Monument record 2625/0/1 - Possible early Anglo-Saxon cemetery

Two female inhumations and a possible cist burial were identified during trial trench evaluation. Unstratified Anglo-Saxon finds indicate further burials may lie in the vicinity

{1} Two female skeletons and the top of a possible cist burial were uncovered in one trench. The burials were excavated as they were only 0.25m beneath the ground surface. One was an adolescent extended burial aligned north to south. Associated grave goods included a Saxon disc brooch, copper alloy, wire, 41 complete amber beads and four glass beads dated to the mid-5th-mid 6th century AD. The skeleton had been disturbed by agricultural activity. The second was a female aged between 45 and 49, also extended and aligned north to south. Probably a supine burial, but heavily truncated and disturbed. Grave goods included an early Saxon fragmented brooch within the oral cavity.

A stone-lined pit situated between the two burials contained mid-late Iron Age pottery; although it may be of Iron Age date, the pottery may be residual and the pit associated with the Saxon activity. North-west of the burials was a ditch containing two sherds of mid-late Iron Age pottery, but also part of a male innominate bone. Unstratified finds nearby, including an early Saxon cruciform brooch and an iron buckle, indicate that there are further burials in the vicinity.

<1> Jeffrey, E, 2015, Land at Norwood Farm, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Evaluation (Report). SNN111217.

Record last edited

Dec 7 2022 12:00PM