NHER 1011 (Monument record) - Early Saxon inhumation cemetery

1973. Excavation.
Carried out by Norwich Museum, Norfolk Archaeological Unit and Norfolk Research Committee. Uncovering an early Saxon inhumation cemetery whilst digging gravel pits on a small hill which is above the Well Beck. It was estimated that at least half of the cemetery was destroyed but the north and east limits of the cemetery were clearly defined. Sixty-eight graves of 5th to 7th centuries were recorded but from this only thirty-one contained any traces of human bone due to the acidic soil, fifty-eight of the burials contained grave-goods.
The grave-goods were used to help determine the orientation and sex of the bodies. It was found that twenty-three were of undetermined sex, fifteen identified as male and twenty-five as female. It was assessed that from their size, eighteen of the burial may have contained children. Grave-goods that were found included shield bosses tinned and gold bronze mounts which were in the form of dogs with beaked heads, a sword and from the same grave the iron bands from a bucket, all of these finds were associated with male graves. The most common brooch was the flat bronze annular brooch found in nineteen of the graves; other brooches included small-long brooches, cruciform brooches and square-headed brooch. These were found together with bronze girdle-hanger, iron keys and a possible stringed instrument. Most of these finds are now in the NCM (NWHCM : L1976.4).
See published report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2) and (S3) and noted in newspaper articles (S4) and (S5).
For further discussion of this site and its finds see (S6) and (S7).
E. B. Green (NCM) 1973 amended by M. Langham-Lopez (HES) 30 May 2013.