such to have been the burial places of the Romans themselves, but rather of Romanized Britons, or of Britons engaged in their service. The general characteristics of a Roman place of interment in Britain, appear to consist simply of the plain grave, with one or more stone pillars bearing an inscription, and sometimes a sculptured device. At Chatham hill in Kent, a Roman sepulchre was discovered, of which the walls were composed of rubble-stone and hard mortar ; the wall first discovered was 30 feet in length, and intersected by three apartments with their walls. One apartment which was complete, was 9 feet 3 inches by 7 feet 3 inches, with the inside of the walls covered with fine white plaster, on which were painted stripes of black and red. The urn containing the ashes of the deceased, was deposited on a pavement within the sepul chre, and round it were several vessels of different size and shape, paters, &e. A Roman sepulchre, discovered about two hundred and fifty yards from the wall of the city of York, was an oblong room with a ridged roof; covered with hollow Roman tiles ; it was about 31 feet long within, and contained several urns all standing on a tiled pavement. A burial-vault was discovered in Oxfordshire, which in the part explored was 20 feet long by 18 wide, and 8 high from the planking-stones. The human remains were laid in par titions of a dissimilar width, which crossed the vault from east to west, and were built with Roman red tiles, about Si inches square. The partitions were 21- feet deep, and generally about the width of modern graves. Roman urns and other vessels were discovered among the rubbish. There were two tiers of sepulchral recesses, and above were a range of planking tiles covered with mortar and sand, in which was set tesselated work, supposed to have formed the floor ing of a temple." In the year 1S07, a Roman vault contain ing a scarcophagus, was discovered in the suburbs of York. The sarcophagus, which contained a skeleton, was cut out of a single grit-stone, and covered with a blue flagstone ; its length was 7 feet; breadth 3 feet 2 inches; depth 1 foot 6 inches ; thickness 4 inches. Near the vault, an urn of red clay was discovered, containing ashes and fragments of burnt bones. Stone coffins of a similar character, containing bones accompanied by urns, &e., have frequently been dis covered. Collins of brick also occur.
The tumuli, not unfrequently discovered in this island, are to be attributed for the most part to the Britons, as is often evidenced by the weapons, &c. found within them. The Saxons, however, it is probable, still continued the practice, though not for a very long period ; their barrows are distin guished from the British by being devoid of any remains of garments, &c. ; they are found in and are of the bell-shaped form. Those with eistvaens, urns, cups, beads, weapons in wooden scabbards, bosses of shields, &c. are British. The cistvaens, just mentioned, consist of three or four stones placed edgeways, and covered by another at the top. Several Saxon barrows are still to be seen in Lower Saxony. The custom of interring the body commenced to be practised by the Saxons, in all probability, upon their conversion to Christianity : their coffins were either of wood or stone, the latter being reserved for persons of wealth and influence ; they were at first made of several stones, set round with one at the bottom, and one for a cover at the top, similar to the British cistvaens, but they were afterwards formed of a single stone, hollowed out, with a slab for a cover. In the earlier periods, the bodies of all persons were interred in the cemetery which surrounded the church, but in a short time, persons of rank, and ecclesiastics, began to be buried within the church ; and, in such cases, the top of the coffin was generally level with the pavement, of which, indeed, it formed a part.
After a time, the tombs began to assume a different form, and became gradually of a more costly and imposing cha racter. From the plain stone chest we come to that with a coped covering ; and then we find the lid sculptured with some ornament, most frequently with a cross, plain or floriated.
Next, we arrive at the raised tomb, which became more and more ornamented ; and at last we have them covered with rich canopies, and embellished with the most minute and delicate carving. Some tombs in our larger churches and cathedrals still exist as specimens of the most elaborate work manship of our ancient artificers. Stone tablets, inlaid with brass, were for some time common ; the brasses which were engraved, represented the deceased in his usual costume, sometimes surrounded with a canopied niche, also of engraved brass, let into the slab, and usually having a border of inlaid brass round the edge of the slab, containing an inscription relative to the title of the deceased. Floriated crosses, and other figures, were sometimes inlaid in a similar manner ; and, occasionally, the brasses were enriched with coloured enamel. Remains of brasses are very common, few old churches being without them.
During the whole of this period, burials in the church yard were still common, tombs within the church being re served for the great and noble. The church-yard stones were, of course, of a more simple description, being either of wood or stone, and most usually in the form of a cross, varying, however, greatly in design and outline.
After the Reformation, sepulchral monuments, together with architecture, began to decline in taste and execution ; in design, they follow the prevailing style of architecture and we find Italian details gradually introduced. Effigio were common ; and it is not uncommon to find, dnring the Stuart period, effigies of an entire finnily on one tomb. Brasses were still prevalent, though of less beautiful design and workmanship. After this, the Italian, or rather Eliza bethan style, was thrown aside, and we find groups of sculp ture, of classic design, more or less successful, some of very extensive dimensions; in fact, at one time. size seems to have been the principal recommendation, as will be evident to any one visiting our cathedrals, where he cannot but lament the introduction of huge monstrosities, equally vicious in design and execution ; and for the sake of these, too, he will see windows and arches blocked up, delicate workmanship de faced, and the whole effeet of a grand design marred, if not destroyed. The ill taste displayed in the designs, and the monstrous adulation portrayed in the inscriptions of the monuments of the last century and a half, is enough to shock the feelings of any man who pretends to modesty or common sense. We are glad to see a better taste reviving in the present day.
Mr. Cough has classified the tombs of this country under eight different heads as follows : 1st Form.—Coffin-shaped stone, prismatic and plain at the top.
2nd Form.—Prismatic and carved at the top, with crosses plain and fleury, as that of Theobald, Archbishop of Canter bury, in 1160, and that of Bishop Glanville, near the altar in Rochester Cathedral.
3rd Form.—Tables with effigies or sculpture, as that of Robert Duke of Normandy, in Gloucester Cathedral, with effigy cross-legged, in a coat of mail, A. D. 1131; King John, in Worcester Cathedral, 1213 ; Prelates in pontifical habits, first in half-relief, afterwards complete effigies, as Herbert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury. 120.3 ; Knights and nobles in armour, &e., as Longspee, Earl of Salisbury, 1226.
4th Form.—Tombs with festoons or arches over them, as those of lIenry III., Edward I., Queen Eleanor, Edward the Black Prince, Henry IV., &c. This class was succeeded by more lofty tombs, with arches, crochets, pinnacles, finials, &c.
5th Form.—Tombs in chapel burial-places, consisting mostly of open screens, with doors, altar, monuments, pis cinas, niches, &c., several of which are seen in the cathedrals of Wells, Salisbury, Exeter, &c.
6th Form.—Inlaid with brass, representing figures of the deceased, and inscriptions either in cameo or intaglio. These are mostly of the 14th century. Many fine specimens are engraved and published by Cotinan.
7th Form.—Against walls, which chiefly occur since the Reformation.
Sth Form.—Detached buildings, as domes, obelisks, columns, and equestrian statues.