Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Site name Gussage All Saints
Site number 1173
Burial codes 2003 2004 2009 2022 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2036 2042 2047 2051 2065 2071 2072 2073 2074 2084 2092 2098 2102 2104 2109 2111 2127 2128 2143 2151 2153 2171 2181 2200 1003 1004 1009 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1036 1042 1047 1051 1052 1053 1065 1071 1072 1073 1074 1084 1092 1098 1103 1104 1109 1110 1111 1125 1127 1128 1131 1143 1151 1153 1168 1181 1182 1183 1200
8/700bc-100bc A three acre settlement enclosure and farmstead contained the skeletal remains of 11 adults and 38 infants, most of which (9:31) belonged to the period from the final years of the 1st Century BC to the early 1st Century AD. All had been buried in storage pits except 7 infant skeletons from ditch fillings and a later Romano-British inhumation grave.

Phase 1 c550-300 BC [Numbers or letters refer to Wainwright 1979]
Enclosure ditch sections C, G, M, P, and N contained 8 unaged and unsexed skull fragments.
There was a fragmentary skeleton of an infant buried in a shallow circular pit.

Phase 2 c300-100 BC
435 Skeleton of an adult female contracted on the left side and oriented SW at the junction of layers 4 and 5 in a partially filled cylindrical pit. The head and back were outlined by flint nodules.
439 Skeleton of an infant lying crouched on its left side in the lower filling of a cylindrical pit, oriented N.
470 Disarticulated bones of a new-born infant from the floor of a cylindrical pit, with an adult right femur in association.
531 Skeleton of an infant lying crouched on the right side near the surface of a cylindrical pit, oriented EW, head to W.
544 Adult unsexed crania in a pit.
769 Disarticulated bones of a new-born infant from the base of a cylindrical pit.

In sections 1G and 1R were the disarticulated remains of two new-born infants from layer 4 in the filling of the enclosure ditch.

To this period belong the following RC: Pit 297 charcoal Q-1204 510 +/- 80, Ditch 1 x 4 bone Q-1209 450 +/- 75, Pit 379 charcoal Q-1203 420 +/- 90, Ditch 1 M4 charcoal Q-1201 230 +/- 75, Pit 437 charcoal Q-1205 210 +/- 75, Pit 209 charcoal Q-1207 150 +/- 65, ditto Q-1206 70 +/- 70
100bc-AD43 Phase 3 c100 BC - AD80
30L In the enclosure ditch was a tightly crouched adult burial, limbs distorted, unsexed.
31 Skeleton of an adolescent female lying on the face, with arms and legs lightly flexed to the right, near the base of a cylindrical pit, oriented N.
34 Disarticulated remains of 4 infants from the base of a bell shaped pit.
62 Skeleton of an adult female lightly crouched on the right side near the base of a cylindrical pit, oriented N.
84 The very fragmentary remains of an infant in a pit.
96 Skeleton of an infant lying on its back with the legs doubled up on the floor and against the west wall of a cylindrical pit, oriented NW, the body covered with large flint nodules.
121 Disarticulated skeleton of a new-born infant from the base of a cylindrical pit.
132 Four fragmentary infant skeletons lying on their backs with the legs drawn up, found at different levels within a deep cylindrical pit, oriented N N N and E.
139 i and ii Skeleton of an adult female lying lightly crouched on the left side, oriented EW, head to E, near the surface of a slightly bell-shaped pit. Assorted animal bones were found in direct association. The skeletons of two lightly crouched infants lay immediately below that of the adult, oriented E.
172 Disarticulated skeleton of a new-born infant from the surface of a cylindrical pit. 204 Skeleton of an adult female, oriented E, lying tightly contracted on the left side, as if bound in position before burial in a partially silted cylindrical pit.
205 Skeleton of an adult female lying lightly flexed on the right side in a partially silted pit, oriented EW, head to E.
209 A disarticulated neonatal infant in a pit.
285 i and ii Skeleton of a young adult male lying on the back with the legs lightly flexed to one side near the surface of a cylindrical pit, oriented NE. Marks of injuries caused by a sharp instrument were recorded on the skull and left forearm, and were apparently inflicted immediately before death. Associated with the body were two iron fragments near the waist. Two crouched infant skeletons were found immediately beneath the adult skeleton, oriented NW and S.
290 Disarticulated bones of a premature infant were found near the base of a cylindrical pit.
293 Extended skeletons of two infants were lying mid-way in the silting of a cylindrical pit, oriented N. The disarticulated remains of a new-born infant lay near the base of this pit.
311 An infant buried extended in a shallow coffin shaped pit, oriented NE/SW.
347 Disarticulated bones of a new-born infant were found near the base of a bell-shaped pit.
359 Skeleton of an adult male oriented N was found lying lightly flexed on the left side in a partially silted cylindrical pit.

387 Skeleton of an adult male oriented N was found lying tightly crouched on the right side near the base of a cylindrical pit, along with animal bones and articulated horse and dog bones.
410 Skeleton of an adult female was found lying on the back with the legs lightly flexed to one side, in a partially silted pit, head to E.
418 The skeleton of a new-born infant was found near the floor of a cylindrical pit.
661 The disarticulated remains of an infant skeleton were found in the base of a cylindrical pit.
709 Skeletons of two new-born infants from a partially silted cylindrical pit.
781 Disarticulated remains of an infant from the upper layers of a cylindrical pit.
942 Fragmentary remains of an infant found at the base of a rectangular pit 0.44m x 0.32m x 0.3m deep, dug into the filling of Pit 261. It was oriented NW/SE and covered by a layer of fine chalk rubble sealed by a layer of flint nodules.
There were 4 apparently casual infant burials from the filling of the ditch 130/131 of a trapezoidal enclosure. Three are disarticulated but complete, but one lacks both legs.
There were the bones of two new-born infants from the base of an enclosure ditch 310W.

To this period belong the following RC: Pit 209 charcoal Q-1207 150 +/- 65, ditto Q-1206 70 +/- 70, Ditch 310 charcoal Q-1202 ad20 +/- 75, Pit 139 charcoal Q-1208 ad50 +/- 65
Remains/Period Y2 Y1
County Dorset
Region S
National grid square ST
X coordinate 998
Y coordinate 101
Bibliographic source Wainwright and Spratling 1973, Wainwright and Switsur 1976, Wainwright 1979b, Whimster 1981, Wilson 1981, Wait 1985


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004