Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Site name Sutton Courtenay A
Site number 967
Burial codes 4003 4004 4009 4021 4023 4026 4028 4030 4035 4042 4047 4051 4052 4053 4065 4074 4075 4084 4092 4098 4102 4104 4108 4109 4110 4111 4125 4128 4129 4143 4153 4171 4181
2500bc-14/1300bc A settlement site with an apparent circular triple ditch (Circle B) in the base of one of which was found two fragments of human skull. The occupation area within the circle proved to contain a number of shallow excavations and circular pits from which quantities of flints and stone of worked and unworked kinds, pottery, animal bone, bone tools and other organic material were recovered. There appears to have been a possible overlap of Later Neolithic and Beaker communities from the skeletal evidence of dolichocephalic and sub-dolichocephalic skulls (compare Cassington Site 1024). [Leeds 1927, 1934]

In Pit Q were two scrapers, a nodule partly chipped, 2-3 serrated flakes, some lumps of ruddle, a human molar and broken animal bones. In Pit R were small quantities of used flakes, the epiphysis of a small femur and other bones. In Pit V, 0.9m in diameter x 0.9m deep, and at the bottom, were five large stones, 3 on the pit floor and 2 piled on top. In the pit were the remains of 10 human skulls, some fairly complete and others just represented by fragments, all of the dolichocephalic type. Other bones accompanied them, principally limb bones, but only a small proportion of 10 bodies was represented by them. The skulls were all but one very thick, and of those one (possible) female skull was massive in thickness. Only the skeletal evidence dates this deposit to the Neolithic. [Leeds 1934]

There was the contracted burial of a brachycephalic female accompanied by a large clumsy Beaker of Abercromby's type B. [Leeds 1934]

In Pit F, 0.9m across by 0.75m deep, were three inhumations. One was of an adult female buried squatting face to SE on the southern side of the pit. In the northern half were two child burials, one crouched with face downwards, knees to the north, covering the skeleton of an infant on its right side, face to south. There were no grave goods. [Leeds 1923]

About 100m to the west of the enclosure was a pit containing an inhumation burial accompanied by a hybrid Beaker/food vessel. [Leeds 1927]
Remains/Period Y4
County Oxfordshire
Region SE
National grid square SU
X coordinate 500
Y coordinate 930
Bibliographic source Leeds 1922-23, 1927, 1934a/b


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004