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Monument Types

• INHUMATION CEMETERY (C10-C11, Early Medieval - 900 AD to 1065 AD)

Full description

A total of seven graves were found, although numerous fragments of human bones were found in other contexts. Three of the burials had stone cists of limestone around their heads. One of the skeletons had two additional skulls and other bone fragments, some of which came from a further underlying burial. All of the burials were orientated east/west and non contained any burial objects. One burial was cut into the upper fill of a ditch which was itself cut by a Saxo-Norman ditch. The construction of the original undercroft entrance (excavation area 5) had cut through at least one and possibly two human burials. (1)
Several Christian burials orientated east-west and without grave goods were found in the southern part of Area 3. Numerous disarticulated human bones were found in later features and in Area 5, it was noted that the undercroft staircase cut through another two burials. Several of the burials were in stone slab cists and others had cists around the skull. At least 4 stone slabs set vertically in Area 3 were probably grave markers. Stratigraphically the burials were thought to be late Saxon and this was confirmed by radiocarbon dating to the mid 10th to mid 11th centuries. (2)
The cemetery was Christian, for the graves were orientated east-west and there were no grave goods. Some of the bodies were laid straight in the ground; others had been put into ‘coffins’ made up of flat slabs of stone pieced together, called cists. Others had boxes of stone slabs only around their heads. Six of the graves were marked with roughly shaped rectangles of stone stood on end. Radio carbon dating showed that the cemetery had been in use for at least a century, from c 950 to c 1070. Many of the graves had been disturbed by others cut into them at a later date. Over 50 individual graves were found in Area 3 containing 20 children and 31 adults, roughly equally divided between the sexes. Two further graves were found whilst excavating Area 5 and it was clear that the graveyard had covered a large area. (3)
A brief 19th century documentary reference to the disturbance of at least 100 graves on the site. (4)

<1> Dixon P & Marshall P, 1994, Newark Castle Studies: Excavations 1992 - 1993 (Published document). SNT1903.

<2> Thoroton Society, 1994, TTS, pp 47-57 (Serial). SNT1474.

<3> Marshall P and Samuels J, 1997, Guardian of the Trent - The Story of Newark Castle, pp 7-8 (Published document). SNT1736.

<4> Bailey T, 1855, Annals of Notts (separate pagination) (Published document). SNT439.

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