Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery was discovered in 1969 during work to extend a rubbish dump. During the subsequent rescue excavations some 388 graves were discovered and more were suspected. The cemetery was unique in that it contained a variety of grave structures including flat graves as well as groups of round barrows. Finds included a Kentish round brooch, glassware, beads, weapons, and pottery including 28 Frankish pots with a wide range of decoration, form and size. The grave goods dated from the mid 6th to the mid 8th century. Aerial photographs of this area suggest that the cemetery may expand north. The area is now scheduled as an ancient monument.

The site lies on a south facing slope, near the top of a low chalk spur. OD 30-40m.

Monument Types

• BARROW (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? (at some time) to 750 AD? (at some time))
• INHUMATION (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? (between) to 750 AD? (between))
• INHUMATION CEMETERY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? (once between) to 749 AD? (once between))

Associated Finds

• BEAD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)
• BEAKER? (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)
• POT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)
• SPEAR? (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 550 AD? to 750 AD?)

Full description

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TR 37536926: An Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery discovered July 1969 when ground was stripped prior to making an extension to a corporation rubbish dump. In process of excavation by Capt. Hogarth some 170 graves have been discovered and evidence of many more. The cemetery contains flat graves as well as groups of round barrows the latter comprising ring ditch with interruption at foot (south) of skeleton. Finds include a Kentish round brooch, glassware, beads weapons, and pottery including both hand made and wheel turned. The whole comparable to the Sarre cemetery. Surveyed at 1:2500 (when the majority of the excavated graves were still exposed). (1,2) The cemetery seems to date from the mid 6th to the mid 8th century. (3) St Peters Anglo Saxon cemetery. The rescue excavation of this site continued until September 1971 prior to its destruction. A total of 388 inhumations were uncovered, but several more probably still lie under the refuse tip. In all, 28 Frankish pots with a wide range of decoration, form and size have been found. A variety of grave structures were examined including penannular ditches and external ditches or slots. Many of the graves appear to have suffered from contemporary grave robbing. The chronological range of the cemetery appears to stretch from the 6th-8th centuries. (4,5,6,7,8) Pottery from Anglo Saxon graves at St. Peter's. (9) Anglo Saxon brooch from grave 213 and from an unlocated position in the cemetery. (10) [Aerial photographs of this area suggest that the cemetery may expand north to TR 375699. See TR 36 NE 57] (11) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (12,13) TR 376693. Anglo Saxon cemetery, Dane Valley Road, Broadstairs, scheduled no. 316. (14) Scheduled listing. (15) TR 375693. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery consisting of 388 burials was discovered on this Council refuse tip. Much skeletal material was found along with grave goods. A feature of the cemetery was the variety of grave structures encountered. While the excavated portion of the cemetery was covered by tipping, some graves and a round barrow survive to the north west. (16)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:

Full extent of cemetary proposed by excavator from skeletal remains.(17)


Summary of Monument

Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery.
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 260m north-east of Sunnyside survives well. The limits of the cemetery are not yet known and as such it retains a potential for the recovery of further burials and grave goods.

The location of the cemetery on the site of earlier Bronze Age round barrows enhances its significance. Round barrows are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus of burials in later periods, such may be the case at this site north-west of Broadstairs. The monument will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the Bronze Age round barrows, the Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the material culture of those buried and the landscape in which the cemetery was constructed.
History

See Details.
Details

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 gently sloping ground between Broadley Road and Shallows Road, north-west of Broadstairs.

The cemetery is located on the site of earlier Bronze Age round barrows, now largely levelled, although at least one is thought to survive.. Partial excavation of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery has uncovered 388 inhumations, many with associated grave goods, although a large number are thought to have suffered from contemporary grave robbing. The burials are aligned in rows and are orientated north-west to south-east. Over half the graves have structural features including penannular ditches and external ditches or slots. The site has only been part-excavated and the cemetery is likely to contain further, as yet, unrecorded burials.

The cemetery was partially excavated in 1969-71. The grave goods included pottery, brooches, beads, weapons and glassware, dating from the mid sixth century to the mid eighth century AD.(19)

In 1985 the Ancient Monument Laboratory analyses the textiles from the site (20)

Additional reference (21)

<1> F1 CFW 06-NOV-69 (OS Card Reference). SKE42455.

<2> Frank Jenkins, 10 St Martins Close, Canterbury (OS Card Reference). SKE43441.

<3> Capt. Hogarth (OS Card Reference). SKE38587.

<4> Archaeol Cant 85, 1970, 188 (DG Scurrell) (OS Card Reference). SKE37251.

<5> Medieval Archaeol 14 1970 160 (OS Card Reference). SKE46837.

<6> Archaeol Journ 130, 1973, 104-119, illust. (AC Hogarth) (OS Card Reference). SKE37280.

<7> KAR 24, 1971, 112 (P Cullen) (OS Card Reference). SKE45275.

<8> KAR 28, 1972, 234 (C Hogarth) (OS Card Reference). SKE45285.

<9> Medieval Archaeol 15, 1971, 126 (DM Wilson and S. Moorhouse) (OS Card Reference). SKE46838.

<10> Medieval Archaeol 16, 1972, 156 (LE Webster and J Cherry) (OS Card Reference). SKE46839.

<11> Wheel Thrown Pottery in Anglo-Saxon Graves 1979, 68,69,70,71,72,75,76,77,78,79,82,83 (V.I. Evison) (OS Card Reference). SKE51321.

<12> BAR 11 (2) 1975 A S Disc & Composite Brooches 4, 32, illust. (R. Avent) (OS Card Reference). SKE37470.

<13> MOW Excavations 1969, 29 (OS Card Reference). SKE47348.

<14> MOW Excavations 1970, 29 (OS Card Reference). SKE47349.

<15> DOE (IAM) AM Record Form 10.11.65 (OS Card Reference). SKE40682.

<16> DOE (IAM) SAMS 1988, Kent 23 (OS Card Reference). SKE40778.

<17> Isle of Thanet Arch. Unit Sites and Mons. Archive 1988, Record No 200 (OS Card Reference). SKE44745.

<17> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<18> Field report for monument TR 36 NE 60 - November, 1969 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6199.

<19> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<20> English Heritage, 2011, St. Peter's, Broadstairs, Kent. Anglo-Saxon Cemetery. Textiles on grave goods (Unpublished document). SKE29496.

<21> Andrew Richardson, 2000, Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent (Unpublished document). SKE29253.

Sources and further reading