Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Query

Site name Stanfordbury
Site number 425
Burial codes 1002 1005 1021 1023 1026 1028 1030 1031 1041 1048 1051 1065 1075 1081 1082 1083 1085 1093 1094 1096 1104 1111 1121 1122 1123 1129 1143 1155 1181
100bc-AD43 Two massive burial vaults, each 4.5m x 3.6m x 1.5m deep, oriented NS, about 9m apart and paved with a form of tiling, both belonging to the Lexden phase of Welwyn type burials, were built probably cAD43 (dated on associated Samian). Grave goods were carefully arranged over the whole floor areas.

Burial A comprised ashes scattered throughout the grave which contained 6 amphorae (5 now lost and the 6th a Spanish form perhaps equated with Dressel Type 14), 3 Samian cups (the report of Burial B implies many more were found in A), a shallow bronze bowl placed on a piece of wood, an elegant bronze jug inverted on a piece of wood and a bronze patella, a hemi-spherical bronze shield boss, two pairs of iron fire-dogs with deer heads, iron spits, an iron tripod, a knife with a bone handle, a 6-piece bone flute, pieces of thin iron (some riveted, and possibly from armour), and four white stones and a black one, oblong, flat-bottomed and convex at the top (a group of possible gaming pieces).

Burial B had the cremation unrecorded, and comprised 2 amphorae at the south end of the vault (one containing 50-60 common snail shells and a few of pond snails near these amphorae were: a pair of silver tweezers and three brass staples, two silver buckles and strap ends, 4 glass and 3 amber beads, two bronze handles and foliage-decorated fittings of an oak box (by which the tweezers, buckles and beads were on the east side were some Samian bowls (two or three entire, the others deliberately broken on deposition). There were also: a vessel of deep violet coloured glass with a long neck and two inverted L shaped handles, an inverted globular bottle of blue glass, a pale green ribbed glass bowl lying sideways, a green glass bottle, 2 iron bars each in the south corners, a shale bracelet, a Roman coin (of Titus?) and possibly a brooch of Langton Down type and one other brooch.
Remains/Period Y1
County Bedfordshire
Region SE
National grid square TL
X coordinate 148
Y coordinate 412
Bibliographic source Dryden 1845, Smith 1912, Stead 1967, 1976, Peacock 1971, Whimster 1981


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004