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 Bancroft, Milton Keynes

Site number 1438

Burial codes 2002 2004 2021 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2045 2051 2065 2075 2084 2092 2104 2111 2128 2143 2151 2181 2200 1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1035 1041 1047 1051 1065 1075 1084 1098 1103 1111 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1128 1129 1143 1153 1161 1181

8/700bc-100bc An unenclosed settlement containing in this period a number of circular buildings with penannular drainage ditches. There were the remains of a burial in the fill of the penannular ditch of Roundhouse 210, and a human skull in Layer 699 of Ditch 630 which linked Roundhouses 620 and 634. These may have been deposited by scavenging animals which disturbed bodies exposed as part of a funerary or ceremonial rite.

RC: charcoal from building 500, posthole 380 UB-3233 389 +/- 42, charcoal from building 500, posthole 570 UB-3234 433 +/- 42

100bc-AD43 A small cremation cemetery contained 17 cremations varying from a scatter of cremated bone with no grave goods or contained in a single pot, to one cremation with 10 pots. Over 45 ceramic pots were recovered. Eight cremations contained grave goods including iron and bronze fibulae, bronze disc-brooches, faience and glass beads and other personal items.

Cremation 4 was the richest and contained 9 pottery vessels, 5 bronze brooches, a bronze stud and nail cleaner, one iron fibula and key, and two melted glass beads. Most of the pottery vessels were distinctive Late Belgic forms. Two cremations contained Samian bowls, a flagon and Terra Rubra girth beaker. Twelve cremations contained animal bones as offerings, predominantly sheep or goat, but also some ox and pig (in two burials, a pig was cremated with the human bones). The pottery types span the first half of the 1st Century AD with some extending into the second half. Those burials within the period under review are included below (excavators' numbers):

1 an adult male in an oval pit with two fibulae, young sheep bones and a bowl, flask, cup and bowl rim in the date range 15BC - AD43
2 an adult male probably in a pit with a faience melon bead, sheep mandible and a globular beaker c10-65AD
3 an (?)adult male associated with an (?)avian (?)leg and an incomplete bowl or jar
4 an adult female(?) in a pit with five brooches, 2 glass beads, an iron lift key, a copper alloy nail cleaner, a copper alloy hollow rivet, articulated sheep bones, a cup, jar, 3 platters, a butt beaker, a bowl and another beaker some pre-Conquest, some in the 43AD-70AD range. A fairly complete cremation.
5 an adult female(?) with an ox or horse rib
7 a female unaccompanied
8 an adult male in a well defined grave with two copper alloy mounts, articulated pig and sheep bones, a cup, girth beaker, barrel jar and pedestalled bowl in the c5-50BC range. A fairly complete cremation.

The other 11 were of post Conquest era.

Remains/Period Y2 Y1

County Buckinghamshire

Region SE

National grid square SP

X coordinate 827

Y coordinate 403

Bibliographic source Williams 1985, Williams and Zeepvat 1994a/b

Query

Site name	Bancroft, Milton Keynes
Site number	1438
Burial codes	2002 2004 2021 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2045 2051 2065 2075 2084 2092 2104 2111 2128 2143 2151 2181 2200 1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1035 1041 1047 1051 1065 1075 1084 1098 1103 1111 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1128 1129 1143 1153 1161 1181
8/700bc-100bc	An unenclosed settlement containing in this period a number of circular buildings with penannular drainage ditches. There were the remains of a burial in the fill of the penannular ditch of Roundhouse 210, and a human skull in Layer 699 of Ditch 630 which linked Roundhouses 620 and 634. These may have been deposited by scavenging animals which disturbed bodies exposed as part of a funerary or ceremonial rite. RC: charcoal from building 500, posthole 380 UB-3233 389 +/- 42, charcoal from building 500, posthole 570 UB-3234 433 +/- 42
100bc-AD43	A small cremation cemetery contained 17 cremations varying from a scatter of cremated bone with no grave goods or contained in a single pot, to one cremation with 10 pots. Over 45 ceramic pots were recovered. Eight cremations contained grave goods including iron and bronze fibulae, bronze disc-brooches, faience and glass beads and other personal items. Cremation 4 was the richest and contained 9 pottery vessels, 5 bronze brooches, a bronze stud and nail cleaner, one iron fibula and key, and two melted glass beads. Most of the pottery vessels were distinctive Late Belgic forms. Two cremations contained Samian bowls, a flagon and Terra Rubra girth beaker. Twelve cremations contained animal bones as offerings, predominantly sheep or goat, but also some ox and pig (in two burials, a pig was cremated with the human bones). The pottery types span the first half of the 1st Century AD with some extending into the second half. Those burials within the period under review are included below (excavators' numbers): 1 an adult male in an oval pit with two fibulae, young sheep bones and a bowl, flask, cup and bowl rim in the date range 15BC - AD43 2 an adult male probably in a pit with a faience melon bead, sheep mandible and a globular beaker c10-65AD 3 an (?)adult male associated with an (?)avian (?)leg and an incomplete bowl or jar 4 an adult female(?) in a pit with five brooches, 2 glass beads, an iron lift key, a copper alloy nail cleaner, a copper alloy hollow rivet, articulated sheep bones, a cup, jar, 3 platters, a butt beaker, a bowl and another beaker some pre-Conquest, some in the 43AD-70AD range. A fairly complete cremation. 5 an adult female(?) with an ox or horse rib 7 a female unaccompanied 8 an adult male in a well defined grave with two copper alloy mounts, articulated pig and sheep bones, a cup, girth beaker, barrel jar and pedestalled bowl in the c5-50BC range. A fairly complete cremation. The other 11 were of post Conquest era.
Remains/Period	Y2 Y1
County	Buckinghamshire
Region	SE
National grid square	SP
X coordinate	827
Y coordinate	403
Bibliographic source	Williams 1985, Williams and Zeepvat 1994a/b