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 Shrewton 5k, Net Down

Site number 487

Burial codes 4005 4009 4022 4023 4025 4028 4030 4035 4037 4043 4047 4051 4053 4065 4071 4073 4075 4084 4093 4094 4098 4103 4104 4105 4111 4112 4123 4124 4128 4129 4143 4152 4153 4161 4181 3001 3005 3022 3023 3025 3028 3030 3035 3041 3048 3051 3065 3075 3085 3092 3098 3101 3111 3112 3128 3143 3153 3181

2500bc-14/1300bc A bowl barrow with a central inhumation in a bottle shaped pit (Pit 1) dug 2.25m deep in the chalk. An adult male was contracted on his left side, oriented NNE, with signs of recovery from trephination of the left parietal bone, holding in his hands a Beaker of Clarke's second stage of northern Beakers. On two chalk pebbles between the chest and arm was a small copper dagger wrapped in moss covered in a cloth. Exceptionally large chalk blocks surrounded the body, and a mound of chalk dust, fine rubble and loam covered body and blocks, chalk rubble filling the rest of the pit. Pit 1 contained an inscribed panel on the east side c1.5m from the floor, comprising sets of close-set lines and wider pairs, crossing each other, the whole panel being 18cm x 15cm, a deliberately smoothed surface being prepared for the work. Pit 1 could have been originally a flat grave burial, the other pits following on and the mound built afterwards.

Cut directly into the top of the rubble filling of Pit 1 was rectangular Pit 2, 0.8m x 2m x 1m deep, containing the body of a young male, contracted on the left side, and oriented S with a Beaker of Clarke's late southern group behind the heels. The pit fill was turf capped with chalk rubble and earth.

Pit 4 contained an interment of a young female contracted on the left side, without grave goods, oriented NW, with infill as Pit 1 and possibly contemporary.

Pit 5 may also have been contemporary with Pit 1 and contained the inhumation of a young female in supine position, thighs raised at 45o to the horizontal and the upper leg bones severed above the distal condoyles which with patellae and lower legs were missing: mutilation had taken place after death.

Pits 6, 7 and 8 contained unfurnished cremation burials of possibly young males, and Pit 9 contained an adult male cremation with sherds of a Bucket urn (see below). All these pits were cut through the mound. Pit 3 contained two further burials of (?Iron Age or) Saxon date set into the mound at a late date, above Pit 1.

14/1300bc-8/700bc Pit 9 contained an adult male cremation with sherds of a bucket urn.

Remains/Period Y4 Y3

County Wiltshire

Region S

National grid square SU

X coordinate 89

Y coordinate 449

Bibliographic source Green and Rollo-Smith 1984

Query

Site name	Shrewton 5k, Net Down
Site number	487
Burial codes	4005 4009 4022 4023 4025 4028 4030 4035 4037 4043 4047 4051 4053 4065 4071 4073 4075 4084 4093 4094 4098 4103 4104 4105 4111 4112 4123 4124 4128 4129 4143 4152 4153 4161 4181 3001 3005 3022 3023 3025 3028 3030 3035 3041 3048 3051 3065 3075 3085 3092 3098 3101 3111 3112 3128 3143 3153 3181
2500bc-14/1300bc	A bowl barrow with a central inhumation in a bottle shaped pit (Pit 1) dug 2.25m deep in the chalk. An adult male was contracted on his left side, oriented NNE, with signs of recovery from trephination of the left parietal bone, holding in his hands a Beaker of Clarke's second stage of northern Beakers. On two chalk pebbles between the chest and arm was a small copper dagger wrapped in moss covered in a cloth. Exceptionally large chalk blocks surrounded the body, and a mound of chalk dust, fine rubble and loam covered body and blocks, chalk rubble filling the rest of the pit. Pit 1 contained an inscribed panel on the east side c1.5m from the floor, comprising sets of close-set lines and wider pairs, crossing each other, the whole panel being 18cm x 15cm, a deliberately smoothed surface being prepared for the work. Pit 1 could have been originally a flat grave burial, the other pits following on and the mound built afterwards. Cut directly into the top of the rubble filling of Pit 1 was rectangular Pit 2, 0.8m x 2m x 1m deep, containing the body of a young male, contracted on the left side, and oriented S with a Beaker of Clarke's late southern group behind the heels. The pit fill was turf capped with chalk rubble and earth. Pit 4 contained an interment of a young female contracted on the left side, without grave goods, oriented NW, with infill as Pit 1 and possibly contemporary. Pit 5 may also have been contemporary with Pit 1 and contained the inhumation of a young female in supine position, thighs raised at 45o to the horizontal and the upper leg bones severed above the distal condoyles which with patellae and lower legs were missing: mutilation had taken place after death. Pits 6, 7 and 8 contained unfurnished cremation burials of possibly young males, and Pit 9 contained an adult male cremation with sherds of a Bucket urn (see below). All these pits were cut through the mound. Pit 3 contained two further burials of (?Iron Age or) Saxon date set into the mound at a late date, above Pit 1.
14/1300bc-8/700bc	Pit 9 contained an adult male cremation with sherds of a bucket urn.
Remains/Period	Y4 Y3
County	Wiltshire
Region	S
National grid square	SU
X coordinate	89
Y coordinate	449
Bibliographic source	Green and Rollo-Smith 1984