Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Note that there may be a few slight discrepancies between counts given in the text and the returned results in the gazetteer. This is a result of corrections and amendments (not updates) made to the gazetteer since the research was published in BAR. This does not materially affect the picture presented but does add more detail.

Site name Field Farm Ring Ditch 417, Burghfield

Site number 954

Burial codes 4005 4009 4022 4023 4025 4028 4030 4033 4041 4047 4051 4053 4065 4075 4084 4093 4098 4104 4108 4111 4110 4121 4122 4123 4124 4128 4143 4153 4161 4181 3001 3005 3022 3023 3025 3028 3030 3033 3041 3048 3051 3065 3075 3084 3092 3098 3104 3111 3128 3143 3153 3161 3181 3200

2500bc-14/1300bc A ring ditch probably constructed in a small grassy clearing in oak woodland. It had an associated central pit and probably a mound, and a 3m wide causeway at the SE. A dense lens of charcoal was recorded in the north west quadrant just above the primary fill. At the centre of the ring ditch was a compact layer 0.14m deep x c4m2 of mixed sandy loam which contained much charcoal with some pottery and small quantities of knapped and burnt flint. This covered a cleaner but still charcoal rich loam layer, both sealing a hearth. There was cremated human skeletal material in the central area, mostly of cranial fragments. The mixed sandy loam also sealed some apparent stake holes surrounding a collapsed Mortlake ware vessel, possibly the primary site activity.

Cut through the lower charcoal rich layer was a circular pit which contained a small quantity of Early Bronze Age pottery, knapped and burnt flint, a little cremated bone and a few pieces of fired clay. There were other features (pit, post holes, stake holes) possibly of this phase.

Of the 4 probably secondary cremations found within the ring ditch probably around the edge of the mound, 2 were contained within collared urns, and 2 were in Deverel-Rimbury type. Collared urn 1 contained the remains of one sub-adult; and collared urn 919 contained cremated human bone of one adult and 15 amber beads, 2 faience beads, a shale annular ring, a copper alloy awl, a tapering rod in fragments, one with a tang, and a miniature collared urn.

RC: from charcoal in cremation pit HAR-9139 1700 +/- 80, from ditch charcoal lens HAR-9142 1610 +/- 70, from charcoal in the fill of collared urn 1 HAR-9143 940 +/- 60

14/1300bc-8/700bc 14/1300-8/700 BC: overlap site with 2500-14/1300.

Remains/Period Y4 Y3

County Berkshire

Region SE

National grid square SU

X coordinate 674

Y coordinate 705

Bibliographic source Butterworth and Lobb 1992

Query

Site name	Field Farm Ring Ditch 417, Burghfield
Site number	954
Burial codes	4005 4009 4022 4023 4025 4028 4030 4033 4041 4047 4051 4053 4065 4075 4084 4093 4098 4104 4108 4111 4110 4121 4122 4123 4124 4128 4143 4153 4161 4181 3001 3005 3022 3023 3025 3028 3030 3033 3041 3048 3051 3065 3075 3084 3092 3098 3104 3111 3128 3143 3153 3161 3181 3200
2500bc-14/1300bc	A ring ditch probably constructed in a small grassy clearing in oak woodland. It had an associated central pit and probably a mound, and a 3m wide causeway at the SE. A dense lens of charcoal was recorded in the north west quadrant just above the primary fill. At the centre of the ring ditch was a compact layer 0.14m deep x c4m2 of mixed sandy loam which contained much charcoal with some pottery and small quantities of knapped and burnt flint. This covered a cleaner but still charcoal rich loam layer, both sealing a hearth. There was cremated human skeletal material in the central area, mostly of cranial fragments. The mixed sandy loam also sealed some apparent stake holes surrounding a collapsed Mortlake ware vessel, possibly the primary site activity. Cut through the lower charcoal rich layer was a circular pit which contained a small quantity of Early Bronze Age pottery, knapped and burnt flint, a little cremated bone and a few pieces of fired clay. There were other features (pit, post holes, stake holes) possibly of this phase. Of the 4 probably secondary cremations found within the ring ditch probably around the edge of the mound, 2 were contained within collared urns, and 2 were in Deverel-Rimbury type. Collared urn 1 contained the remains of one sub-adult; and collared urn 919 contained cremated human bone of one adult and 15 amber beads, 2 faience beads, a shale annular ring, a copper alloy awl, a tapering rod in fragments, one with a tang, and a miniature collared urn. RC: from charcoal in cremation pit HAR-9139 1700 +/- 80, from ditch charcoal lens HAR-9142 1610 +/- 70, from charcoal in the fill of collared urn 1 HAR-9143 940 +/- 60
14/1300bc-8/700bc	14/1300-8/700 BC: overlap site with 2500-14/1300.
Remains/Period	Y4 Y3
County	Berkshire
Region	SE
National grid square	SU
X coordinate	674
Y coordinate	705
Bibliographic source	Butterworth and Lobb 1992