Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An extensive Saxon cemetery of over a hundred graves, 112 inhumations and 5 cremations covering the period of the 5th-7th centuries discovered at Riseley, 1937-8. . Weapons and other burial goods, including gold ornaments and pottery were found as well as two late C3rd Roman coins and a Roman cinerary urn.

The site lies on the mid to lower slope of a steep,north-west facing Chalk spur. OD 55-70m.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Associated Finds

• BATTLEAXE? (Unknown date)
• JEWELLERY (Unknown date)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Unknown date)
• SPEAR? (Unknown date)
• SWORD? (Unknown date)
• CINERARY URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COIN (Roman - 275 AD to 300 AD)

Full description

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[TQ 5625 6754] Site of an extensive Saxon cemetery of over a hundred graves, inhumation burials, weapons, ornaments etc found; also two cremation burials, two late C3rd Roman coins and a Roman cinerary urn. Excavated by Dartford A.S. 1937-1938, [See Archive AO 2173 for plan ofsite] whilst building operations were in progress; the finds are in Dartford Museum (a,b). In 1949 a possible Saxon skeleton was unearthed when digging foundation trenches for two old peoples' bungalows at Saxon Place, Horton Kirby (c). (1)

Site occupied by housing estate. Finds displayed in Dartford Museum: cemetery dated to late C6th/early C7th. (2)

TQ 562 675 Risely, Horton Kirby. In 1937-38 skeletons were uncovered on the Risely housing estate, leading to the excavation of 112 inhumations and 5 cremations by the Dartford Antiquarian Society. The graves were irregularly placed and sometimes encroached upon one another. There was no overall orientation. The skeletons were of both sexes and all ages. The wealthier people seem to have been buried on higher ground. In 1949 at least one other skeleton was uncovered, however the site was not watched by competent observers therefore it was impossible to tell how much more of the cemetery had been destroyed. Finds from the cemetery are in Dartford Museum. (3)

Gold ornaments from the cemetery. (4) Pottery from the cemetery. (5) Additional bibliography. (6)

The most interesting grave was in the south east corner. Four gold pendants and a silver pendant with a centre piece of polychrome glass and four amethyst beads were found. It is possible this was a pagan site rather than a Christian one. The male burials were almost universally accompained by their full military accoutrements. (14)

Two Roman coins were found, both were peirced and so were perhaps pendants and were discovered in a childs grave. One was dated from Victorinus (268-270 AD) and the other was 1st century. (14)

Ordnance Survey: Portfolios (Collection). SKE6541.

Ordnance Survey: Portfolios (Collection). SKE6541.

<1> Trans Dartford Dist Ant Soc 7 1937 17-18 (OS Card Reference). SKE50639.

<2> Trans Dartford Dist Ant Soc 8 1938 14-30 illus (OS Card Reference). SKE50640.

<3> Kentish Times 9 9 49 3 col 3 4 photo (OS Card Reference). SKE45975.

<4> F1 CFW 12-JUL-60 (OS Card Reference). SKE42548.

<5> F2 AC 02-AUG-60 (OS Card Reference). SKE43051.

<6> Gaz of E AS Burial Site 1964 133-4 (A Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43489.

<7> Brit Mus Quarterly 12 1939 70-1 (OS Card Reference). SKE38338.

<8> Arch Cant 53 1940 142 (OS Card Reference). SKE35277.

<9> Corpus of AS Pottery of the Pagan Period 1 1977 92 (JNL Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE39251.

<10> Bull of Brit Mus (Nat Hist) Mineralogy 2 3 1969 175 (JF Ellis) (OS Card Reference). SKE38429.

<11> Ant J 55 1975 75 (VI Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE33211.

<12> Field report for monument TQ 56 NE 8 - July, 1960 (Bibliographic reference). SKE2871.

<13> Field report for monument TQ 56 NE 8 - August, 1960 (Bibliographic reference). SKE2872.

<14> Horton Kirby and South Darenth Local History Society, 2009, Saxon Burial Ground at Riseley (Unpublished document). SKE17174.

Sources and further reading