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Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	1047
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Illington Early Saxon Cemetery

Summary

An Anglo Saxon cemetery has been recorded in Illington. This site had a spread of cremation urns over a minimum area of approximately 40m by 40m. Fieldwalking on the site in 1970, 1982 and 1987 produced Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flints along with sherds of prehistoric and medieval pottery. Subsequent metal detecting during 1997-98 retrieved various items including an Early Saxon ring and brooch, Roman brooches and an Early Saxon/Middle Saxon buckle.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	Not displayed
Map Sheet:	TL98NW
Parish:	WRETHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Illington, site of Anglo-Saxon cemetery [1]. Spread of cremation urns over an area approximately 40m x 40m at least. Some may survive both excavation and ploughing.
See (S1).
A. Rogerson (NAU) 1975.

1970, 1982 and 1987. Surface fieldwalking.
Produced Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flint, prehistoric, possible Iron Age and medieval pottery also.
See file for notes, press cuttings.
The finds recovered have been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2001.183).
A. Rogerson (NAU). Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 23 July 2019.

December 1997. Metal detecting.
Prehistoric flint scraper.
Early Saxon ring and brooch.
Medieval finds.

Up to May 1998. Metal detecting.
Roman brooches and object.
Early Saxon/Middle Saxon buckle.
Middle Saxon, Late Saxon, medieval and post medieval finds.
A. Rogerson (NLA) 15 June 1999.

23 February 2008. Fieldwalking survey.
Fieldwalking training day undertaken by the Breckland Society within Church Field (south of the church). Two blocks of transects were walked, the majority of which fell within the area of NHER 17896. The southernmost of the two areas (Area B) did however include part of NHER 1047. See NHER 17896 for details of the material recovered.
P. Watkins (HES), 24 April 2013.

Monument Types

CEMETERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
CREMATION (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
HEARTH (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
INHUMATION (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)

Associated Finds

POT BOILER (Undated)
SCRAPER (TOOL) (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
HAMMERSTONE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
POT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
HAMMERSTONE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BEAD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BEAD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BEAD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BOWL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BUCKLE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
BUCKLE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
CAULDRON (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
COMB (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
DISC (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
GAMING PIECE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
GIRDLE HANGER (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
HUMAN REMAINS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
KNIFE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
LOOMWEIGHT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
MINIATURE OBJECT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
MINIATURE OBJECT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
NAIL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
PERSONAL ORNAMENT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
PIN (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
RAZOR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
RING (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
RING (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
RING (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
SEAX (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
SHEARS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
SPINDLE WHORL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
SPINDLE WHORL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
TWEEZERS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
TWEEZERS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
VESSEL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
BRIDLE BIT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

SHINE

Sources and further reading

---	Photograph: VV3-7.
---	Aerial Photograph: TL9489 D-Q.
---	Serial: 1974. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1974. No 21. p 9.
---	Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 98 NW 1 [3].
---	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---	Publication: Meaney, A.. 1964. Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites.
---	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Wretham.
---	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Early Saxon. Wretham [2].
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
---	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1949. [Articles on the excavations at Illington].
---	Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
---	Illustration: [Unknown]. [Unknown]. Drawing of an Early Saxon copper alloy cauldron. Paper. 1:1.
<S1>	Monograph: Davison, A. et al. 1993. Illington: A Study of a Breckland Parish and its Anglo-Saxon Cemetery. East Anglian Archaeology. No 63.

Related records - none

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Parish Summary: Wretham (Parish Summary)