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Summary

Grey Lees Anglo-Saxon Cemetery off Grantham Road.

Full description

PRN 60375
The Anglo-Saxon cemetery (formerly of Quarrington parish) was originally discovered in 1824 (or possibly 1828). Inhumed burials and cremated remains, which had been partly gathered into vases, were discovered during gravel digging. A profusion of finds includes spear-heads, all with slit sockets and some with remains of ash shafts and rivets, iron knife blade, iron dart or arrow-head, horse harness, bronze clasps and buckles, necklaces of crystal, glass, amber and colour vitreous paste beads, and pottery with line and dot ornament. Fragments of samian and other pottery, and a small brass of Valens were also found here, and a stone slab, six feet by two feet that may have been a Roman coffin lid, was reported but not seen. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}{6}{7}
During a watching brief part of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at TF046447 was recorded, it is unclear but is thought to perhaps be an extension of the Grey Lees cemetery or perhaps related to an earlier burial ground that was relocated at a later date. It contained a number of burials, some of which where accompanied by grave goods. A large number of the burials found were in bad condition and evidence suggests that some of the burials had been robbed. Six out of the eight excavated inhumations contained grave goods, The richest burial contained the remains of a shield boss, a bronze buckle and a knife, others were buried only with a pottery vessel. {8}{9}{13}
Subsequent extension of the watching brief area (to form a limited archaeological excavation) led to the discovery of a further 7 inhumations, bring the total to 15. The majority of the burials were found along the southern edge of the site and beneath the hedgerow, although other burials elsewhere on the site may have been disturbed or destroyed, for example by deep ploughing. No burials were found road-side, in the verge or under the road itself. The 15 graves contained the remains of both males and females, with age ranges from early childhood to old age. Disarticulated human remains from the site allowed the minimum number of individuals to be placed at 20. All but one of the 15 inhumations contained grave goods, including weapons, jewellery and ceramics. The burial goods could be dated to the Anglian period (5th to 6th century). Of particular interest was the most richly furnished grave, which was shown to be that of a female who had been completely paralysed by tuberculosis. It is unclear whether the inhumations revealed form part of the Quarrington cemetery discovered during the 19th century (see above), and it is suggested that they formed a separate cluster. {10}{11}{13}
The finds of a Roman coffin lid from Quarrington, and Bronze Age cremations at Site 4 (PRN 63703) suggest that this area formed the focus for burial for many centuries. The reuse of prehistoric and Roman burial sites is thought to have been an increasing phenomenon during the 5th and 6th centuries.{10}{11}{13}
During archaeological evaluation in the field to the north of the railway (centre approx TF 0437 4492), no sign of the cemetery was discovered, suggesting that it did not extend into this field (or that any remains here have been ploughed away). {12}

<01> Sleaford SMR cards, TF 04 SW:Q (Index). SLI3265.

<02> Edward Trollope, 1872, Sleaford and the Wapentakes of Flaxwell and Aswardhurn in the County of Lincoln, PP.98-100 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI920.

<03> Yerburgh, Dr Richard, 1825, Sketches Illustrative of the Topography and History of New and Old Sleaford, P.106 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1054.

<04> MEANEY, A., 1964, A Gazetteer of Early Anglo-Saxon Burial Sites, PP.160-161 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI850.

<05> TROLLOPE, E., 1858, Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers, PP. 158-9 (Article in Serial). SLI405.

<06> MYERS, J.N.L., 1951, ‘The Anglo-Saxon Pottery of Lincolnshire’ in the Archaeological Journal, PP. 94,98,108 (Article in Serial). SLI321.

<07> Ordnance Survey, Sleaford O.S. cards, TF 04 SW 15 (Index). SLI2726.

<08> The University of York, 2001, Evaluation Programme: Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline Phase 3, SSP99 (Report). SLI7291.

<09> The University of York, 2001, Evaluation Programme: Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline Phase 3, LCNCC:252.99 (Archive). SLI7292.

<10> Field Archaeology Specialists, Aug 2006, Excavation and Watching Brief, Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline, SSP01 (Report). SLI10133.

<11> Field Archaeology Specialists, Aug 2006, Excavation and Watching Brief, Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline, LCNCC 252.99 (Archive). SLI10134.

<12> Heritage Lincolnshire, 1992, Archaeological Evaluation at land at Quarrington, - (Report). SLI11765.

<13> Tania M. Dickinson, 2004, 'An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Quarrington, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, Vol 39, pp 24-45 (Article in Serial). SLI11980.

Monument Types

• BURIAL (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• CEMETERY (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• CREMATION (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 650 AD?)
• INHUMATION (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 600 AD? to 800 AD)

Associated Finds

• ARROWHEAD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• BEAD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• BROOCH (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• BUCKLE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• KNIFE (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• SHIELD (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• SLEEVE CLASP (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)
• VESSEL (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 800 AD)

Associated Events

• Fieldwalking along the route of a pipeline between Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe
• Archaeological Watching Brief, Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline
• Archaeological excavation, Silk Willoughby to Staythorpe Gas Pipeline
• Trial trenching on land to the south of Boiling Wells Farm

Protected Status

• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.