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Record Details

NHER Number:6164
Type of record:Monument
Name:Early Saxon cremation and inhumation cemetery, Saxlingham

Summary

An Early Saxon cremation and inhumation cemetery has been discovered in Saxlingham. In 1975 sixty Early Saxon cremations were revealed during ploughing. An excavation followed, during which a further forty-seven cremations and two inhumations were recorded. Metal detecting in and around the excavation area since 1987 has found numerous Early Saxon artefacts. These include brooches, spearheads, tweezers and pottery sherds. Other objects recovered include Roman, medieval and post medieval coins and metalwork, an Iron Age terret and a Middle or Late Saxon brooch.

Images

  • A complete Early Saxon small long brooch from the cremation and inhumation cemetery at Saxlingham in the parish of Field Dalling © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TG04SW
Parish:FIELD DALLING, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Field 502. Saxlingham Early Saxon cemetery.

1975.
Early Saxon cremation cemetery and Roman sherd found after sod busting. Sixty cremations in urns, shattered. Fragment of annular brooch, silvered bronze disc, amber bead, burnt and unburnt glass. Iron spearhead. Thirty urn sites plotted after initial collection. Roman pottery.
A. Gregory (NAU) & A. Rogerson (NAU).

1975. Full excavation by NAU/NCM/NARG/NRC of cemetery.
Excavation on the site of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery revealed by deep ploughing in the winter 1974-5. The remains of forty-seven urned cremations were recorded twenty of which were in situ, the rest of the urns had been disturbed by ploughing. One cremations was contained in a bronze cauldron which had triangular lugs and has an associated bone comb. Two inhumations were also recorded one of which had grave-goods which included wrist clasps, a bronze pin and a pair of annular brooches.
Information from (S1).
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 10 June 2013.

About 1976. Casual surface find.
Amber bead.

1987 to 1989. Systematic metal detecting.
Much Early Saxon metalwork, Roman coins, medieval finds, Late Saxon brooch.
See (S2 and S3).

1991. Metal detecting.
Further Roman, Early Saxon, medieval finds.

1992. Metal detecting.
Early Saxon metalwork, Roman coins, medieval coins and metalwork.

1994. Metal detecting.
Medieval finial, Roman coin.

1996. Metal detecting.
Iron Age terret, medieval metalwork and coins.

1997. Metal detecting.
Early Saxon brooch and tweezers.

See full details, site plans, drawings in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 4 July 1997.

1998. Metal detecting.
Roman coin.
Roman/Early Saxon tweezers.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 27 June 1999.

First half 1999. Metal detecting.
Undatable (but potentially Early Neolithic) prehistoric retouched flint flakes.
Early Saxon brooches and tweezers.
Medieval and post medieval metal finds.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 30 December 1999.

Before 11 May 2005. Metal detecting.
Eight Roman coins, one post medieval coin.
Early Saxon metal objects, including fragment of silver with 'chip carved' decoration.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 20 October 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 11 May 2020.

(S5) - PAS details to follow.
E. McDonald (HES), 4 May 2021.

Monument Types

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

Associated Finds

  • ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Undated)
  • METAL WORKING DEBRIS (Undated)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • RETOUCHED FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • HARNESS (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • BROOCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
  • BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • TWEEZERS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • BRACELET (Roman - 200 AD to 409 AD)
  • TWEEZERS (Roman to Early Saxon - 300 AD to 600 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)
  • CAULDRON (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • COMB (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • PIN (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • RING (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SHEARS (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SLEEVE CLASP (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • SPEAR (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • STRAP END (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (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 - 450 AD to 600 AD)
  • BROOCH (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • HOOKED TAG (Middle Saxon to Medieval - 700 AD to 1100 AD)
  • BROOCH (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • COIN (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FURNITURE FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • HARNESS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KEY (LOCKING) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • KNIFE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PERSONAL ORNAMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PILGRIM BADGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • PURSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • SPINDLE WHORL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • VESSEL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • STRAP END (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1400 AD)
  • STRAP END (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1400 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1300 AD to 1400 AD)
  • VESSEL (Medieval to 17th Century - 1300 AD to 1700 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Medieval - 1350 AD to 1450 AD)
  • CLOTH SEAL (Medieval to 17th Century - 1500 AD to 1700 AD)
  • BUCKLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • BUTTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • COIN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • FURNITURE FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • HARNESS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • JETTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • JETTON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • PERSONAL ORNAMENT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SEAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • STRAP FITTING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • THIMBLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • VESSEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • VESSEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • HARNESS MOUNT (16th Century to 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1700 AD)
  • HARNESS MOUNT (16th Century to 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1700 AD)

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Unpublished Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport and British Museum. 2008. Treasure Annual Report 2005/6. p 102; No 313.
---Serial: 1975. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1975. No 22. p 7.
---Photograph: NLA. Finds Photograph.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---X-ray: X ray.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Unpublished Document: 1976. Trial excavation at recently discovered pagan Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Field Dalling (Saxlingham).
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
---Photograph: EGD 20-37, EGE 1-14, FTR 32-7.
---Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
<S1>Article in Serial: Webster, L. E. and Cherry, J. 1976. Medieval Britain in 1975. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XX pp 158-201. p 167.
<S2>Illustration: Gregory, T.. 1988. Sketches of Early Saxon and medieval finds.. Paper. 1:1.
<S3>Illustration: Gregory, T.. 1988. Drawing of a complete Early Saxon small-long brooch.. Card. 1:1.
<S4>Illustration: Holness, A.. 1996. Drawing of a Late Iron Age terret fragment.. Paper. 1:1.
<S5>Illustration: Gibbons, J. 2021. Drawing of an Early Saxon unidentified object. Find Illustration. Film. 2:1.

Related records

20902Related to: Probable Early Saxon cemetery (poorly located) (Monument)

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