Monument record 978/1 - Early Saxon Cemetery (Inhumation & Cremation), Coneybury Hill

Saxon mixed rite cemetery, Holdenby. Finds were made on a number of occasions between 1862 and 1909. These comprised at least thirty skeletons, some with grave goods and some without, and also the crushed remains of a cinerary urn containing burnt bone and a broken hairpin. The burials had no uniform orientation. The objects accompanying the skeletons included urns, parts of spears and shields, knives, pins, bronze cruciform fibulae, iron penannular brooches, two saucer brooches, and a large square-headed brooch probably of early 7th-century date. There were also clasps, tweezers, fragments of ivory and beads of glass, amber and earthenware.

{1} In 1864 an iron horse shoe of an entirely different type was found with two bronze fibulae, pottery, and the umbo of a shield, together with many skeletons, all of the Romano-British period, on Coneybury Hill at Holdenby in Northamptonshire.

{7} The triangle stamp is found on yet another vessel, one of three found in 1845 at Holdenby, on the land of Lord Annaly. Apart from multiple grooves this pot has three stamps. These are each used in two rows. The uppermost and fourth rows use an S-shaped stamp; the second and fifth rows the triangular stamps; and the third and sixth rows a concentric circle stamp. The use of the triangle stamp suggests it was made by the potter referred to as 'Kettering I'. Drawing and photo.

{9} The history of the parish is carried back a great many years by the discovery of late Roman or early Saxon remains on 22nd February 1864. Some men who were employed in digging for stone on the side of a hill in Coneybury Hill Field, came upon some fragments of pottery, bones, a horse shoe, and two bronze fibulae. The pottery comprised urns of common clay and rude workmanship. Drawings of finds.
On the 16th March 1864 further examination of the hill was carried out, with several cuts made higher up the hill than previously. The 9-12 trenches revealed six skeletons, of which only one was in a perfect state. It appeared to be that of a warrior. He lay as if he had been doubled up, his knees nearly touching his chin. Upon his head was the umbo of a shield much decayed; this was probably once bright steel. On removing the skull it appeared that the upper part had grown into the iron plate, as this was somewhat difficult to remove from the head. It was curious to remark that these bodies did not lie in the usual direction of east and west. They seemed to have been buried regardless of position.
Coneybury Hill Field stands in an elevated position. In all cases the bones were not more than a foot below the surface, being very little deeper than the actual turf.
There must have been several persons buried in this hillside as bones have been found in so many fragments and in all directions; all were carefully reburied.
In this field it is said that bones have previously been discovered. A thin piece of rusty iron supposed to be a fragment of a spear, was found by a man two or three years prior to 1864. It was found by the side of a skeleton in an opposite bank facing the south.

{11} Finds were made on a number of occasions between 1862 and 1909. These comprised at least 30 skeletons, some with grave goods and some without, and also the crushed remains of a cinerary urn containing burnt bone and a broken hairpin. The burials had no uniform orientation. The objects accompanying the skeletons included urns, parts of spears and shields, knives, pins, bronze cruciform fibulae, iron penannular brooches, two saucer brooches, and a large square-headed brooch probably of early 7th century date. There were also clasps, tweezers, fragments of ivory and beads of glass, amber and earthenware.

{12} In February 1864 some men who were employed in digging for stone on the side of a hill in Coneybury Hill Field, came upon some fragments of pottery, some bones, a horse shoe, and two bronze brooches. The vessels have since been restored, one of them being of rough clay with projections like rudimentary handles for suspension, the second having S-shaped and other impressed ornaments in a deep band above the shoulder. This latter was evidently a cinerary urn; but in the following year the hill was again cut into and six distinct skeletons were found, one of which was in a perfect condition, and appeared to be that of a warrior. He lay as if he had been doubled up, his knees nearly touching his chin. Attached by rust to his head was the boss of a shield, much decayed. The bodies did not lie in an east-west direction, but seemed to have been buried regardless of position. In all cases the bones were not more than a foot below the surface.
Again in 1899 thirteen interments were uncovered within a comparatively small area in the same locality. One of these was a crushed cinerary urn, with several fragments of burnt bone and broken bronze hair pin, but the rest were extended interments. It was again noticed that the bodies were not interred in any special direction, and in one case a female lay face downwards and rested on an earlier burial in another direction. By the side of two male skeletons were found spearheads of iron, and over the skull of one the large sharp-pointed boss of a shield with the iron handle beneath it, recalling the similar discovery in 1864. The nine female interments were rich in bead necklaces, mostly composed of glass and amber, and here, as in many Anglo-Saxon burials, was found the melon-shaped bead of green glass-paste characteristic of the Roman period. The bronze brooches were interesting as presenting more than one design not hitherto noted. In two or three instances they were three in number, one in the centre of the breast and the other two on the shoulders. A pair of ring brooches were found, resembling those from Marston Hill; and several circular specimens, including a pair with applied plates bearing an embossed design like one from Kettering already described. An object generally known as a girdle hanger was amongst the finds, and had probably served as a framework at the mouth of a reticule attached to the waist of Anglian women. The exact use of these bronze attachments has always been rather uncertain, but the question was virtually settled by the discovery of a specimen at Sporle, Norfolk, to which some textile had evidently been attached by metal rings. The small clasps mentioned in the account of the Holdenby excavations resemble some already noticed from Marston and were no doubt used like them to fasten the bracelet. Several of the brooches were silvered, and one had traces of gilding. Some iron rings of various sizes were found with the female skeletons, and in one grave were found a umber of broken pieces of ivory, apparently the remains of a bracelet. Ivory is very exceptional in such finds, but there are in the British Museum similar bracelets from Sleaford in Lincolnshire, and Long Wittenham in Berkshire, and also a large brooch of ivory and bronze from Kempston near Bedford.
All the interments discovered on this occasion were as before, near the surface, in no case at a greater depth than 20ins; and many have doubtless been disturbed and destroyed in the past on this account.

