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Record Details

NHER Number:3573
Type of record:Monument
Name:Early Saxon inhumation cemetery near The Bell Inn

Summary

This is the site of an Early Saxon inhumation cemetery, and Early Saxon pottery, human remains and grave goods have been found on this site since the 1920s. Part of the site was excavated by the NAU in 1971, and more human burials were discovered, as well as Beaker and medieval finds. A watching brief carried out by the NAU in 1998 revealed more human bones, and a watching brief carried out in 2002 did not reveal any archaeological features.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 7206 2242
Map Sheet:TF72SW
Parish:GRIMSTON, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

July 1929. Stray Find.
Found some yards in front of Bell Inn:
Early Saxon 'plain Anglian' pot (6th century according to Fox). Complete pot, never broken. 4 1/4" high, diameter 5". Paste hard coarse black. Handmade, rim smooth and polished, top half smoother than lower half.
Note inside pot speaks of "fragments of a portion of an urn" as if the writer thought that the broken sherds would be insufficient to do this. Previous finds "associated with human remains" many years before.
Information from (S1), which has a sketch of the pot on its reverse.
This pot is recorded as being in the King's Lynn Museum and is almost certainly the object now accessioned as (KILLM : 1994.754).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 7 June 2018.

'Many years before' 1929.
Human bones found.

1930.
Human skeletons found.

Pre 1936.
Beaker pot found with human remains.

1955 to 1956.
Human bones found.

1962.
Four skeletons, two of which had Early Saxon grave goods found.

1970-1971. Excavation.
Carried out by K. Wade for Norfolk Research Committee and D.o.E. on the site of Early Saxon inhumation cemetery around The Bell public house. This revealed three inhumations, the first a proposed female burial which had associated grave-goods of an iron knife, an iron razor and a copper-alloy belt buckle. The second inhumation was a male who also had associated grave-goods of an iron knife; this is also the only burial which contained pottery which included a beaker sherd and 12th century sherds. The third burial was of a child, this is the only grave which had no associated grave-goods. Medieval features of Late Saxon beam-slot and medieval pits were also recorded. A post medieval horse burial was also uncovered during this excavation.
See report (S1) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S2).
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 30 May 2013.

1998. Watching Brief.
Human bones and early medieval pottery found in pipe trench.
See report (S3) and correspondence in file. This work was also noted in (S4) and (S5).
E. Rose (NLA), 21 January 1998.

June 2002. Watching Brief.
Carried out on groundworks for two new conservatories at The Bell Inn Public House, Grimston.
The watching brief revealed no features, deposits or artefacts of archaeological significance.
See report (S6) and (S7).
M. Horlock (NLA), 11 March 2003.

Monument Types

  • INHUMATION CEMETERY (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • BUILDING (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • PIT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • ARROWHEAD (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • BROOCH (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • CHAIN (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)
  • PIN (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • RAZOR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SHEARS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Photograph: HF 6-20.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1955. Pagan Saxo. 2 May.
---Illustration: Finds Illustrations.
---Publication: Clarke, D. L. 1970. Beaker Pottery of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol 2. No 543.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---Photograph: Unknown. [unknown].
---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 72 SW 5 [2]; TF 72 SW 34.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Correspondence: Mottram, A. S.. 1969. Letter. 5 May.
---Correspondence: Riches, R. W.. 1972. Letter.
---Serial: 1955. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 2. p 4.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Grimston.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Early Saxon. Grimston [4].
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide. 1-2.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Unpublished Document: Wade, K.. 1971. The Early Anglo Saxon Cemetery at Grimston, Norfolk.
<S2>Article in Serial: Webster, L. E. and Cherry, J. 1973. Medieval Britain in 1971. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XVI (for 1972) pp 147-212. p 157.
<S3>Unpublished Contractor Report: Hobbs, B. 1998. Report on a Watching Brief at Gayton Road, Grimston. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 336.
<S4>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1998. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1997. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt I pp 193-210. p 198.
<S5>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1999. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 369-387. p 374.
<S6>Unpublished Contractor Report: Trimble, G. 2002. Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at The Bell Inn, Grimston, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 748.
<S7>Slide: Various. Slide. 3-5.

Related records - none

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