Burial Practices in the Wessex Heartlands
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In the Shadow of the Church Burial practices in the Wessex heartlands c.600-1100 AD Part 3 Annia Kristina Cherryson PhD Thesis Departmentof Archaeology, University of Sheffield October 2005 Gazetteer of early medieval, and possible early medieval sites within the study area Sites are grouped by county, with the counties listed alphabetically, and the sites are arranged alphabetically within each county. Sites are referred to by the name most commonly used, within in a few casesalternatives given. Many sites in the gazetteer have nor been published in full. In these cases,the only published reference takes the form of a short note in a local archaeological journal or in Medieval Archaeology and when this happensthe name of the periodical and not the author is often given. Finally, in accordance with the wishes of severalSMRs, no OS grid referencesare given in this work. Table of Contents Berkshire 1 ................................................................................................ Devon 14 ................................................................................................... Dorset 18 ................................................................................................... Hamnshire 47 ................................................................................................ Isle WiQht 92 of ............................................................................................. Oxfordshire 98 .............................................................................................. Somerset 114 ................................................................................................ Wiltshire 138 ................................................................................................ BERKSHIRE Aldermaston Court, Aldermaston Unknown SMR No: WB 16162 Cemetery? NMR No: SU 56 SE 26 No. of burials: 1 inhumation Parish: Aldermaston Associatedchurch: Yes Date: Late Saxon? Associatedbarrow: No Parts of a skull was discovered during building work at Aldermaston Court site, c. 1883-5. The position of the skull suggeststhe burial was aligned S-N and possibly lay on its side facing east. An iron nail lay adjacent to the skull, possibly from a coffin. Stratigraphic evidence suggestsa Saxon or earlier date for the burial. The burial lay just outside the presentchurchyard Anglo-Saxon suggestinga possible contraction of the churchyard. Included in burial database:No - not securely dated Burials included: None References:- Chadwick 1983-5:84 Burghfield Middle Saxon East Berkshire SMR No: 01267.01.00 Cemetery NMR No: SU67 SE74 No. of burials: 50 inhumations Parish: Burghfield Associatedchurch: No Date: 7`hcentury Associatedbarrow: Yes In 1995,50 graves associatedwith a ring ditch within a Bronze Age barrow cemetery were excavatedat Burghfield. Seventeenof the burials contained grave goods, including knives, spearheads,shears, shield bosses,buckles and fittings for a wooden casket. The grave goods suggest a seventh-century date for the cemetery. Four burials contained wood stains indicative of coffins or planks within the grave. Skeletal preservation was poor and body position could only be determined for one burial, which was supine with one leg flexed and the other extended. It was also difficult to determine the orientation of the body within the grave, but the majority of graveswithin the cemeterywere either aligned west-eastor north- south. Included in burial database:Yes Burials included: All References:- Butterworth & Lobb 1992 Cookham, Cock Marsh Early-middle Saxon East Berkshire SMR No: 00508.02.00 Isolated burial NMR No: SU 88 NEI5 No. of burials: 1 inhumation Parish:Cookham Associated church: No Date: late 5'hto 7thcentury Associatedbarrow: Yes In 1874, four Bronze Age barrows were excavated on Cock Marsh. In one barrow, a secondaryinhumation was found accompaniedby a knife, a shield boss, a pot, animal bones- including a dog, and a flint arrowhead and flint flakes. The grave goods suggestan early or middle Saxon date for the burial. Included in burial database:No - burial may pre-datethe seventhcentury Burials included: None References:- Meaney 1964:45 Cookham, Noah's Ark Field Early-middle Saxon East Berkshire SMR No: 00505.00.00 Cemetery NMR No: SU88 NE11 No. of burials: 6 inhumations Parish:Cookham Associatedchurch: No Date: late 5t° to 7`hcentury Associatedbarrow: No In c. 1854, six inhumation burials were found during the construction of a railway between Maidenheadand Cookham, approximately half a mile to the north of Cookham.The burials were accompaniedby grave goods which included a sword, 2 spearheads,a knife and parts of two shield bosses.The grave goods suggestan early or middle Saxon date for