Monument record 2394/0/1 - Middle Saxon burials, Watling Street

The remains of six individuals were exposed in a service trench. There was insufficent information to determine whether they were articulated or lying in graves

{1} Human bone had been collected by contractors during the excavation of a service trench alongside the A5. Human bone (possibly a tibia) was recorded in situ by the attending archaeologist lying within a loose, light-orange brown sandy silt. There was no evidence within the section to confirm whether any grave cuts were present, or whether the skeletons had previously been articulated.

No dateable artefacts were recovered that could be associated with the burials; however, a fragment of left tibia was submitted for radiocarbon dating. This provided a date of 666–863 cal AD (95.4% probability; SUERC-74117) suggesting an early medieval (7th–9th century) date for the remains. There were at least five adults and one individual under 18. There were at least two males and one female. The range of bone available indicated that it is likely that the individuals were located parallel with the trench, or at a slight angle, as the left side dominates the assemblage of femora and tibiae.

The range of individuals may suggest that the burials were part of a general cemetery.

Cotswold Archaeology, 2022, Images and CAD Data from an Archaeological Investigation at Dunsmore Farm, Watling Street (A5), Northamptonshire April 2017, https://doi.org/10.5284/1100075 (Digital archive). SNN114237.

<1> Streatfeild-James, J., 2017, Dunsmore Farm, Watling Street, Lilbourne: Archaeological Investigation (Report). SNN111020.

Record last edited

Apr 23 2025 6:40PM