Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Extensive Early Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery at Buttsole first found in 1792 with further finds in 1804 and 1860. The site lies on the mid to lower part of a south-east facing slope. OD 15-25m.

Monument Types

• CEMETERY (CEMETERY, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 660 AD)

Full description

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[TR 311 545] Anglo-Saxon Burial Ground [NR] (1) In March 1792, in digging a cellar in the garden of a cottage belonging to Mr Boteler, E of the Eastry Cross to Butsole highway, several Anglo-Saxon graves were found. Other skeletons were found in gardens nearer the cross. About 1860-1, in making some alterations in and around Southbank [area centred TR 3100 5456] skeletons were discovered lying in clay in a bed of chalk. Hasted indicates "Ancient Burying Place" along the E side of the Dover Road, between the Five Bells Inn and Buttsole Pond (e). On display in Canterbury Royal Museum from the Eastry cemetery are several brooches, all dated to the C6, necklaces and a girdle hanger (Accession numbers RM 7494-7500; 7509-7511). On display in Maidstone Museum (Cobb Collection) are iron swords, bronze mountings etc from a bucket, bronze bowl escutcheons, shield bosses etc. In store, also from the Cobb Collection, is a large number of sword and spearhead fragments, rings, nails, knives, arrowheads, bowl fittings, buckles etc. The site is now largely built over and no further finds have been reported. (2) General description of the finds and their present location. (3) Passing mention at p61 Eastry, Kent. Glass claw beaker in greenish glass; a stemmed beaker with vertical walls and slightly everted rim. Two rows of four applied blobs which were drawn down, but apparently very little blown or not at all; a snicked trail applied to each claw. Ht c17 cm. Found in 1792, kept at Brook House, Eastry until 1902, now lost. (4) Comment not found. (5) Bowl from Brook House, Eastry. C5-C7. Claw beaker from Brook House, same date range. (6) See also TR 35 SW 36, TR 35 SW 37, TR 35 SW 32. Additional refernece (7-13)

Andrew Richardson, 2000, Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent (Unpublished document).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

<1> OS 25" 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48272.

<2> F1 ASP 20-JUL-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42207.

<3> VCH Kent 1 1908 351-2 (RA Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE50845.

<4> PSA 2 22 1907-9 363-6 (EN Baynes) (OS Card Reference). SKE48762.

<5> PSA 2 15 1893-5 178-83 illust (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE48757.

<6> Memorials of Eastry 1880 3 (WF Shaw) (OS Card Reference). SKE46872.

<7> Sketch Map of Eastry (MS notes for History of Kent c1799) Canterbury Cathedral Chapter Library (OS Card Reference). SKE49491.

<8> Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites 1964 113 (ALS Meaney) (OS Card Reference). SKE43572.

<9> Arch 107 1982 47 58 61 (VI Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE34369.

<10> Medieval Architecture 22 1978 3 (DB Harden) (OS Card Reference). SKE46856.

<11> Dark Age Britain 1956 158 159 Di 3 IIA2 (DR Harden) (OS Card Reference). SKE39586.

<12> Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Pottery at the Pagan Period Yell 1977 92 (JAL Myres) (OS Card Reference). SKE39244.

<13> Field report for monument TR 35 SW 1 - July, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6118.

Sources and further reading