List of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries

Anglo-Saxon cemeteries have been found in England, Wales and Scotland. The burial sites date primarily from the fifth century to the seventh century AD, before the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England. Burial rites include both inhumation and cremation, sometimes within the same cemetery; which factors governed the mode of burial is debated. Inhumation burials before the late seventh century were not uniformly oriented and included a wide range of grave goods. High status burials sometimes had burial furniture, such as burial beds. Grave goods were often placed with the body, and included jewellery, (especially Anglo-Saxon brooches and beads) weapons (swords, spears and shields) and household items, including girdle hangers and keys. Individuals were sometimes buried with others in multiple burials or with complete horses or dogs.

Later Anglo-Saxon period cemeteries (from the 9th to 11th century) tend to follow the Christian practice of east-west oriented burials, typically with very few grave goods. The lack of dress items (brooches, buckles, etc.) suggests that shroud burial was normalised by this period.

List of Anglo Saxon Cemeteries This is a partial list of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries. Cemetery Name Location Time period of burialsNo of burials Discovery Notes Abingdon Abingdon, Oxfordshire5th to early 6th centuries CE 204 1934Bronze Age barrow discovered on cemetery site. Seventy-three inhumations had grave goods, including brooches, buckles, spears and knives. Aldbourne Aldbourne, Wiltshire 7th to 8th centuries CE 26 2007 Alton Alton, Hampshire 5th to 6th centuries CE 41 1960-1961 Apple Down Apple Down, Sussex 5th to 7th centuries CE 121 1982-1987 Barnstaple Barnstaple, Devon 10th century CE 105 1970s Bekesbourne Aerodrome Bekesbourne, Kent 6th century CE 41 1955-1959 Bergh Apton Bergh Apton, Norfolklate 5th to late 6th centuries CE 63 1973 Burial finds, including fragments of a lyre are held at the Norwich Castle Museum Berinsfield Berinsfield, South Oxfordshire5th to early 7th centuries CE 118 1974Multiple brooches and a variety of brooch types found in female graves. Blacknall Field Pewsey, Wiltshire late 5th century to mid 6th centuries CE 110 1970 50 graves contained metalwork, including swords, scabbards, spears, hilts, knives, belts, buckles, bowls, jewellery Bowl Hole Bamburgh, Northumberland 6th to 7th centuries CE 100+ 1997 Final phase burial ground, cist burials Buckland Dover, Kent late 5th to mid 8th centuries CE 420 1951 and 1994 Graves included examples of both pagan and Early Christian burial rituals. Later excavations found more burials a short distance away. Caister-on-Sea Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk ? ? 1954, 1979 excavation Anglian cemetery with boat burials. Cleatham Cleatham, North Lincolnshire 5th to early 7th centuries CE 1508 1984–1989 excavation 1204 cremation urns Collingbourne Ducis Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire 5th to 7th centuries CE 120 1974 The largest number of burial remains in Anglo-Saxon Wiltshire. Includes a bed burialElsham North Lincolnshire 5th to early 7th centuries CE 552 1975–1976 excavation 552 cremation burials containing 564 individuals (due to multiple burials). Seven early medieval inhumations and two Bronze Age inhumations. Edix HillBarrington, Cambridgeshire mid 6th to early 7th centuries CE 300 1989–1991 excavation Unusual furnished bed burial/skeleton determined to have leprous changes Finglesham Sandwich, Kent 6th to 8th centuries CE 201 1928 Burial mound cemetery Fordcroft Orpington, London 5th to 6th centuries CE 71 1965Site of mixed cremations and inhumations. Evidence of Romano-British occupation at site. Great Chesterford Great Chesterford, Essex 161 1952 An unusually large number of children's graves Great Ryburgh Great Ryburgh, Norfolk 7th to 9th centuries CE 89 2016 81 rare hollowed out tree trunk coffins and 8 plank lined graves Harford Farm Markshall, Norfolk late 7th century 46 1932 Multiple period site, multiple burials with grave goods. Illington Illington, Norfolk 6th to 7th centuries CE 203 1949 Largely cremation cemetery with three inhumations. Jarrow Monastery Jarrow, Northumbria 7th to 11th centuries CE 132 1963–1969 Excavation Predominantly male burials. Lovedon Hill Loveden, Lincolnshire 5th to 7th centuries CE 32+ inhumations, 1297+ cremations 1925 Glass claw beakers, bronze hanging bowls, coptic bowl Lower Farm Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire 6th century CE 26 1969 One grave contained a snaffle bit, rare in an Anglo-Saxon context. Mill Hill Deal, Kent 7th century CE 112+ 1940 inhumation only cemetery. Mucking Mucking, Essex 5th to early 7th centuries CE 800 1965–1978 excavation The cemetery is on the same site as Romano-British settlement. Norton-on-Tees Norton-on-Tees, County Durham6th to early 7th