Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

Background to the Gazetteer | Table of Contents

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 Abingdon Causewayed Enclosure

Site number 129

Burial codes 5005 5009 5021 5023 5025 5028 5030 5035 5036 5042 5047 5051 5052 5053 5065 5073 5084 5092 5098 5101 5104 5107 5108 5110 5111 5127 5128 5129 5143 5151 5153 5181 5200

3500bc - 2500bc Causewayed enclosure with two ditches, an outer and an inner, each with a bank and probably set in open grassland from environmental evidence.

There is a report of a 1905 find of a crouched or squatting inhumation of a female c18 resembling known Neolithic types, and one from the trench through the inner ditch. The 1927-28 excavations found the inner ditch bottom filled with broken animal bone, antler tools, some axe fragments, flint implements, sherds of round bottomed bowls, pebbles reddened by fire, and some later hearths. If this was evidence of occupation, it had occurred after a considerable interval of ditch silting had taken place. There were the fragments of the skulls of two young persons, unstratified, in the inner ditch.

The 1954 excavations of the outer ditch produced pottery. In 1963 Area A in the ground between the two ditches at the north contained a crouched male skeleton c40-50, lying directly on the gravel surface, oriented S, and accompanied by three struck flints but not readily datable. Area C (RC dates below) produced Neolithic pottery, flint, animal bone, and human pelvic fragments in the outer earthwork. The ditches there appeared to the excavator to be more recent and had been filled with individual heaps of organic matter (charcoal, animal bone, pottery and flints) 0.3m across which had been 'composted' before dumping in recognisable individual basketfuls. The pottery was of the Middle Neolithic.

The 1983-86 excavations discovered three unaccompanied inhumations (F5354-6) lying close together east of the enclosure, and their proximity and position outside the barrow cemetery suggested dating to this period.

RC: Material from the inner ditch layers - charcoal: BM-349 4070 +/- 110, BM-351 3110 +/- 130, BM-353 3020 +/- 130, BM-350 2960 +/- 110, and BM-348 2780 +/- 135; animal bone BM-352 2760 +/- 135; antler comb BM-355 2510 +/- 140; animal bone BM-354 2500 +/- 145.

Remains/Period Y5

County Oxfordshire

Region SE

National grid square SU

X coordinate 511

Y coordinate 984

Bibliographic source Leeds 1927a, 1928, Case 1956a, Ministry of Works 1964, 1982, Avery 1982, Case and Whittle 1982, Bradley 1986d, Chambers and Halpin 1986

Query

Site name	Abingdon Causewayed Enclosure
Site number	129
Burial codes	5005 5009 5021 5023 5025 5028 5030 5035 5036 5042 5047 5051 5052 5053 5065 5073 5084 5092 5098 5101 5104 5107 5108 5110 5111 5127 5128 5129 5143 5151 5153 5181 5200
3500bc - 2500bc	Causewayed enclosure with two ditches, an outer and an inner, each with a bank and probably set in open grassland from environmental evidence. There is a report of a 1905 find of a crouched or squatting inhumation of a female c18 resembling known Neolithic types, and one from the trench through the inner ditch. The 1927-28 excavations found the inner ditch bottom filled with broken animal bone, antler tools, some axe fragments, flint implements, sherds of round bottomed bowls, pebbles reddened by fire, and some later hearths. If this was evidence of occupation, it had occurred after a considerable interval of ditch silting had taken place. There were the fragments of the skulls of two young persons, unstratified, in the inner ditch. The 1954 excavations of the outer ditch produced pottery. In 1963 Area A in the ground between the two ditches at the north contained a crouched male skeleton c40-50, lying directly on the gravel surface, oriented S, and accompanied by three struck flints but not readily datable. Area C (RC dates below) produced Neolithic pottery, flint, animal bone, and human pelvic fragments in the outer earthwork. The ditches there appeared to the excavator to be more recent and had been filled with individual heaps of organic matter (charcoal, animal bone, pottery and flints) 0.3m across which had been 'composted' before dumping in recognisable individual basketfuls. The pottery was of the Middle Neolithic. The 1983-86 excavations discovered three unaccompanied inhumations (F5354-6) lying close together east of the enclosure, and their proximity and position outside the barrow cemetery suggested dating to this period. RC: Material from the inner ditch layers - charcoal: BM-349 4070 +/- 110, BM-351 3110 +/- 130, BM-353 3020 +/- 130, BM-350 2960 +/- 110, and BM-348 2780 +/- 135; animal bone BM-352 2760 +/- 135; antler comb BM-355 2510 +/- 140; animal bone BM-354 2500 +/- 145.
Remains/Period	Y5
County	Oxfordshire
Region	SE
National grid square	SU
X coordinate	511
Y coordinate	984
Bibliographic source	Leeds 1927a, 1928, Case 1956a, Ministry of Works 1964, 1982, Avery 1982, Case and Whittle 1982, Bradley 1986d, Chambers and Halpin 1986