Monument record 888/0/1 - Possible Early Saxon Barrow, Early Saxon Burials & Grave Goods

7th century Saxon barrow containing inhumations accompanied by grave goods including brooches, rings, keys and a knife.

{1} Saxon burials in the south east of the parish on sand and gravel at 110m above OD. A low mound 40-50 yard long, 2-3 yards wide and 1 yard high lay immediately east of Watling Street, on the boundary between the village of Muscott and that of Norton. It was levelled in 1855-6 and some graves were found in it containing five or six skeletons together with an amber bead and some pices of metal. In 1863 the present road was laid across the site and the mound was destroyed. At that time another grave was discovered as well as a saucer brooch, a disc brooch, a bronze-gilt square-headed brooch, two bronze rings, an iron knife and a bone spindle whorl. It has been suggested that the Roman road itself had been been diverted at this point to avoid a pre-Roman mound and that the burials were therefore secondary. This is unlikely, for the mound is said to have lain 8m from the centre of the original embankment of Watling Street.

{2} [SP 6191 6283 from plan] During the levelling, 1855 or 1856, of a low oblong mound (40-50 yards long, 2-3 yards wide and 1 yard. high), similar to an ordinary hedge mound, some graves were found and 5 or 6 skeletons exhumed. The graves were in a single line, about 30 yards long; they are believed to have lain N-S with the head at the S. They were 6' below the crown of Watling Street, about 25' from the road's centre outside its original embankment. In 1863 the direction of the road was changed by Mr. Beriah Botfield, M.P., F.S.A., so that it passed over the site of the burial mound. At least one grave previously undetected was found and the following A-S objects from it presented by Mr. Botfield to the Soc. of Ants:- 3 fibulae (illus. of large, cruciform one), 2 bronze rings, 3 iron hooks (?keys), iron knife, bone spindle whorl.

{5} A small pagan Saxon bronze fibula, half of a sleeve link, and a disc, probably part of a saucer brooch are said to have been found S. of Baanaventa in the area of the Roman settlement (892/0/1). However this location may be incorrect and they perhaps came from the Saxon burials.

{8} The brooch from Norton in the possession of the Soc. of Ants. [see AO:60:381:8] belongs to Class B 4 and may safely be assigned to the 7th century.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1868, Archaeologia (41), p.479-81 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN14495.

<3> Meaney A.L., 1964, Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, p.194 (unchecked) (Gazetteer). SNN10289.

<4> Brown, A E (ed), 1972, Northamptonshire Archaeology, p.67 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN25623.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP66SW12 (part checked) (Index). SNN443.

<6> LEEDS E.T., 1949, Corpus of Early Anglo-Saxon Great Headed Square Brooches, p.90 (unchecked) (Report). SNN60006.

<7> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.234 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100368.

<8> Leeds E., 1949, A Corpus of Early Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, 59-60, 120-1, plate 90 (Book). SNN103038.

<9> Brown, A E (ed), 1972, Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies, p. 67 (Journal). SNN58344.

Record last edited

Mar 1 2024 3:43PM