Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery at Gilton Hill, probably in use in the late Roman period to 7th century AD. Roman cremations and finds. Runic inscription. Fausett excavated 106 graves in 1759. Douglas reported further finds in the late 18th century, and further finds were made in the 19th century. In 1957 a sword pommel with a rare runic inscription was also found.

The site lies on a gentle south-east facing slope. OD 20-25m.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 699 AD)
• INSCRIBED STONE (INSCRIBED STONE, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 699 AD)

Full description

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[TR 2811 5826] Anglo-Saxon Burial Ground [NR] (1) A cemetery at Gilton, Ash, was dug into at various times but mainly between 1760-3 by Faussett, who uncovered 106 graves, half of which contained coffins. Most of the bodies had feet to the east but nine had feet to the north. A 7th century date is probable but continuity with the previous period is seen in the generally late date of the Roman objects found. In six graves, Romano-British cremations (1st to 3rd century [with some Patchgrove pottery?]) had been disturbed and carefully reburied. (Finds in Liverpool and Canterbury Museums.) (2-6) In 1957 two 6th century squat jars and an iron sword were found on this site and are in Canterbury Museum, together with finds from earlier excavations. (7) A sword-pommel with runic inscription, a very rare find particularly from the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the pagan period, is in the Liverpool Museum (Mayer Coll. 6402) and is reputed to have been found in the Gilton cemetery. (8) Additional bibliography. (9-35) Kent SAM no. 161. Watching brief in 1987 located a large C18/19 pit. No traces of AS features. (36)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:

Anglo-Saxon cemetery revealed by digging for treasure by a Mr Healey and major Pogson. Finds consisted of glass vessels and other objects (38).

Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Hill-top site with views from SE to NW; ploughed & no signs of barrows. Cemetery had disturbed an earlier (1st-3rdC.) Roman cremation cemetery.
1759: (Faussett) dug grave & artefacts in sandpit. 1760-3: excv.106 graves.
1771: more finds & graves recorded by Douglas & Boys.
1783: 2 graves were found.
1842: more finds mentioned by Smith and Rolfe.
1859: grave with spearhead.
1923: Bracteate illustrated by Smith.
1957: 2 pouch- bottles & sword found.
Min of 130 (127 recorded).

In 2003 an area adjacent to the southwest of the mill was excavated ahead of an extension being built. Only one grave (109) was located. It lay four metres west of a grave (108) found in 1973 when a porch was added to the building. Grave 109 contained highly decayed remains of bones, probably with the head at the west end. An iron stain could have once been an iron object included in the grave. Grave 108 contained beads and an unusual disc brooch. (39)


From the National Heitage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery, 78m ESE of Mill Cottage.

Reasons for Designation
Beginning in the fifth century AD, there is evidence from distinctive burials and cemeteries, new settlements, and new forms of pottery and metalwork, of the immigration into Britain of settlers from northern Europe, bringing with them new religious beliefs. The Roman towns appear to have gone into rapid decline and the old rural settlement pattern to have been disrupted. Although some Roman settlements and cemeteries continued in use, the native Britons rapidly adopted many of the cultural practices of the new settlers and it soon becomes difficult to distinguish them in the archaeological record. So-called Anglo-Saxon cemeteries are dated to the early Anglo-Saxon period, from the fifth to the seventh centuries AD. With the conversion to Christianity during the late sixth and seventh centuries AD, these pagan cemeteries appear to have been abandoned in favour of new sites, some of which have continued in use up to the present day. Burial practices included both inhumation and cremation. Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemeteries consist predominantly of inhumation burials which were placed in rectangular pits in the ground, occasionally within coffins. The bodies were normally accompanied by a range of grave goods, including jewellery and weaponry. The cemeteries vary in size, the largest containing several hundred burials. Around 1000 inhumation cemeteries have been recorded in England. They represent one of our principal sources of archaeological evidence about the Early Anglo-Saxon period, providing information on population, social structure and ideology. All surviving examples, other than those which have been heavily disturbed, are considered worthy of protection.

Despite some disturbance in the past, the Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery 78m ESE of Mill Cottage survives well. The limits of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery are not yet known and as such it retains potential for the recovery of further burials and grave goods. The site will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the cemetery, the material culture of those buried and the landscape prevailing at the time.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 16 March 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes an Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery surviving as buried archaeological remains. It is situated on a south-east facing slope overlooking a tributary of Wingham River at Guilton.

Partial excavation since the mid 18th century has recorded over 100 Anglo-Saxon inhumations, many in stone coffins and including grave goods, and several Romano-British cremation burials. The inhumations largely have their feet to the east although a small number are recorded as having feet to the north. The site has only been part-excavated and the cemetery is likely to contain further, as yet, unrecorded burials. It is thought to date to about the 7th century AD.

