Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An early medieval barrow, first excavated in 1848. An early medieval cremation burial and a number of grave goods were found. The finds included a bronze bowl containing the burnt human bones, two swords including one with a gilt mount, an iron spearhead, glass and amber beads and a part of a pendant set with garnet or coloured glass. The assemblage dates the barow to around the 7th century. The remains of the bronze bowl, the sword with the ornamented hilt, a peculiar knobbly annular brooch, an iron key, part of a brooch, perhaps of Roman type, part of the foot of a small square-headed brooch with a setting of red glass or garnet, two fragments of different glass beads, a fragment of cloth and a bronze object, all said to have come from this burial, are in Saffron Walden Museum.

The precise location is unknown, asumption being within the old sand-pit, this places it on a west facing slope, below the brow of a ridge, that runs from Woodnesborough to Ash, adjacent to the Roman road.

Monument Types

• BARROW (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD? to 699 AD?)
• CREMATION (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 667 AD to 699 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANNULAR BROOCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• CINERARY BOWL (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• KEY (LOCKING) (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• PENDANT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SWORD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• TEXTILE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SPEAR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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(TR) 2975 5750 (7) A barrow, 20 yards in diameter (1) at Coombe, Kent, was excavated in 1848 (7). A bronze bowl containing burnt human bones, one of two swords found, an iron spearhead, glass and amber beads and a part of apendant set with garnet or coloured glass, were exhibited at Clare (Suffolk) in September 1848 by W.W. Boreham. They were found in a barrow six feet below the artificial surface. 'The two swords are saidto have been wrapped in cloth, and a veil of cloth appears to have been placed over the urn, portions of which are still adhering to the edges' (1). No skeleton is mentioned in the grave. The elaborate (4) sword with gilt mounts (see illustration), shows that the burial was at least of the 7th century (6). The sword is in Saffron Walden Museum(4). A francisca or 'taper-axe' was thrown away as worthless (5). An olive-green glass cup, with ribs and amber coloured bosses at the base, and part of a lobed glass said to have come from an Anglo-Saxon grave at Coombe, Ash parish, are in the British Museum, but it is doubtful whether they were associated with the barrow (4). (1-7) No further information as to the site, could be gained during fieldwork. (8) TR 298 575 Cremation burial, primary in barrow, Coombe, Woodensborough. Brown (6) says one sword hilt is of an advanced type, at least of the late 7th century, and disallows this grave as a pagan Anglo-Saxon cremation, although the evidence seems good. The remains of a bronze bowl, the sword with the ornamented hilt, a peculiar knobbly annular brooch, an iron key, part of a brooch, perhaps of Roman type, part of the foot of a small square-headed brooch with a setting of red glass or garnet, two fragments of different glass beads, a fragment of cloth and a bronze object, all said to have come from this burial, are in Saffron Walden Museum. (9)

<1> Proc Bury & W Suff Arch Inst 1, 1849-53, 27, illus (W W Boreham) (OS Card Reference). SKE48711.

<2> Coll Ant 1852, 164, illus, (C R Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE39094.

<3> Pagan Saxondom, 1853, 47, 53, illus (J Y Akerman) (OS Card Reference). SKE48481.

<4> V C H Kent 1, 1908, 355 (R A Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE50710.

<5> Arch 34, 1852, 179, illus, (J Y Akerman) (OS Card Reference). SKE34402.

<6> Arts in Early England 4, 1915, 222, 696, 707, (G B Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE37366.

<7> Md Arch 2, 1958, 65 (S Chadwick) (OS Card Reference). SKE46594.

<8> F1 FGA 07-JUL-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42900.

<9> Field report for monument TR 25 NE 13 - July, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5718.

Sources and further reading