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 Whitcombe

Site number 865

Burial codes 1003 1004 1009 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1042 1046 1051 1053 1065 1071 1072 1073 1074 1084 1092 1098 1103 1104 1105 1107 1109 1110 1111 1121 1122 1123 1125 1128 1131 1143 1153 1171 1181

100bc-AD43 A Later Iron Age and Romano-British settlement site contained a small burial ground with 12 inhumations, several associated with typical Durotrigian grave goods, and one young adult was buried with a full set of warrior equipment. The graves were oval or rectangular where the shape could be determined. One of the 12 inhumations was very late 1st Century AD, but Numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 contained Durotrigian burials, and Number 9 had a brooch datable to the first half of the 1st Century AD. There were also 8 human foetal/neonates recovered. All burials are from Area A of the site.

No 1 was the skeleton of an adult female c25-30 lying prone, prone, legs to the left, oriented SW, and having in association a fragment of immature pig jaw by the left shoulder.

No 2 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30 contracted on the right side, oriented NE, and accompanied by 2 Durotrigian pottery vessels (a jar and a bowl), one by the right shoulder, the other by the pelvis. There were (?) sheep or goat rib fragments by the head.

No 3 was the skeleton of an adult female c25-30 lying contracted on the right side, oriented W, accompanied by an annular bead of amber glass, the left half of a pig's skull and a horse (?) jaw fragment by the skull.

No 4 was the skeleton of an adult (?)male c40-50 contracted on the right side, oriented ESE, associated with 2 Durotrigian pottery vessels (a jar and a bowl), bones of immature domestic fowl and the thoracic region of immature sheep or goat by the right hand.

No 5 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30 contracted on the right side, oriented E, with unidentified bones by the right hand. Stones on and around the grave may have protected it.

No 6 was the skeleton of an adult male c20-25, flexed on the right side, oriented NE, accompanied by two Durotrigian bowls and the left forelimb of an immature sheep or goat across the right leg.

No 7 was as the skeleton of an adult male c25-30, contracted on the right side, oriented NE, but accompanied by an iron bracelet on the left wrist.

[No 8 was very late 1st Century AD, dated by Samian pottery made cAD70-85].

No 9 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30, lying supine, crouched on the right side in a shallow earth grave, oriented E, and accompanied by nine individual items: an iron sword in a wooden scabbard to the right side and resting across the right knee, 2 iron suspension rings on either side of the sword, an iron spearhead lying on the chest, an iron hammer head, an iron file, a pseudo-La Tene II brooch by the right shoulder, a bronze belt hook over the right shoulder, a copper alloy strip, and a circular chalk spindle whorl with a round perforation. [Wait dates the sword to the 2nd Century BC]. Compare Owslebury, Site 167.

Nos 10 and 11 were two (?)adult skeletons lying close together, oriented NE, supine, flexed. legs to right, one with cattle bone on the torso, but disturbed by ploughing.

No 12 was the skeleton of an (?)adult lying contracted on the right side, oriented NE, but severely disturbed by ploughing. It may have been set in Pit 5 or in a grave dug into that Pit.

Foetal/neonate burials: eight of these were found of this period, but only one occurred in a clearly defined depression. Four were recovered from pits (2 from Pit 2, 1 from Pit 5 and 1 from Pit 10), two were beside burial 4 (one of them in a shallow grave), and the other infant bones were disturbed and found beside Ditch 1.

Pit 1 contained a horse skull and Burials 1, 2 and 3 were equidistant from it. Pit 2 contained an articulated dog skeleton as well as the two infant burials. In general the Pits only contained Late Iron Age pottery.