The cemetery was discovered in the 18th century when burials were found in the side of a sandpit, prompting excavations by the antiquarian Rev. Bryan Faussett in 1759-60. The results were published, alongside those of other Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, in Charles Roach Smith’s ‘Inventorium Sepulchrale’ of 1856. In six graves, Romano-British cremations had been disturbed and carefully reburied. Further finds were made in the late 18th century, 19th century, and in the mid 20th century. Among the most notable grave goods was a gilt silver sword pommel, dating to about the 6th century, with a runic inscription. In the 1970s a further burial was uncovered 2m below-ground, which contained a female inhumation with part of a necklace and gold brooch. An archaeological watching brief for a sewage pipe across the garden of Guilton Mill in 1987 located a large 18th or 19th century pit but produced no traces of Anglo-Saxon features. (40)

<1> OS 6" 1960 (OS Card Reference). SKE48367.

<2> Invent Sepul 1856 1-34 (B Faussett) (OS Card Reference). SKE44494.

<3> Nen Brit 1793 25ff (J Douglas) (OS Card Reference). SKE47524.

<4> Arts in Early England 4 1915 705-6 (GB Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE37365.

<5> VCH Kent 1 1908 352-4 (RA Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE50846.

<6> Medieval Architecture 2 1958 65 (S Chadwick) (OS Card Reference). SKE46852.

<7> F1 FGA 07-JUL-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42900.

<8> Ant J 47 1967 1-26 fig (SC Hawkes and RI Page) (OS Card Reference). SKE33200.

<9> A Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites 1964 121 122 (ALS Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE32788.

<10> Arch 107 1982 50-55 57 70 (VI Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE34373.

<11> Medieval Architecture 21 1977 12-14 16-21 23 40 (R Avent D Leigh) (OS Card Reference). SKE46854.

<12> Medieval Architecture 18 1974 179-180 (LE Webster J Cherry) (OS Card Reference). SKE46851.

<13> Medieval Architecture 20 1976 164 (D Brown and M Welch) (OS Card Reference). SKE46853.

<14> Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles 29 xix 1.1 1982 (M Warhurst) (OS Card Reference). SKE49792.

<15> BAR 11 Anglo-Saxon Garnet Inlaid Disc and Composite Brooches 1975 14,15,25,26 35 (R Avent) (OS Card Reference). SKE37474.

<16> A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Pottery of the Pagan Period 1 1977 92 (JNL Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE32757.

<17> PSA 2nd S 2 1864 296 (EC Ireland) (OS Card Reference). SKE48771.

<18> JBAA 4 1849 385 (CR Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE44960.

<19> Arch J 65 1908 82-85 (RA Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE36674.

<20> PSA 2nd S 30 1918 82 (OS Card Reference). SKE48775.

<21> JBAA 15 1859 290 (JR Planche) (OS Card Reference). SKE44875.

<22> Dark Age Britain 159 160 161 163 165 1956 (DB Harden) (OS Card Reference). SKE39580.

<23> BBAA 92 2 June 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE37602.

<24> PSA 3 1923 125 (RA Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE48825.

<25> Arch 30 1844 132-6 (RA Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE34386.

<26> BAR 82 Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries 1979 1980 86-8 94-5 110 (P Rahtz T Dickinson and L Watts) (OS Card Reference). SKE37571.

<27> A Corpus of Wheel-Thrown Pottery in Anglo-Saxon Graves 70 72 80 82 (VI Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE32771.

<28> Journal of Architectural Science Jan 1985 71 (DT Moore and WA Oddy) (OS Card Reference). SKE45027.

<29> PSA Series 1 2 1851 171 (CR Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE48851.

<30> Supp Gaz Celt Coins 1977 132 (C Maselgrove) (OS Card Reference). SKE49718.

<31> Remains of Pagan Saxondom 9 33-4 1853 (JY Akerman) (OS Card Reference). SKE49151.

<32> Remains of Pagan Saxondom 12-13 plate 1853 (JY Akerman) (OS Card Reference). SKE49144.

<33> Remains of Pagan Saxondom 15-16 59 plate 1855 (JY Akerman) (OS Card Reference). SKE49145.

<34> Collectanea Antiqua 2 1852 161 fig (C Roach Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE39192.

<35> Collectanea Antiqua 4 1857 161 (C Roach Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE39194.

<36> Field report for monument TR 25 NE 6 - July, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5713.

<37> CAT Annual Report, 1986-7. (OS Card Reference). SKE38706.

<38> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<39> Dover Archaeological Group, 2003, Report on Excavations at Guilton Mill, Ash, 2003 (Unpublished document). SKE18171.

<40> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading

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