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Record Details

NHER Number:25458
Type of record:Monument
Name:Bronze Age round barrow and Early Saxon inhumation cemetery

Summary

Excavation in 1990 revealed the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow with an Early Saxon inhumation cemetery. Metal detecting from 1989 to 2002 also recovered a large number of Early Saxon metal objects, which have been interpreted as grave goods. A small number of Neolithic, Roman, medieval and post medieval metal objects have also been found.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TF70SE
Parish:OXBOROUGH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

1989. Found with metal detector. [1].
Concentration of finds of Early Saxon date on apparently natural mound.
The first twenty-eight finds at east end of mound and in several cases fragmentary with old breaks. Twenty-ninth to thirty-eighth finds mostly intact. Field has been deep ploughed, and subsoiled to 28 to 29 inches (71 to 73cm). For identifications of the individual pieces see secondary file.
A. Rogerson (NAU, 2 October 1989.

Early October 1989. Two further metal detector finds.
A. Rogerson (NAU), 6 October 1989.

January 1990. Further fieldwalking and metal detecting survey.
See list in secondary file.
A. Rogerson (NAU), 10 January 1990

1990. Excavation and Metal-detecting Survey.
A metal-detector survey over a low mound recovered many flint flakes and 41 early Saxon objects, mostly brooches, wristclasps and other finds which indicated a probable cemetery of 6th-century date.
Excavation revealed remains of Bronze Age round barrow with Early Saxon inhumation cemetery and Iron Age coin.
See published report (S1) for full details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2) and see (S3).
E. Rose (NLA), 22 November 1990 amended by M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 12 July 2013.

1994. Metal detector finds. [2].
Further finds of Early Saxon wrist clasps and shield boss, also Roman coin, Bronze Age or Early Saxon bead, Roman brooch, medieval belt mount, Neolithic flint, post medieval token.
See full details in secondary file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 19 August 1994.

March to April 2002. Metal detecting.
Two Early Saxon metal objects, grave goods.
Medieval and post medieval metal finds.
See lists in secondary file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 7 May 2002.

2005. Thematic Research.
This site formed part of case study area for a research paper on the value of metal-detected finds in archaeological research, particularly within landscape studies and identification of previously unknown cemetery sites. The case study area included NHER 25458, NHER 28671, NHER 31759, NHER 34131, NHER 34355, and NHER 34965.
See journal article (S4) for further details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 26 July 2017.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • CEMETERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • INHUMATION (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • INHUMATION CEMETERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • BEAD (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • CORE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FLAKED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • POT BOILER (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • BEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • COIN (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BOW BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • ARROWHEAD (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)
  • BOW 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)
  • 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)
  • NAIL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • PIN (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • RELIGION OR RITUAL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • RING (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SHIELD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SLEEVE CLASP (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • STUD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • TWEEZERS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • VESSEL (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BOOK FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TF7603 A-S,AH-AL,AB-AF.
---Photograph: NLA. Finds Photograph.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---Photograph: JJH 1-32, Finds from 1990 excavation..
---Photograph: JJJ 31-32, Annular brooch fragments (1-7). From 1990 excavation..
---Photograph: JJJ 33-34, annular brooch fragments (8-11), from 1990 excavation..
---Photograph: JJJ 35-36, Cruciform brooch knobs (13-17), from 1990 excavation..
---Photograph: 1994. LEF 5-8, Iron Age coin..
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Fiche: Exists.
---Photograph: FHV25-8, FHX5-15.
<S1>Monograph: Penn, K.. 1998. An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Oxborough, West Norfolk: Excavations in 1990. East Anglian Archaeology Occasional Papers. No 5. 1.
<S2>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1991. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1990. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt II pp 240-246. p 244.
<S3>Article in Serial: Nenk, B. S., Margeson, S. and Hurley, M. 1991. Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1990. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XXXV pp 126-238. p 177.
<S5>Article in Serial: Chester-Kadwell, M. 2005. Metal-Detector Finds in Context: New Light on 'Dark Age' Cemeteries in the Landscape of Norfolk. Archaelogical Review from Cambridge. Vol 20.1, pp 70-96. pp 90-93.

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