Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Large early Jutish cemetery - early 5th to mid 6th century. Containing mainly inhumation burials with a few cremation burials. The extent of the cemetery has not yet been established. The site lies on the highest point of a chalk spur projecting to the north east at the head of the Elham Valley.

Excavations in 2014 ahead of a proposed extension revealed several pit features, fully excavated 1 previously discovered grave and revealed and excavated 2 new graves.

Monument Types

• ANIMAL BURIAL (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• CREMATION CEMETERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• GRAVEBOARD? (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• POST HOLE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• SQUARE BARROW (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• STRUCTURE? (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)

Associated Finds

• INTAGLIO (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• COIN (Roman - 306 AD? to 337 AD?)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• BUCKLE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• COFFIN (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• HEAD BAND (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• POT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• PURSE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 425 AD? to 550 AD?)
• BEAKER (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 500 AD?)
• BOTTLE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 450 AD? to 500 AD?)
• BELT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 600 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 600 AD?)
• PURSE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 600 AD?)
• SHIELD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 600 AD?)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

[TR 16384169] Jutish Burial Ground [NR] (1) [TR 16384169]. A Jutish Cemetery at Lyminge was excavated by A. Warhurst in December 1953, and August 1954, when 44 inhumation burials, dating to the mid/late 6th century, were discovered. The cemetery was not excavated to its limits. The site lies on the highest point of a chalk spur projecting to the north east at the head of the Elham Valley. All the burials lie within an arc of southwest-northeast to westnorthwest-eastsoutheast with those on the southerly limits of the excavation tending to swing northwest to southeast. The majority of the burials are either extended or flexed inhumations, only one infant crouched burial, and vary in condition from good to bad. Six graves were identified as those of infants, eighteen as adult male and seventeen as adult females. Finds included a small number of weapons (five spearheads, three shield bosses and a number of axe-heads and knives), buckles, jewellery, brooches and two pottery and glass vessels form four graves. Two gullies were partly revealed of either rectangular or square shape. It is not clear if these relate to the cemetery or the modern farm. (2) [TR 16384168] Re-sited from Site Plan (Authority 2). The finds are exhibited in Maidstone Museum. Mr Edney Ayres, schoolmaster, of North Lea, Canterbury Road, Lyminge, who participated in the 1953-4 excavation, stated that the site was further excavated during the summer of 1955, when another 12 or so inhumations were uncovered: no further work has been done. Last season's work is as yet unpublished. Two burials, No. 5 0 & 59, were surrounded by a square ditched barrow, possible the gullies mentioned in the earlier 1954 season report. (7) (3) Additional bibliography. (4-6)

In 2002 a further 42 burials were uncovered and a total of thirteen inhumation and two cremation burials were excavated. The alignment of the burials was consistent with those found in the 1950’s and part of another possible square barrow was found in the north-eastern corner of the excavation site. One of the cremation burials cut another burial containing a complete horse skull and articulated neck bones, possibly the burial of a complete horse. A small group of four post holes with packing stones was found on the south western side of the excavation . Fragments of burnt clay or daub was found along with pottery of an early medieval date. Their precise purpose is unclear, but could represent grave markers or a timber structure. Precise dating of the cremation pottery has not yet been carried out, but a late 5th - 6th century date seems likely. Brooches found in two other graves have been provisionally dated to the 6th century. Reassessment of the 1950’s finds by Evison, V. I. Dover: The Buckland Anglo-Saxon Cemetery (1987) has suggested a date range of AD 425 - 550. A large mound, 35m in diameter and about 1 meter high was observed in the garden of a house to the north-east about 120m away. This is not of modern origin and it has been suggested that this may be the remains of an unknown barrow, which could have formed the focus for the later cemetery. A section of north-south aligned straight ditch was found, cut by later burials, containing in its fill animal bone and prehistoric struck flint.(8)


Excavations in 2014 ahead of a proposed extension revealed several pit features and graves (some previously uncovered but unexcavated) which were presumed to be in association with the pre-existing Anglo-Saxon Graveyard. (9)

Pre-historic flints were also recovered from the topsoil. (9)

In 2023 a watching brief was carried out along the route of services associated with a new toilet block. 15 features were observed that probably represent the tops of graves. None were excavated further and they were left intact by the works. (10)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> Warhurst, A., 1956, The Jutish Cemetery at Lyminge, Arch Cant 69 1955 1-40 plans illust (A Warhurst) (Article in serial). SKE12199.

<3> F1 ASP 26-APR-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42302.

<4> Gazette of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites 1964 127 (ALS Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43568.

<5> Arch NL 5 1954-5 228-31 (A Warhurst) (OS Card Reference). SKE36798.

<6> BAR 82 Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries 1980 86-8 94-5 110 (P Rahtz T Dickinson and L Watts) (OS Card Reference). SKE37572.

<7> Field report for monument TR 14 SE 12 - April, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5414.

<8> Dover Archaeological Group, 2002, Report on Evaluation Trenching at Lyminge Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, 2002 (Unpublished document). SKE12198.

<9> Parfitt K, Richardson, A, 2014, Report on archaeological test-pits dug at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Canterbury Road, Lyminge, November 2014 (Unpublished document). SKE31227.

<10> Dover Archaeological Group, 2023, Archaeological watching brief adjacent ‘Pendower’, Lyminge, Kent, July 2023 (Unpublished document). SKE55591.

Sources and further reading