Record Details
| NHER Number: | 5544 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Inhumation cemetery and multi-period finds |
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Summary
Numerous complete human skeletons were discovered during building work here in 1953, indicating the presence of a cemetery. Further human remains have been found in the vicinity in more recent years, and all are buried with their heads to the west, suggesting a Christian burial rite. The cemetery was initially dated to the post-medieval period as a fragment of 17th-century wine bottle was found beneath one of the skeletons uncovered in 1953. However, finds from the site include Middle and Late Anglo-Saxon metal dress accessories. It is possible that this cemetery is in fact earlier than was originally thought, particularly given the relatively high number of Late Anglo-Saxon objects discovered nearby.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | Not displayed |
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| Map Sheet: | TF62SW |
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| Parish: | GAYWOOD, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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| KING’S LYNN, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
1953. Discovery made during preparations for new housing estate close to the Bawsey Drain.
Possible 17th century cemetery found.
Numerous human skeletons with heads to west at a depth of 0.6m to 0.75m (2 to 2.5 feet) lying in long trenches running east-west across the southern end of the field. Lying in had marl with stiff yellow clay above. 14 skeletons revealed in one trench. Visited by C.H. Lewton-Braine who found a fragment of a 17th-century wine bottle beneath one of the skeletons. Ironwork, perhaps from coffin, retained by NCM.
Medieval sherds are recorded from this vicinity (some in Norwich Castle Museum).
See (S1) and (S2) for further information.
R.R. Clarke (NCM).
1969. Stray find while building bungalows off Field Lane (southern end of site).
Casual find of human skeleton.
Press cuttings in King's Lynn Museum.
E.M. James (KLM).
Before August 1983. Stray find in garden of 146 Wootton Road.
Casual find of Late Saxon buckle. Curved buckle fragment with spiral pattern, copper alloy. Pattern suggests 10th-11th century (ident. S. Margeson (NCM)), unusual form for this date.
E.M. James (KLM), 7 November 1983
1983. Examination of ironwork.
W. Milligan (NCM) examined ironwork and thought it unlikely to have come from a coffin.
E.M. James (KLM).
Before 1985. Stray find in garden of 142 Wootton Road.
Thick rim sherd, medieval, orangey fabric inside and out; rim stamped with circular stamps bearing cross with two extra lines radiating out in lower half to circumference (like CND symbol!). Rim similar to one from Grimston but different stamps. Animal bones and goat horn core also found.
E.M. James (KLM), 14 August 1985.
1999. Stray find in disturbed ground near sewer trench.
Human remains found.
D. Gurney (NLA), 15 April 1999.
Summer 1999. Stray find.
Middle-Late Anglo-Saxon brooch.
See details in file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 15 April 1999.
Given the other finds from this site and its vicinity, it is possible to question the posited post-medieval date for this cemetery, and propose that an earlier date, perhaps as early as the Late Saxon period, is possible. It may be the case that the 17th-century glass from beneath one of the skeletons identified by Lewton-Braine in 1953 was intrusive. It is also very unusual for a post-medieval Christian cemetery to be in an unmarked location, and not associated with a parish church or chapel. The quantity and orderly layout of the inhumations suggests an organised cemetery, rather than anything more ad hoc. If further human remains are found in vicinity, it would be beneficial for these to be subject to radiocarbon dating with a view to refining the chronology of this site.
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 19 March 2019.
Monument Types
- INHUMATION (Unknown date)
- INHUMATION CEMETERY (Unknown date)
- INHUMATION CEMETERY (Late Saxon - 851 AD? to 1065 AD?)
- INHUMATION (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1900 AD?)
- INHUMATION CEMETERY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1900 AD?)
Associated Finds
- ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Unknown date)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Unknown date)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Unknown date)
- UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Unknown date)
- BROOCH (Middle Saxon to Late Saxon - 651 AD to 1065 AD)
- BUCKLE (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
- POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- BOTTLE (16th Century to 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 62 SW 31. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| --- | Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service. |
| --- | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Human Skeletal Remains (HSR). King's Lynn (Gaywood). |
| <S1> | Article in Serial: Green, C., Rigold, S. E. and Clarke, R. R. 1954. Other Archaeological Excavations 1953. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 1 No 6 (for 1953) pp 2-4. p 3. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. 1957. Archaeological Discoveries in Norfolk 1949-54. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXI pp 395-416. p 415. |
Related records
| 18627 | Related to: Site of inhumation cemetery (Monument) |
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