Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Anglo-Saxon cemetery on Holborough Hill. Late 7th century Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery discovered on Holborough Hill in 1943. Excavated in 1952-3 when 2 groups of graves were discovered with grave goods including buckles, spearheads, shields, swords and necklaces. According to sources has now been quarried away.

The site lay on the lower slope of a east- facing slope of the North Downs, overlooking the River Medway. OD was 25-30m.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHIELD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 665 AD to 699 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)
• SWORD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)
• VESSEL (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)

Full description

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[Centred at TQ 69676252] Anglo Saxon cemetery on Holborough Hill. Excavated in 1952/3 under the auspices of the M.O.W. Some 34 graves were excavated, 6 of which contained grave goods. The probable positions of 5 graves, previously destroyed, were also found. All but one of the graves were orientated with heads to the west. Some of the remains appear to have been contained in wooden coffins without lids. A small Saxon pot and hone were discovered in 1943. They appear to be almost unknown types in pagan burials but are typical of finds from habitation sites, as yet insecurely dated, but probably starting at least in the 8thc. A number of skeletons had been found in 1950, during excavations for chalk. Finds include :- Buckles, 4 shield bosses, inlaid spearhead, 2 swords with pattern welded blades, pot hanger and pottery bottle. 47 glass paste beads are also thought to have come from this site. Finds in Maidstone and British Museums. The cemetery represented a small nominally Christian community of the 7th century. [Site plotted from plan] (1)

Site quarried away. AM amended. (2)

Finds to come to Maidstone Museum. (3)

The working 25" plan of the A.P.C.M. Snodland, shows the site of this cemetery at TQ 69676262. (4)

TQ 698626. Holborough Snodland. Inhumation cemetery. In 1943 a small pot and a hone were found 2 feet below the surface 200 yds west of Holborough Knob (TQ 66 SE 22) and taken to Maidstone Museum. In 1944 a spearhead was dug up and apparently two other spearheads, skeletons and a necklace were found in the same year. The necklace may be in the British museum. 1950 and 1952 further graves were disturbed. In 1952-53 Miss V.I. Evison excavated the site for the Ministry of Works. The original extent of the cemetery is unknown, since by 1952 a great deal had been destroyed. The excavated graves were in two groups, the first near the barrow with only one furnished grave, the other on the eastern slope with most of the graves with grave goods on the south east side of it. Graves between the two groups may have been destroyed. No grave was disturbed by another and they were quite widely spaced, so that there may have been small mounds to mark them. There was no obvious grouping according to age or sex. The topsoil was approx. 9" deep and the graves, roughly rectangular with rounded corners, were cut into the solid chalk. Some of the bodies appear to have been in lidless coffins. Of the 39 graves recorded, 3 had been disturbed and only 9 had grave goods. The cemetery is one of the late series, in use in the late 7th century at the earliest. (5)

Discovery of site and decision to excavate. (6)

Further bibliography (7-11).

Andrew Richardson, 2000, Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent (Unpublished document). SKE29253.

<1> Arch Cant 70 1956 84-151 plans and illust (Excavation Report) (V I Evision) (OS Card Reference). SKE35480.

<2> F1 CFW 03-JUL-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42401.

<3> Maidstone Museum Arch Gazetter (in progress) (OS Card Reference). SKE46429.

<4> F2 FGA 13-OCT-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43322.

<5> Gazetteer of Early Anglo Saxon Burial Sites 1964 123-4 (A Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43570.

<6> Arch Cant 65 1952 192 (A Warhurst) (OS Card Reference). SKE35402.

<7> Corpus of AS Pottery of the Pagan Period 1 1977 92 161 and 2 1977 fig 73 no 3089 (J N C Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE39252.

<8> Ant J 35 1955 42 (V I Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE33172.

<9> Coll Cant 1893 137 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE39134.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 66 SE 14 - July, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3560.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 66 SE 14 - October, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3561.

Sources and further reading