NHER 62327 (Monument record) - Middle Saxon cemetery

April 2016. Excavation.
Excavation in advance of groundworks revealed the remains of an extensive Middle Saxon cemetery and a timber structure interpreted as a possible church or chapel.
The water-logged conditions on site allowed for exceptional preservation of 81 coffins and 6 plank-lined graves. The coffins were made of oak trees split lengthwise and hollowed out so that the body could be placed in the lower half and the upper half could be used to form a lid. Similar examples are known from Early Bronze Age and early medieval sites in Europe and British examples are mentioned in 19th-century antiquarian reports, but these are the first in Britain to be excavated and recorded by modern archaeological methods. The plank-lined graves are also unusual, and are believed to be the earliest known examples in Britain.
The presence of wooden grave markers, the east-west alignment of the coffins, and an apparent lack of grave goods all support the interpretation of the site as an early Christian burial ground and has also led the excavators to identify a timber structure excavated at the site to be an early church or chapel.
Post-excavation analysis of the excavated remains will include radiocarbon dating, DNA sampling, stable isotope analysis, and dental calculus analysis.
Information from (S1).
H. Hamilton (HES), 25 August 2017.

See NHER 61747 for details of finds recovered during metal-detecting that took place at this location following the completion of the excavation. These objects include a number of Middle Saxon silver sceattas, a Middle/Late Saxon silver pin and a Late Saxon Anglo-Scandinavian Trefoil brooch.
P. Watkins (HES), 23 February 2023.

2022. Dendrochronological Survey.
Dendrochronological analysis of preserved timbers recovered during excavation.
This study saw the analysis of samples taken from a range of the coffin logs and coffin boards, along with three structural timbers – all of which were oak. Eleven coffin boards from three burials cross-matched and it was possible to date this combined sequence, with the latest heartwood end dates giving terminus post quem dates of AD 717, AD 731 and AD 737. A pair of log timbers were also cross-matched with each other but could not be dated conclusively when compared to reference sequences. The remaining samples were all undated.
See report (S2) for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 August 2025.