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Summary

Romano-British cemetery, on land off Grantham Road, Bracebridge Heath.

Full description

Fragments of a broken pot and some cremated human bones were found in 1978, during groundworks for a garage at 173 Grantham Road. Upon investigation by City and County Museum staff, these were found to be a Roman cremation contained within a (broken) greyware jar. Part of a circular setting of stones was also found, and may have been used to level up the bottom of the pit in which the burial was placed. No further information was available on the cremation.
Also discovered that year was the remains of a human skeleton, found during groundworks for a garage at the adjacent property of 171 Grantham Road. The skeleton was discovered at a depth of about 50cm, and was aligned north-west to south-east, with the skull to the south-east. Above the skeleton was a layer of limestone slabs marking the grave. Although undated, it is thought that this inhumation is probably Roman.
Further remains were discovered at 173 Grantham Road in 1980, a Romano-British cist burial was identified during groundworks for a new soakaway pit. The cist consisted of seven irregularly-shaped limestone slabs, arranged to form a stone 'box' c.55cm square by 48cm deep, constructed in a c.90cm square pit. Within the cist was a complete pot with a fill of fine light brown clayey silt containing limestone pieces and a layer of cremated human bone. The silt and limestone pieces probably entered the partially filled cremation vessel when the cist was backfilled. {1}{2}{3}{4}

During a watching brief on a pipeline, fragments of pottery and cremated human bone were uncovered, including the base of a pottery vessel. North-south aligned Roman graves were also uncovered along the course of the pipe trench.
Subsequent excavation in this area recorded the presence of two cremations and five inhumations. The first cremation was found in a sub-circular pit, and consisted of the broken base and fifteen other sherds of an early/mid-2nd century cremation vessel. No human remains were recovered. The second cremation was found in a sub-circular pit, in a virtually intact early/mid-2nd century vessel. The remains weighed 55 grams, but were too degraded for identification. The inhumations took the form of two north-south aligned (skull to north) and three east-west aligned (skull to west) burials. The north-south aligned burials were of a female and an unsexed individual, both with an age range of 18-25 years at death. The east-west aligned burials were of an unsexed young adult individual, and a female and possible male, both aged 18-25 years at death. A wall foundation was identified lying between the cemetery features and the road, which may have been contemporary, perhaps separating the cemetery from road traffic.
These cremations and inhumations, found at the northern limit of Waddington parish, form part of a group which includes the two cremations and one inhumation found in 1978 and 1980 at 171 and 173 Grantham Road, and it would appear that the cemetery served the Romano-British settlement to the west of Grantham Road. There may be grounds for suspecting that the cemetery represents two phases of pre-Christian burial practices, considering the differing alignments of the burials, but all the pottery from the cemetery contexts dates to the 2nd century, contrary to statements made in the excavation report. Eighty-nine nails were recorded from four of the inhumations, and coffin remains were recorded in one grave, suggesting that the burials were in wooden coffins. A quantity of hobnails from a shoe were also recorded in the grave containing the coffin remains. Thirty fragments of mortar were recovered from the fill of one of the graves, suggesting the presence of a building in the vicinity prior to the grave being dug, possibly associated with the cemetery. {5}{6}

A Roman greyware pot was found in 2017, during work on the drive at 173 Grantham Road. The pot was more-or-less complete and contained cremated bone in the bottom. The vessel was straight-sided, flat bottomed and open necked, and was in an unglazed reduced greyware. The cremation burial very likely formed part of the 2nd century mixed cemetery known to be in this location. {7}

<1> City and County Museum, 25/08/1978, Press release on Romano-British cist burial at 173 Grantham Road, Waddington, Waddington parish file (Unpublished Document). SLI6051.

<2> Lincolnshire County Council, Sites and Monuments Record Card Index, SK 96 NE: CQ (Index). SLI2881.

<3> North Kesteven Records, NK26.17 (Index). SLI9345.

<4> A.J. White (ed.), 1981, 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1980' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, vol.16, pp.76-8 (Article in Serial). SLI767.

<5> Lindsey Archaeological Services, April 2000, Archaeological monitoring and excavations: Dunston nitrate blending scheme, BDM98 (Report). SLI6048.

<6> Lindsey Archaeological Services, April 2000, Archaeological monitoring and excavations: Dunston nitrate blending scheme, LCNCC 96.98 (Archive). SLI6050.

<7> Lewis, Carenza, 2017, E-mail from Professor C. Lewis of the University of Lincoln, 24 August 2017 (Electronic Communication). SLI15994.

Monument Types

• ARTEFACT SCATTER (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• BURIAL (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• CIST (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• CREMATION (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• GRAVE (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• INHUMATION (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• MIXED CEMETERY (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)
• STRUCTURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• NAIL (Undated)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• COFFIN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• HOB NAIL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TILE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Roman - 48 AD? to 99 AD?)
• JAR (Roman - 100 AD? to 165 AD?)
• SHERD (Roman - 100 AD to 165 AD)

Associated Events

• Field observation at 171 Grantham Road
• Field observation at 173 Grantham Road
• Excavation at 173 Grantham Road
• Dunston Nitrate Blending Scheme
• Dunston Nitrate Blending Scheme
• Non-archaeological work on the driveway at 173 Grantham Road, Waddington

Sources and further reading

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