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 Puddlehill, Houghton Regis

Site number 1186

Burial codes 2003 2004 2009 2022 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2036 2042 2047 2051 2053 2065 2075 2084 2092 2098 2102 2104 2105 2108 2109 2111 2125 2127 2128 2130 2143 2151 2153 2181 1003 1004 1009 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1043 1047 1051 1065 1073 1075 1081 1084 1098 1102 1104 1108 1111 1121 1125 1128 1143 1151 1153 1160 1161 1181

8/700bc-100bc A complex settlement site contained a single pit burial and three inhumations from ditch fillings, and a number of Aylesford culture cremations.

Pit 1 contained the skeleton of an (?)adult female c20 lying crouched on the right side, heels pressed back to pelvis, hands placed together as if tied in front of the body, associated with it a worked chalk block below the right scapula (possibly to weight the body), and a horse skull directly above the left tibia. With the skeleton were charcoal fragments, sherds and animal bones including the jaw bones of an ox and pig. Below the skeleton was a layer of dark loam including potsherds, carbonised wood and animal bones; above it was dark loam including a little pottery, ash tips and animal meal bones.

There were three inhumations from enclosure ditches, two of this period. No 1 was the skeleton of an infant in pre-La Tene secondary silting, 0.4m from the ditch floor. No 2 was the skeleton of a (?)female child c8 lying in the lowest silting of the ditch at the north side of an enclosure entrance, flexed on the right side with the left hand raised to the face.

In one of the 'hearths' in the occupation area and blackened by the fire was the top of a human skull, and in another was a human tooth.

100bc-AD43 There were 9 pre-Roman cremation burials, 7 grouped together in Enclosure 2, and the two other examples were 2m apart in Enclosure 7, about 132m away from the first group.

No 1 comprised ashes of an adult in the larger of two cordoned urns with fragments of a burned La Tene III bronze brooch.

No 2 comprised ashes in a pedestal urn of which the base only had survived plough damage.

Nos 3-6 were unenclosed deposits of a few pieces of cremated bone buried in shallow disturbed depressions in the chalk.

No 7 was calcined bone of a probable female adult and oak charcoal spread along the floor of a grave 1.46m x 0.6m x 0.38m deep in the silted filling of Enclosure 2 ditch. The restriction of skull fragments to the southern end of the grave implies in situ cremation. There were animal bones in the grave backfill.

No 8 was an in situ cremation within partly filled Group 6 Pit 34, with associated fragments of a burnt La Tene III bronze brooch.

No 9 was calcined bone in a cordoned jar, of which only the base had survived ploughing. The burial was placed in a small specially dug pit, and there were associated fragments of a burnt bronze brooch.

Ditch burial No 3 was the skeleton of a child c3 extended on the left side in a grave dug into the silting of the ditch of enclosure 2.

Remains/Period Y2 Y1

County Bedfordshire

Region SE

National grid square TL

X coordinate 6

Y coordinate 236

Bibliographic source Matthews 1976, Whimster 1981

Query

Site name	Puddlehill, Houghton Regis
Site number	1186
Burial codes	2003 2004 2009 2022 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2036 2042 2047 2051 2053 2065 2075 2084 2092 2098 2102 2104 2105 2108 2109 2111 2125 2127 2128 2130 2143 2151 2153 2181 1003 1004 1009 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1043 1047 1051 1065 1073 1075 1081 1084 1098 1102 1104 1108 1111 1121 1125 1128 1143 1151 1153 1160 1161 1181
8/700bc-100bc	A complex settlement site contained a single pit burial and three inhumations from ditch fillings, and a number of Aylesford culture cremations. Pit 1 contained the skeleton of an (?)adult female c20 lying crouched on the right side, heels pressed back to pelvis, hands placed together as if tied in front of the body, associated with it a worked chalk block below the right scapula (possibly to weight the body), and a horse skull directly above the left tibia. With the skeleton were charcoal fragments, sherds and animal bones including the jaw bones of an ox and pig. Below the skeleton was a layer of dark loam including potsherds, carbonised wood and animal bones; above it was dark loam including a little pottery, ash tips and animal meal bones. There were three inhumations from enclosure ditches, two of this period. No 1 was the skeleton of an infant in pre-La Tene secondary silting, 0.4m from the ditch floor. No 2 was the skeleton of a (?)female child c8 lying in the lowest silting of the ditch at the north side of an enclosure entrance, flexed on the right side with the left hand raised to the face. In one of the 'hearths' in the occupation area and blackened by the fire was the top of a human skull, and in another was a human tooth.
100bc-AD43	There were 9 pre-Roman cremation burials, 7 grouped together in Enclosure 2, and the two other examples were 2m apart in Enclosure 7, about 132m away from the first group. No 1 comprised ashes of an adult in the larger of two cordoned urns with fragments of a burned La Tene III bronze brooch. No 2 comprised ashes in a pedestal urn of which the base only had survived plough damage. Nos 3-6 were unenclosed deposits of a few pieces of cremated bone buried in shallow disturbed depressions in the chalk. No 7 was calcined bone of a probable female adult and oak charcoal spread along the floor of a grave 1.46m x 0.6m x 0.38m deep in the silted filling of Enclosure 2 ditch. The restriction of skull fragments to the southern end of the grave implies in situ cremation. There were animal bones in the grave backfill. No 8 was an in situ cremation within partly filled Group 6 Pit 34, with associated fragments of a burnt La Tene III bronze brooch. No 9 was calcined bone in a cordoned jar, of which only the base had survived ploughing. The burial was placed in a small specially dug pit, and there were associated fragments of a burnt bronze brooch. Ditch burial No 3 was the skeleton of a child c3 extended on the left side in a grave dug into the silting of the ditch of enclosure 2.
Remains/Period	Y2 Y1
County	Bedfordshire
Region	SE
National grid square	TL
X coordinate	6
Y coordinate	236
Bibliographic source	Matthews 1976, Whimster 1981