Remains/Period Y1

County Dorset

Region S

National grid square SY

X coordinate 711

Y coordinate 810

Bibliographic source Aitken 1965, 1966, 1967, RCHM 1970, Collis 1972, Whimster 1981, Wait 1985, Aitken and Aitken 1991

Query

Site name	Whitcombe
Site number	865
Burial codes	1003 1004 1009 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1042 1046 1051 1053 1065 1071 1072 1073 1074 1084 1092 1098 1103 1104 1105 1107 1109 1110 1111 1121 1122 1123 1125 1128 1131 1143 1153 1171 1181
100bc-AD43	A Later Iron Age and Romano-British settlement site contained a small burial ground with 12 inhumations, several associated with typical Durotrigian grave goods, and one young adult was buried with a full set of warrior equipment. The graves were oval or rectangular where the shape could be determined. One of the 12 inhumations was very late 1st Century AD, but Numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 contained Durotrigian burials, and Number 9 had a brooch datable to the first half of the 1st Century AD. There were also 8 human foetal/neonates recovered. All burials are from Area A of the site. No 1 was the skeleton of an adult female c25-30 lying prone, prone, legs to the left, oriented SW, and having in association a fragment of immature pig jaw by the left shoulder. No 2 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30 contracted on the right side, oriented NE, and accompanied by 2 Durotrigian pottery vessels (a jar and a bowl), one by the right shoulder, the other by the pelvis. There were (?) sheep or goat rib fragments by the head. No 3 was the skeleton of an adult female c25-30 lying contracted on the right side, oriented W, accompanied by an annular bead of amber glass, the left half of a pig's skull and a horse (?) jaw fragment by the skull. No 4 was the skeleton of an adult (?)male c40-50 contracted on the right side, oriented ESE, associated with 2 Durotrigian pottery vessels (a jar and a bowl), bones of immature domestic fowl and the thoracic region of immature sheep or goat by the right hand. No 5 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30 contracted on the right side, oriented E, with unidentified bones by the right hand. Stones on and around the grave may have protected it. No 6 was the skeleton of an adult male c20-25, flexed on the right side, oriented NE, accompanied by two Durotrigian bowls and the left forelimb of an immature sheep or goat across the right leg. No 7 was as the skeleton of an adult male c25-30, contracted on the right side, oriented NE, but accompanied by an iron bracelet on the left wrist. [No 8 was very late 1st Century AD, dated by Samian pottery made cAD70-85]. No 9 was the skeleton of an adult male c25-30, lying supine, crouched on the right side in a shallow earth grave, oriented E, and accompanied by nine individual items: an iron sword in a wooden scabbard to the right side and resting across the right knee, 2 iron suspension rings on either side of the sword, an iron spearhead lying on the chest, an iron hammer head, an iron file, a pseudo-La Tene II brooch by the right shoulder, a bronze belt hook over the right shoulder, a copper alloy strip, and a circular chalk spindle whorl with a round perforation. [Wait dates the sword to the 2nd Century BC]. Compare Owslebury, Site 167. Nos 10 and 11 were two (?)adult skeletons lying close together, oriented NE, supine, flexed. legs to right, one with cattle bone on the torso, but disturbed by ploughing. No 12 was the skeleton of an (?)adult lying contracted on the right side, oriented NE, but severely disturbed by ploughing. It may have been set in Pit 5 or in a grave dug into that Pit. Foetal/neonate burials: eight of these were found of this period, but only one occurred in a clearly defined depression. Four were recovered from pits (2 from Pit 2, 1 from Pit 5 and 1 from Pit 10), two were beside burial 4 (one of them in a shallow grave), and the other infant bones were disturbed and found beside Ditch 1. Pit 1 contained a horse skull and Burials 1, 2 and 3 were equidistant from it. Pit 2 contained an articulated dog skeleton as well as the two infant burials. In general the Pits only contained Late Iron Age pottery.
Remains/Period	Y1
County	Dorset
Region	S
National grid square	SY
X coordinate	711
Y coordinate	810
Bibliographic source	Aitken 1965, 1966, 1967, RCHM 1970, Collis 1972, Whimster 1981, Wait 1985, Aitken and Aitken 1991