{13} Anglo-Saxon mixed cemetery at SP695671. The site is on the south side (where the slope is gentlest) of a spur of high ground running due west for over 100yds and then dropping sharply. Pottery, skeletons (over 30), bones (charred and un-charred), necklaces, fibulae, umbos, spears etc. found from 1862 onwards, and particularly in 1899 and 1909.
Sited from preceding information and ground perambulation to a more accurate area centred to SP69546717; this area shows evidence of early quarrying, now under permanent pasture.

{14} 0.75 miles south east of church on hill in ploughed field. The area was trenched and bones were found close to the surface in each trench. Skeleton at 'a' on the plan was found c.1860 in stone digging, with a spear at its head and pot sherds. Two brooches and bones were found in a pit at 'b' on the plan. Finders: W. Page and J. Austin. A skeleton and boss were found in 1864. A crouched burial, its head to the south east. Finder: W. Harsthorne. Four urns were found in a quarry pit, with bones and a horseshoe. Finds with Lord Ammaly.

{15} Anglo-Saxon mixed cemetery, SP 695 671. The site is on the south side (where the slope is gentlest) of a spur of high ground running due west for over 100 yards and then dropping sharply. Pottery, skeletons (Over 30), bones, (charred and uncharred), necklaces, fibulae, umbos, spears etc. found from
1862 onwards - particularly in 1899 and 1909.

{16} Fieldname: Coneybury Hill and Coney Hill. Sketch plan. Plan of burials as excavated October 1908 (west of the previous excavation.

{18} Sited from preceding topographical information and ground perambulation to a more accurate area centred to SP 6954 6717; this area, which shows evidence of early quarrying, is now permanent pasture.
Northampton Museum hold an extensive collection of material from this cemetery.

[SMR note 30/08/2012: mapped polygon is centred on the more precise ngr provided by OS Record Card ie. SP69546717.]

<1> 1877, The Archaeological Journal (34), p.466 (checked) (Journal). SNN18143.

<2> 1899, Athenaeum, p.660 (unchecked) (Series). SNN18133.

<3> 1901, Journal of Northants. Nat. Hist. Soc. & Field Club, p.3-7 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN18134.

<4> 1909, Journal of Northants. Nat. Hist. Soc. & Field Club, p.99 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN18135.

<5> The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1912, Archaeologia (63), Plate 27 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN9667.

<6> BROWN G.B., 1915, The Arts In Early England (Vol.4), p.781-2 (unchecked) (Series). SNN36226.

<7> KENNETT D.H., 1969, An Anglo-Saxon Potter in Northamptonshire, p.37-41 (checked) (Article). SNN58510.

<9> Hartshorne E.S., 1868, Memorials of Holdenby, p.6-7 (checked) (Book). SNN60023.

<10> 1956, The Northampton Independent, (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59973.

<11> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.104 Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<12> Ryland, W, Adkins, D, and Serjeantson, R M, 1902, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.230+246-47 (checked) (Series). SNN100368.

<13> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP66NE6 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<14> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/153/9 (Archive). SNN115.

<15> Meaney A.L., 1964, Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, p.190 (unchecked) (Gazetteer). SNN10289.

<16> Northampton Museum Records, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN126.

<17> MYRES J.N.L., 1977, A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Pottery of The Pagan Period (Both Vols), (unchecked) (Book). SNN55363.

<18> Colquhoun, FD, 1969, Field investigators comments (Notes). SNN112950.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 7:58PM