centuries CE 1201982 In 2012, the skeletal remains from the burial site were loaned to the University of York for stable isotope analysis to determine the origin of the individuals. Overstone Overstone, Northamptonshire5th to 11th centuries CE 1542019 Over 3000 grave goods found including jewellery, weapons and household items. The remains of an Anglo-Saxon settlement was also uncovered. Ozengell Monkton, Thanet, Kent 5th to 11th centuries CE 94 1846 Several graves included post holes, which indicate timber structures related to the burials. Polhill Sevenoaks, Kent 7th to 8th centuries CE 200–220 1984–1986 excavation See Polhill Anglo-Saxon cemetery Raunds Furnells Northamptonshire 10th century CE 363 1975 Christian burial rituals, no grave goods Saltwood Tunnel Saltwood, Kent 6th to 7th centuries CE 217 Three separate inhumation cemeteries Sancton I Sancton, East Yorkshire 5th to 7th centuries CE 365 1976–80 Largely cremations, with one inhumation found. Sancton II Sancton, East Yorkshire 6th century CE Mixed rite cemetery, 1.5 km away from Sancton I. Sarre Sarre, Kent5th to 7th centuries CE 4001860 Site part of earlier Iron Age settlement. Sarre brooch. Scremby Skegness, Lincolnshire 5th to 6th centuries CE 49 2018–2019 Furnished graves Sedgeford Sedgeford, Norfolk 7th to 9th centuries CE 400+ 1957–2007 Cemetery first discovered in the early 20th century, with further excavations 1957–60. More extensive excavations by Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project found the bulk of the remains between 1996–2007. Burials follow a broadly Christian rite, buried in an east-west alignment with no grave goods. Sewerby Sewerby, East Yorkshire 5th to 7th centuries CE 50+ 1959 and 1974 Contained a supine individual, buried with arms and legs splayed, thought to have been buried live possibly as a sacrifice. Shrubland Hall Quarry, Coddenham, Suffolk 7th century CE 50 1999 Multiple bed burials Snape Aldeburgh, Suffolk 6th to 7th centuries CE 1824–1992 Boat Burial, Snape Ring. Spong Hill North Elmham, Norfolk 5th century CE 2600 1970's excavation The largest early Anglo-Saxon burial site excavated in England. Stanton Ixworth, Suffolk5th to 7th centuries CE 702013 Cemetery built on earlier site of Bronze Age round barrow. Street House Loftus, North Yorkshire Mid to late 7th century CE 109 2005–2007 excavation The cemetery included a female bed burial, which contained cabochon pendants and a gold shield-shaped pendant. Stretton-on-Fosse Stretton-on-Fosse, Warwickshire Late fifth to sixth centuries CE 53 1968—1970 excavation The cemetery included a variety of brooches in different styles, amber and glass beads, spears, and shield bosses Sutton Hoo Woodbridge, Suffolk 6th to early 7th centuries CE Unknown Ship uncovered in 1939 Burial site contains undisturbed ship burial, execution burials, multiple important artifacts. See Sutton Hoo Swallowcliffe Down Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire 7th century CE ? 1966 Archaeologists discovered the richest and most complex female grave, bed burial ever discovered in England Tranmer House Bromeswell, Suffolk 5th to 6th centuries CE 34+ 2000 Partially excavated mixed rite cemetery, dates immediately prior to Sutton Hoo Trumpington Trumpington, Cambridgeshire Mid 7th centuries CE 4 2011 Bed burial of teenage girl, which included a rare gold pectoral cross inlaid with garnets, the three other burials were all females. Updown (Eastry III) Eastry, Kent7th century CE 1973 Excavated in 1976 and 1989, investigating 78 burials – all inhumations. The site measures approximated . Walkington Wold Walkington, Yorkshire 12 1967Execution cemetery Wasperton Wasperton, Warwickshire 5th century CE 140 1980 Roman/Anglo Saxon Cemetery. 116 inhumations and 24 cremations were determined to be Anglo-Saxon. 40 inhumations have been determined to be Roman, 44 inhumations could not be dated. The graves included spears, shields, knives, brooches and beads. Wendover Wendover, Buckinghamshire 5th to 6th centuries CE 141 2021 138 graves uncovered, with 141 inhumation burials and 5 cremation burials. The graves included a silver zoomorphic ring, iron spearhead, male skeleton with an iron spear point lodged in his spine, copper alloy tweezers.WolvertonWolverton, BuckinghamshireLate 6th to 7th century CE762007-2008Seventy-six graves were excavated, containing eighty inhumation burials: five empty graves, two urned cremations and two possible disturbed cremations were also recorded Worthy Park Kings Worthy, Hampshire 7th century CE 140 excavation 1961–1962 46 urned cremation burials which included primarily combs and grooming tools

External links Anglo- Saxon treatment of older women during burial The Ghostly Treasure Ship of Sutton Hoo 1,300-year-old Anglo-Saxon cross presented to Cambridge museum

See also Burial in Anglo-Saxon England Bed burial List of Anglo-Saxon bed burials Sutton Hoo

Further reading

Worthy Park

Berinsfield

References