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 Sewell Quarry, Maiden Bower

Site number 924

Burial codes 4005 4009 4021 4023 4026 4028 4030 4035 4043 4048 4051 4065 4071 4072 4084 4091 4098 4101 4104 4106 4111 4121 4122 4128 4129 4143 4153 4168 4181

2500bc-14/1300bc 2500-14/1300: A primary burial had been placed in a round pit c1.83m in diameter sunk 0.76m into the chalk. The body was that of a robust adult male c20-30 placed supine, head to N, crouched, and the posture suggested binding at the time of burial. The pit fill was clean chalk. At the feet was a Beaker of the northern British or Wessex/Middle Rhine type. A bone toggle was on the sternum, a stone bracer was just above the left wrist, and a spiral headed bronze pin (originally double headed) was immediately alongside the middle of the left humerus. A fibrous brown stain lay underneath the pin and the bracer.

There was a secondary inhumation of a male adult c20-30, probably inserted into a mound covering the primary burial, its pit cutting the first grave fill. The body was placed on its left side, head to ENE, crouched, without grave goods. There were few scraps of a cremation burial near the pelvis, but these were not identifiable except as human.

Remains/Period Y4

County Bedfordshire

Region SE

National grid square SP

X coordinate 996

Y coordinate 224

Bibliographic source Matthews 1976

Query

Site name	Sewell Quarry, Maiden Bower
Site number	924
Burial codes	4005 4009 4021 4023 4026 4028 4030 4035 4043 4048 4051 4065 4071 4072 4084 4091 4098 4101 4104 4106 4111 4121 4122 4128 4129 4143 4153 4168 4181
2500bc-14/1300bc	2500-14/1300: A primary burial had been placed in a round pit c1.83m in diameter sunk 0.76m into the chalk. The body was that of a robust adult male c20-30 placed supine, head to N, crouched, and the posture suggested binding at the time of burial. The pit fill was clean chalk. At the feet was a Beaker of the northern British or Wessex/Middle Rhine type. A bone toggle was on the sternum, a stone bracer was just above the left wrist, and a spiral headed bronze pin (originally double headed) was immediately alongside the middle of the left humerus. A fibrous brown stain lay underneath the pin and the bracer. There was a secondary inhumation of a male adult c20-30, probably inserted into a mound covering the primary burial, its pit cutting the first grave fill. The body was placed on its left side, head to ENE, crouched, without grave goods. There were few scraps of a cremation burial near the pelvis, but these were not identifiable except as human.
Remains/Period	Y4
County	Bedfordshire
Region	SE
National grid square	SP
X coordinate	996
Y coordinate	224
Bibliographic source	Matthews 1976