HER 5376 DESCRIPTION:-

An Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery discovered 1969 during sand quarrying, partly excavated by Cheltenham Museum. 26 burials orientated N-S. 14 were accompanied by grave goods including amber beads, saucer brooches, spearheads A few potsherds occured nearby but no definite settlement remains were noted. {1}

Saxon cemetery assigned to period of Saxon penetration into N Glos following British defeat at Dyrham in 577 AD. Represents mostly westerly Saxon settlement in C7.{3}

Grave goods finds included amber beads in 7 instances - one with a necklace of 70 such beads - a pair of gilded bronze saucer brooches with style I decoration & 2 other saucer brooches; 2 spearheads, a swaffle-bit, several buckles & two small knives. A few potsherds occurred nearby but no definite settlement remains noted.{4}

Cemetery. Late C6. Finds include brooches, bridle bit. Parallel to Fairford Cemetery, possibly farthest known W of Saxon Pagan Cemeteries{6}.{5}

(Excav report to be written by Bill Ford - 1994.)

1970 GLOUCESTERSHIRE: BISHOPS CLEEVE, LOWER FARM (SO 94852708). An Anglo-Saxon inhumation-cemetery was discovered during sand quarrying and excavated by Cheltenham Museum. Twenty-six burials have so far been recorded, all oriented N.-S.; fourteen were accompanied by grave-goods which included amber beads in seven (one with a necklace of seventy such beads), a pair of gilded bronze saucer-brooches with Style-I decoration (closely paralleled at Fairford, Glos.), two other saucerbrooches, two spear-heads, a snaffle-bit, several buckles and two small knives. Textile fragments were recovered from three graves. A few sherds occurred near by but no definite settlement remains were noted. {quoted from Source Work 3805.}

1995 - In Sept. 1995, Cotswold Archaeological Trust contacted the widow of Mr K Brown (Assistant Curator of Cheltenham Museum, who excavated the site in 1969) and established that she still held the finds and site archive. She expressed her wish that CAT should take the finds and records and produce a publication report, and that the material should then be deposited with Cheltenham Museum, hopefully for display. It is intended that the completed report will be published in the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, possibly in 2001. A full site archive will be prepared, consisting of material from the original excavation and records produced during the present analysis, and will be deposited with Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery. {Source Work 5376.}

1996 - The surviving excavation archive has been deposited at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum. (5109)

2001 - CAT report published in the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol.118, pp61-92.

On 4th July 1969, 7 skeletons were revealed by topsoil stripping in preparation for sand quarrying at Lower Farm, Bishop's Cleeve. 3 were destroyed immediately. Further investigation revealed 26 burials in total, 16 accompanied by grave goods. Burials aligned roughly N-S, with the head to the south. No evidence of coffins, although 1 grave may have had a wooden head-rest. The cemetery may have been in use for as little as 50 years, 75 at most, and the total number of graves implies that it served a small community, perhaps a single family. The cemetery conisted of 14 adults, 4 immature adults under 25, 4 juveniles and 4 individuals of unknown age. 6 were positively identified as female. {Source Work 6182.}