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Summary

ANGLO SAXON CEMETERY, TALLINGTON

Full description

PRN 33511
Workmen laying a gas pipeline on either side of the A16, parallel to and immediately south of the railway line, uncovered a number of Saxo-Norman pits and middle Saxon inhumation burials. The pits contained Stamford and St Neot's ware. South of the road, fragments of about 4 skeletons were found, and from the same area came a small undecorated bowl, fragments of an urn decorated with horizontal grooving and pendant triangles on the shoulder, amber beads, parts of two gilded bronze wrist clasps, and two square-headed brooches, one with a piece of cloth still adhering to it. {1}{5}
In April 1966 a trial excavation was undertaken to locate the northern extent of the cemetery. The area immediately north of the gas pipe-line was examined and showed that bodies had been disturbed and remains thrown back during the digging of pits, probably for gravel, in the medieval period. The gravel pits contained, other than the bones, only a very few sherds of Stamford ware (see PRN33512 for medieval finds). {2}{3}{4}
There has been some confusion in the past over the location of the cemetery and the subsequent excavations, due to grid reference errors being published in East Midlands Archaeology and the Lincolnshire History and Archaeology archaeological notes which were perpetuated in the Historic Environment Record files. Hilary Healey confirmed that both the initial discovery in 1965 and the excavations in 1966 were just south of Tallington Station on the south side of the road at TF09600850. {7}
Further excavations were undertaken on this site in 1997. Twelve graves were recorded, two of which had been badly disturbed and one of these may have been partly recorded in 1965. The ten remaining skeletons were found mainly in a crouched position and aligned south-west to north-east. All but one grave was found with grave goods consisting of many types of brooch: annular, small long, disc and cruciform type. Sleeve clasps, a buckle, knives, spear head, spear butt ferrule, and beads are just some of the grave goods recovered. The grave that did not contain goods was dug with care and the lack of associated finds does not mean that it should be assumed that the individual was of a low status. It has not been possible to make any estimates on the extent of the cemetery, but it is known that it has an east to west width of 45m at the point at which it is was cut by the pipeline. A ditch, aligned south-west to north-east that lay broadly parallel to the majority of the recorded graves, was identified and may represent the southern boundary of the cemetery. A spread of late Saxon pottery recovered from across the site is though to originate from manuring. {8}{9}
An archaeological watching brief and excavation was undertaken in 2007 by Pre-Construct Archaeology. Part of a 6th century Anglo Saxon inhumation cemetery and medieval building remains were discovered. Seven complete, or nearly complete, graves and a ploughed out grave were revealed. A further grave cut was found and two more individuals were discovered within the backfill of medieval pits. Grave goods including brooches, pottery, sleeve clasps, knives, rings and beads were also found. {10}

<1> HEALEY, R.H., 1965, EAST MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL BULLETIN, No.8 p27 (Index). SLI2259.

<2> HEALEY, R.H., 1966, EAST MIDLANDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL BULLETIN, No.9 p31 (Index). SLI2260.

<3> SMR FILE, TF 00 NE:Q - (Index). SLI3319.

<4> WHITWELL, J.B., 1967, 'Archaeological notes for 1966' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, VOL 2 p45 (Article in Serial). SLI777.

<5> SMR FILE, TF 00 NE:R,1966, - (Index). SLI3319.

<6> City and County Museum Collection, LM 46.74 (Artefact). SLI8.

<7> HEALEY, R.H., 1993, Untitled Source, - (Verbal Communication). SLI4941.

<8> Pre-Construct Archaeology, 1998, The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Tallington, WDT96 (Report). SLI7959.

<9> Pre-Construct Archaeology, 1998, The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Tallington, WDT 96 (Archive). SLI7960.

<10> Albone, J. and Leahy, K., 2000, 'The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Tallington, Lincolnshire' in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History (Article in Serial). SLI12893.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 599 AD)
• CEMETERY (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 600 AD)
• DITCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• GRAVE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 600 AD)
• INHUMATION (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 600 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANNULAR BROOCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• BAG (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• BUCKLE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• CLIP (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• LATCHLIFTER (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• NECKLACE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• PIN (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• RING (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• SHIELD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• SLEEVE CLASP (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• SPEAR (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 850 AD)
• URN (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 500 AD to 849 AD)

Associated Events

• Excavations at Anglo-Saxon cemetery
• The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Tallington
• The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Tallington

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

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