More information : (TQ 2967 1554) Romano-British Burial Ground (GS). (1)
The late Mr A E Couchman, FSA, excavated in 1925 a Roman cemetery extending 220 yds E-W and 120 yds N-S in Stonepound Sandpit, Hassocks. The site yielded a large quantity of Roman pottery, mostly cremation urns, with fragments of domestic vessels, querns, mortars, and mealing stones indicating slight occupation. The urnfield was used C AD 70-250, its period of greatest activity, judging from coins, potters' stamps and dated shapes of vessels C AD 140-190 (1). Occupation of the site during the Roman period from the third to the end of the 4th century was evidenced by the non-Samian pottery and a substantial quantity of coins. About six large cordoned cinerary urns, one 'Ashford' type urn, and cups of Middle Bronze Age date were found in the Roman urnfield and adjoining areas, also some Saxon urns, several containing bones, probably those of children (2). No finds were made during field investigation although workmen were reported to have found pottery fragments, subsequently "thrown away". Barbican House Museum, Lewes, displays a representative collection of pottery and finds from the site (4).
The area of the burial ground is partly developed with housing and partly lies within long-disused and overgrown sandpits.
No recent finds are known of. Original finds still in Lewes Museum; not available for inspection. (5)
The very substantial cemetery of several hundred burials, from the Flavian period to the early third century, implies a minor settlement of some significance. The coin series shows that occupation, if not burials, extended well into the fourth century. (6)
Early Saxon handmade and undecorated cremation urns containing human remains were found during work in sandpits at Hassocks 1902-5. A total of 12 vessels and 4 sherds had been accessioned by Brighton Museum. Further handmade vessels were found in 1925 or earlier by Couchman, although more were disposed of by wormen. In addition, an iron axehead, 4 iron spearheads and 2 iron shield bosses, posibly representing inhumation graves have also come from the site. Further excavations at Stonepound found in 1954-6 have never been published. (7-9)
Additional references. (10-11) |