the burials. Included in burial database:No - burial may pre-datethe seventhcentury Burials included: None References:- Meaney 1964:45 Cross Barrows, East They I Saxon West Berkshire SMR No: WB 1536 Isolated burial NMR No: SU58 SW2 No. of burials: 1 inhumation Parish: East Ilsley Associatedchurch: No Date: Early-middle Saxon? Associatedbarrow: Yes Cross Barrows, a barrow group consisting of four barrows, near lisley was excavated in 1843. One of the barrows was found to contain a crouched inhumation burial, presumedto be a primacy interment. The burial lay with its head aligned to north-east and was accompaniedby an iron object thought to be a knife. The grave goods and the location of the inhumation suggestan early medieval date for this burial. Included in burial database:No - may pre-datethe seventhcentury Burials included: None Geake 153-4 References:- Meaney 1964:45; 1997:145; Hewlett 1844: Cross Barrows, East I1sey II Unknown West Berkshire SMR No: WB1536 Isolated burial NMR No: SU58 SW2 No. of burials: 6 inhumations parish: East Ilsley Associatedchurch: No Date: Unknown Associatedbarrow: Yes Cross Barrows, a barrow group consisting of four barrows, near Ilsley was excavated in 1843. One of the barrows was found to contain six extended, presumably secondary inhumations,just below the top of the barrow. A bronze pin, some sherd of pottery, some ochre beads and horse teeth were found in associationwith the burials. There is insufficient 2 information about any of the finds associatedwith the burials to determine a date for the inhumations,but given their location an early medieval date is a possibility. Included in burial database:No - not securely dated Burials included: None References: Meaney 1964:45; Geake 1997:145; Hewlett 1844:153-4 Cross Barrows, East Ilsey III Middle Saxon West Berkshire SMR No: WB 1536 Isolated burial NMR No: SU58 SW2 No. of burials: 1 inhumation Parish: East Ilsley Associatedchurch: No Date: 7t° or early 8t century Associatedbarrow: Yes Cross Barrows, a barrow group consisting of four barrows, near Ilsley was excavated in 1843. The third barrow (according to Dickinson's numbering) was found to contain an inhumation burial, presumedto be a primary interment, accompaniedby a bronze buckle, 2 spearheads,a group 7 shield boss and two knives. The grave goods suggesta seventh- or early eighth-century date for the burial. Included in burial database:Yes Burials included: All References:- Meaney 1964:45; Geake 1997:145; Hewlett 1844:153-4 Earley Early Saxon East Berkshire SMR No: WK3899 Cemetery NMR No: SU77 SW38 No. of burials: 13 or 14 inhumations Parish: Earley Associatedchurch: Yes Date: late 5thto early 7thcentury Associatedbarrow: No In 1981, human remains were discovered in a ballast pit during the widening of the Great Western Railway at Earley. A total of five inhumation burials were discovered,with four of the burials being supine extended and the other crouched. All the graves were furnished, burials with grave goods including brooches,spearheads, knives and buckles. The remaining were cremations, with one urn containing fragments of a burnt comb. The grave goods suggestan early Saxon date for the cemetery. Included in burial database:No - burials pre-datethe seventhcentury Burials included: None & Page 1906:240-1 References:- Meaney 1964:50; Peake 1931:127; Ditchfield East Garston Unknown West Berkshire SMR No: WB 12084 Isolated burial NMR No: No. of burials:1 inhumation Parish:East Garston Associatedchurch: No Date: Unknown Associatedbarrow: No In 1890, a skeleton with a "rude-handed cup" was found at East Garston during the construction of the Lambourn Valley Railway. The burial was orientated north-south and an early medieval date has been suggested. Included in burial database:No - not securely dated Burials included: None References:- Peake 1931:130-1; Meaney 1964:46 East Shefford Early Saxon East Berkshire SMR No: Cemetery NMR No: SU37 SEI 1 No. of burials: c.56 inhumations Parish: Great Shefford Associatedchurch: No Date: 5'h century Associatedbarrow: No In 1889-90, approximately 30 inhumations and urned cremationswere discovered during the construction of the Lambourn Valley railway at East Shefford. Many of the inhumations were accompanied with grave goods including swords, spearheads,brooches, buckles, tweezers,beads and spindle whorls. A further inhumation, accompaniedby beads,was found in 1893. In 1912, excavationsconducted by Newbury Museum on either side of the railway uncovereda further 26 or 27 burials. The burials were orientated with their headsto the west or south-west.Most of the inhumations were supine often with flexed legs and their heads resting on flints or chalk ledges. Again grave goods were found with the majority of the burials, with many of the fords similar to those found in 1889-90.The grave