Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Site name Latch Farm, Christchurch
Site number 826
Burial codes 4005 4009 4022 4023 4025 4028 4030 4035 4041 4048 4051 4053 4065 4075 4084 4098 4104 4108 4111 4122 4124 4128 4143 4152 4153 4161 4162 4167 4181 3002 3005 3022 3023 3025 3028 3030 3035 3041 3048 3051 3153 3065 3075 3081 3083 3092 3098 3104 3111 3128 3129 3143 3152 3153 3161 3173 3181
2500bc-14/1300bc A bell barrow set on the old turf line, and a mound of earth and sand with a capping of gravel from the ditch. The first phase was the central digging of three pits through the old turf line and loam into gravel. Pit 1 was dug and immediately refilled with turf and gravel interleaved, measuring 2.1m x 2.4m x 1.25m deep. Pit 2 was smaller and shallower, and on a ledge on the south east side was placed a tripartite cinerary urn containing a cremation of two children. The whole pit was filled with turves. One used flake was found in association. Pit 3 was oval and close to Pit 2, 0.6m x 0.9m x 0.45m deep. An oak coffin was set closely into the pit and a cremation placed in it and packed around with loam and gravel. The cremation was clean, compact, and untarnished by surrounding soil, probably inserted in a bag. A bronze awl was found with the bones.

The pre-barrow turf line produced an A Beaker fragment.
14/1300bc-8/700bc The south half of the barrow including the berm and ditch was used as an urnfield and for deposits of simple cremations. There were 90 burials, of which 70 were with urns some of which were accompanied by small food or accessory vessels. Some urns were covered by capstones, in one case deliberately shaped to fit the mouth. Capstones were set flush with the turf line. Many urns were deposited along the inner lip of the ditch. The urns were all of Deverel-Rimbury type (barrel and bucket) bar one (No 81), a collared urn of Middle Bronze Age type. Many of the large number of accessory vessels showed signs of re-firing, suggesting that they were placed in or thrown into the cremation pyre when alight.

A large decorated tripartite urn was found c9m north north west of the barrow, inverted over a cremation.
Remains/Period Y4 Y3
County Dorset
Region S
National grid square SZ
X coordinate 150
Y coordinate 940
Bibliographic source Piggott 1938a, Calkin 1962


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004