NHER 39278 (Monument record) - Early Saxon burial with skillet

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Summary

Metal detecting in 2003 recovered an Early Saxon skillet and the findspot was excavated. It was discovered that it had been buried with an Early Saxon inhumation burial. The skeleton was of a male who was about 1.8m tall. As well as the skillet, he was accompanied by a spear, several pottery vessels, a knife, an iron-bound wooden bucket and two 5th or 6th century silver buckles. Metal detecting has also revealed two Roman brooches and Roman, medieval and post medieval coins.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TG04SW
Civil Parish LETHERINGSETT WITH GLANDFORD, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Before March 2003. Metal detecting.
Roman patera found at a depth of almost 0.9m (3 feet) beneath ploughsoil and humic soil. It lay, top upwards, on natural sandy gravel, but whether it was set within a cut feature is uncertain. The landowner reports that the natural is very deep in this field (probably because of hillwash). The hole dug to recover the vessel was little larger than the object itself. After it was removed, its handle was detected in the side of the base of the hole and then removed.
Parts of a curving iron bar was found with the patera (now reidentified as an Early Saxon skillet, see below).
Further details of these, the vessel and what remains of its contents will follow after conservation work.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 2 May 2003.

Original findspot corrected using Global Positioning Satellite, see [1].
D. Gurney (NLA), 18 November 2003.

See short description of patera (now reidentified as an Early Saxon skillet, see below) and X-radiographs (S1) and drawing (S2) in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 27 October 2003.

October 2003. Excavation by [1] and members of Blakeney Area Historical Society.
The partial investigation of the findspot of the patera indicates that this is part of a Late Iron Age or early Roman burial.
See interim report (S3) in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 18 November 2003.

April 2004. Excavation.
The Late Iron Age/Roman burial was found to be Early Saxon, with the 'patera' reidentified as an Early Saxon skillet. Skeleton of elder male, about 1.8m (6 feet) tall. As well as being accompanied by the patera/skillet found before March 2003, there was a spear, a pot, a knife, a iron bound wooden bucket and two silver buckles.
The buckles date to 5th or 6th centuries.
See published article (S4)/(S5) for full detail. The results of this work are also described in (S6) and summarised in (S7) and (S8).
The associated archive has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2016.148 and NWHCM : 2017.97).
D. Robertson (NLA), 5 April 2006. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 3 June 2015 and 18 May 2019.

Before 7 November 2004. Metal detecting.
Two Roman, two medieval and one post medieval coins.
Two Roman brooches.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 7 February 2005.

For probable Early Saxon cemetery to north see NHER 31348.
D. Robertson (NLA), 15 July 2008.

  • --- Photograph: 2003. KTX 18-28, Romano British patera..
  • --- Photograph: NAU. 2004. KMD.
  • --- Photograph: NAU. 2004. LYK.
  • --- Secondary File: Secondary File.
  • --- Unpublished Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2006. Treasure Annual Report 2004. pp 89-90; No 135.
  • <S1> X-ray: X ray.
  • <S2> Illustration: Finds Illustrations.
  • <S3> Unpublished Document: Gurney, D.. 2004. An Interim Report on the Investigation of a Late Iron Age or Early Roman Burial at Letheringsett with Glandford, Norfolk.. February.
  • <S4> Article in Serial: Penn, K. and Whitmore, D. 2007. A Seventh-Century Burial at Bayfield. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLV Pt II pp 212-221.
  • <S5> Unpublished Contractor Report: Penn, K. and Whitmore, D. 2007. A Seventh-Century Burial at Bayfield, Norfolk. NAU Archaeology. 1281.
  • <S6> Article in Serial: Penn. K. & Whitmore, D.. 2006. An Anglo-Saxon Burial at Bayfield.. The Glaven Historian. Vol 9, pp 56-60.
  • <S7> Article in Serial: Norfolk Archaeology & Environment. 2005. A high-status Early Saxon burial.. Norfolk Archaeology & Environment Annual Review 2004-05. p 5.
  • <S8> Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. 2004. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 2003. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIV Pt III pp 573-588. p 580.
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BUCKET (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • KNIFE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SKILLET (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • VESSEL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Record last edited

Apr 10 2025 5:41PM

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