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Summary

Inhumations apparently from the medieval town graveyard

Monument Types

• INHUMATION (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)

Full description

During construction of the Rectory housing estate (in what had been the Rectory garden) in 1976 two skeletons, of a woman and a child, were recovered by Verulamium Museum. A third skeleton, seen in the bank at the given NGR, was recorded by the Berkhamsted & District Archaeological Society <1>. There was no coffin; the skeleton was aligned east-west apparently in a shallow grave cut, on natural clay <2>. This is the area of the medieval parish graveyard, which was associated with the Rectory and not with the church [9092] itself. The site is on a steep slope, beside Chesham Road which was the main route south out of the medieval town (and earlier).
In December 2011 a human skull in crumbling condition was found by builders at the site of The Glebe, a house built in the SW corner of the Rectory garden in the mid 20th century <3>. Radiocarbon dating found it to be medieval, probably 14th century <4>. It is likely to have come from the graveyard, although there was no evidence that it was in situ; it may have been disturbed during ground levelling when the house was built.

<1> Berkhamsted Evening Post, 14.8.1976 (Serial). SHT2055.

<2> Thompson, Alex, & Holland, Eric, (Notes) (Unpublished document). SHT7882.

<3> Hertfordshire Police, SoCO Helen Reilly, 14.12.2011 (Verbal communication). SHT2964.

<4> Jonathan Hunn, Information, Email, October 2012 (Unpublished document). SHT5109.

Sources and further reading

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