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 Mill Hill A, Deal

Site number 950

Burial codes 2006 2009 2021 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2046 2051 2065 2075 2084 2091 2098 2103 2108 2111 2121 2123 2126 2128 2143 2153 2181 1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1035 1043 1047 1051 1065 1071 1075 1084 1092 1098 1104 1111 1124 1128 1129 1143 1153 1161 1181 1200

8/700bc-100bc A pit (grave 5) with a formal grave containing the single isolated crouched skeleton of a young female. This was the earliest burial on the site.

RC: HAR-8444 [440 BC +/-60]

On the edge of the northern chalk quarry was grave 112 containing the remains of an adult male of slight build accompanied by many pieces of La Tene I/II (c2nd Century BC) type iron and bronze metalwork. The grave pit was 1.73m x 0.59m x 0.18m deep and oriented SE, and 40m from the edge of a large Bronze Age ring ditch. The head was encircled by a decorated bronze head-band with a bronze cross band running over the top of the skull. Resting over the right arm was an iron sword, set within a bronze scabbard which had a finely decorated plate on the upper part. Near the top of the scabbard was a circular cast bronze suspension loop decorated with coral beads. Resting on the left shin was a small bronze brooch, also decorated with coral beads. A scatter of sheet bronze bindings and V corner bindings may have belonged to a shield made of organic material that had decayed, and which had been placed over or beside the body. The shield was incurved at the bottom rather than being round or oval.

50m to the south west of the last was an Iron Age inhumation cemetery, containing at least 28 graves. All were extended inhumations, most aligned N/S, 6 of children, and none with evidence for coffins. Several indeed were very narrow grave slots. Grave 48 had the body laid face down, grave 53 contained a horse skeleton (grave 54 may have contained the owner), grave 123 was partially surrounded by a shallow ring gulley suggesting it was originally covered by a small mound. Only a quarter of the graves yielded grave goods, none richly furnished but including brooches of La Tene II or III type (2nd and 1st Centuries BC).

100bc-AD43 There was a second Iron Age cemetery underlying one of the Anglo-Saxon cemeteries on the site (Plot B). The graves were all rather narrow, and there were few grave-goods. The only datable object was an unworn coin of Eppillus cAD10-25 in one grave. Radiocarbon dating, however, confirmed the general dating to this period.

There were four cremation burials of Belgic type. Two were disturbed, but Grave 2 produced 2 terra nigra vessels and a small coarse jar with bones of pig and chicken, and Grave 4 an imported Tiberian butt beaker, a Colchester brooch and three coarse vessels. These are indicative of a date in the first half of the 1st Century AD. The disturbed graves were also attributed to that period from coarse ware pottery they contained.

Remains/Period Y2 Y1

County Kent

Region SE

National grid square TR

X coordinate 362

Y coordinate 508

Bibliographic source Parfitt 1990a/b, 1991

Query

Site name	Mill Hill A, Deal
Site number	950
Burial codes	2006 2009 2021 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2046 2051 2065 2075 2084 2091 2098 2103 2108 2111 2121 2123 2126 2128 2143 2153 2181 1005 1009 1021 1023 1025 1028 1030 1035 1043 1047 1051 1065 1071 1075 1084 1092 1098 1104 1111 1124 1128 1129 1143 1153 1161 1181 1200
8/700bc-100bc	A pit (grave 5) with a formal grave containing the single isolated crouched skeleton of a young female. This was the earliest burial on the site. RC: HAR-8444 [440 BC +/-60] On the edge of the northern chalk quarry was grave 112 containing the remains of an adult male of slight build accompanied by many pieces of La Tene I/II (c2nd Century BC) type iron and bronze metalwork. The grave pit was 1.73m x 0.59m x 0.18m deep and oriented SE, and 40m from the edge of a large Bronze Age ring ditch. The head was encircled by a decorated bronze head-band with a bronze cross band running over the top of the skull. Resting over the right arm was an iron sword, set within a bronze scabbard which had a finely decorated plate on the upper part. Near the top of the scabbard was a circular cast bronze suspension loop decorated with coral beads. Resting on the left shin was a small bronze brooch, also decorated with coral beads. A scatter of sheet bronze bindings and V corner bindings may have belonged to a shield made of organic material that had decayed, and which had been placed over or beside the body. The shield was incurved at the bottom rather than being round or oval. 50m to the south west of the last was an Iron Age inhumation cemetery, containing at least 28 graves. All were extended inhumations, most aligned N/S, 6 of children, and none with evidence for coffins. Several indeed were very narrow grave slots. Grave 48 had the body laid face down, grave 53 contained a horse skeleton (grave 54 may have contained the owner), grave 123 was partially surrounded by a shallow ring gulley suggesting it was originally covered by a small mound. Only a quarter of the graves yielded grave goods, none richly furnished but including brooches of La Tene II or III type (2nd and 1st Centuries BC).
100bc-AD43	There was a second Iron Age cemetery underlying one of the Anglo-Saxon cemeteries on the site (Plot B). The graves were all rather narrow, and there were few grave-goods. The only datable object was an unworn coin of Eppillus cAD10-25 in one grave. Radiocarbon dating, however, confirmed the general dating to this period. There were four cremation burials of Belgic type. Two were disturbed, but Grave 2 produced 2 terra nigra vessels and a small coarse jar with bones of pig and chicken, and Grave 4 an imported Tiberian butt beaker, a Colchester brooch and three coarse vessels. These are indicative of a date in the first half of the 1st Century AD. The disturbed graves were also attributed to that period from coarse ware pottery they contained.
Remains/Period	Y2 Y1
County	Kent
Region	SE
National grid square	TR
X coordinate	362
Y coordinate	508
Bibliographic source	Parfitt 1990a/b, 1991