The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Empingham II, Rutland

By Jane R. Timby

Report on the rescue excavations of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered during 1974/5. Full catalogue of some 150 graves - mostly of the sixth century AD - and of the jewellery, weapons and other objects found with them. Fully illustrated catalogue of the finds and a discussion of them and their significance. Numerous specialist reports.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oxbow Books
• Release date: Dec 1, 1996
• ISBN: 9781785704147

Book preview

1 The Site

1.1 Situation

The site of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery of Empingham II lies within the ecclesiastical parish of Empingham, until 1974 part of Rutland, and since in Leicestershire (Fig 1). Located in the western part of the parish, approximately 1.5km from the present village, the site is now landscaped into the Sykes Lane car-park bordering Rutland Water, a man-made reservoir. Prior to the construction of the reservoir, the site, centred on SK 936082, lay within an area of land adjacent to Sykes Spinney, south of the Empingham to Whitwell road (A 606), and approximately 0.75km north of the River Gwash. The Gwash flows eastwards to join the River Welland just beyond Stamford. The field in which the cemetery lay was known locally as Sykes field and had been in agricultural use.

Geologically the site lies on the lower Lincolnshire limestone of the Inferior Oolite series of the Jurassic period. Progressing towards the River Gwash, the underlying beds of the Lower Estuarine series, the Northampton sand and ironstone of the Inferior Oolite series, and the clay beds of the Upper Lias are exposed (OS Sheet 157, Stamford (1957)). The site lies at between 80–90m OD.

1.2 Archaeological Background

Empingham II is one of several Saxon cemeteries known in the Rutland area (Fig 2). Most were discovered by accident through quarrying, or similar earth moving activities, earlier this century, and consequently none have been published in full. Several individual finds have been published in synthetic works (eg Leeds 1945), but generally without context, or association.

Evidence of Iron Age and Romano-British occupation in the vicinity of Empingham has been found at Whitwell, where there is a mid first to mid fourth century Romano-British farmstead (Todd 1981). Traces of earlier Iron Age occupation were also identified at Whitwell. Two other smaller Romano-British farmsteads have been excavated in Empingham parish between the Saxon cemetery and the present village (Adams et al 1982, 60ff). Both date broadly from the mid second to mid fourth centuries. Empingham II cemetery itself partly overlies a series of Iron Age ditches and pits, and is bounded on one side by an early trackway, the fill of which suggests a late Iron Age, or early Roman, date. Since the cemetery appears to respect the line of this trackway it was presumably still visible, or in use, and perpetuated as a boundary in the Saxon period.

Empingham II is the second cemetery of Saxon date to be discovered in the locality. Empingham I, a small cemetery of c 14 inhumation burials, lies approximately 1km to the south-east (SK 944077), and was excavated between 1967 and 1970 (Adams et al 1982, 60). Preliminary post-excavation work indicates a chronological overlap with the earlier phase of Empingham II (P Liddle pers comm). A third, putatively Saxon, cemetery, Empingham III, has recently been identified from a series of burials cut into the top of a late Roman villa at SK 941080 (Liddle pers comm). These burials were not accompanied by grave goods and their precise dating is at present uncertain.

In addition to the cemetery evidence, observations carried out during the construction of Rutland Water identified possible Saxon occupation at three locations, although precise details and records are not available. At Sykes Spinney, to the west of the cemetery, (SK 937079), a number of houses, (perhaps 20), and occupation evidence were noted by Mr Bill Thomas. Finds include a comb and pottery. Two grübenhauser were reported at Mowmires (SK 937079), south of Empingham II, on the north bank of the River Gwash. A grübenhaus was also excavated at the site of Empingham I (SK 944077). This was recorded as a rectangular structure measuring 3.65m by 3.4m, which used part of an earlier Roman trackway as a forecourt (Adams et al 1982, 60ff). Some burials were apparently inserted into the floor of this hut.

The valley of the River Gwash appears to have been the focus of much Saxon activity. Field walking has revealed many traces in areas immediately adjacent to the river (Liddle pers comm). Two sunken feature buildings with associated occupation deposits were excavated at Tickencote (SK 985093), in advance of a pipeline (Sharman unpub). Further down the river is the Roman fort at Great Casterton, located at the point where Ermine Street crosses the Gwash. Great Casterton was apparently still occupied well into the fifth century (Grimes 1965, 12), with further potential sixth century settlement noted by Corder (Corder 1950). More recently a number of burials have been discovered during road widening, adjacent to the bank of the defences. Some 29 late Roman inhumations, 35 Saxon cremations and 15 Saxon inhumations were excavated (Grainger and Mahany unpub ms). Stamford, immediately south of Casterton, and situated in the valley of the Welland, just west of its confluence with the Gwash, was also an important post-Roman centre (Grimes 1965, 13). A number of isolated cremation urns were found last century in an area between the rivers Gwash and Welland (RCHME 1977, 2).

Figure 1: Location Map

Figure 2: Distribution of main Roman settlements and roads and Saxon Burial Sites in the Rutland Area

Key to place-names (Roman): A = Ash; GC = Great Casterton; W = Whitwell; WN = Water Newton; (Saxon) B = Baggrave; Be = Beeby; Bi = Billesdon; C = Cottesmore; G = Glaston; GP = Glen Parva; I = Ingarsby; L = Lowesby Hall; M = Medbourne; MM = Melton Mowbray; MO = Market Overton; N = Nassington; NL = North Luffenham; Q = Queniborough; RT = Rothley Temple; S = Saxby; SE = Seaton; St = Stapleford; Sy = Sysonby; T = Thurmaston; Tu Tugby; Tw = Twyford; W = Wigston

1.3 Place-name evidence

In 1086, the two manors comprising Empingham were part of the Domesday hundred of Witchley (Wiceslea), in Northamptonshire (Moger 1935, 242ff). The place-name is variously recorded as Epingeham in 1086; as Empingeham in the twelfth century and as Empingham in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The word ‘Empa’ has been interpreted as a personal name, ie the settlement of Empa. It is suggested that the name Empa may be cognate with the old high German Ampho in Amphinga, Emphinbach and that such a name might possibly be a nickname connected with the old English word ‘ampre’ meaning dock-sorrel, or the German ‘du ampre’, meaning bitter or sour (Ekwall 1962, 147).

There has been much work on the derivation of early English place-names ending in ‘ingaham’, often with little consensus. Cox (1975), in reviewing such names in the Midlands and East Anglia, regards the name Empingham as being exceptional in being a – ingham place associated with a pagan Saxon cemetery. His work suggests that in Leicestershire and Rutland names ending in ‘ingas’ or ‘inga’ are largely post-Saxon in origin and that place names ending in ‘ingaham’ appear to represent the beginnings of English settlement away from areas of earlier settlement.

The name ‘Syke’ or ‘Sike’ is often used to refer to a ditch, trench, or stream that forms a boundary (Smith 1956, 122). It is uncertain whether it was used in this context for Sykes Spinney/ Sykes field, or whether the term is of more recent origin. Few records exist for other field names in the immediate locality, and those which are known appear to have no archaeological significance.

Figure 3: Site Plan showing Cemetery and other features

1.4 Methods of Excavation and Recording

Prior to the reservoir construction work in 1974, there had been no hint of the presence of a cemetery. Consequently, the site had already been mechanically stripped before it was recognised that archaeological remains were present. The stripping exposed a large number of shallow graves many of which had accompanying grave goods (Fig 4). The archaeological investigation was a salvage operation dictated by circumstances and was not, therefore, particularly systematic. In total, 725m² was cleared (see Fig 3). Several graves were almost totally obliterated, and many skeletons had been crushed by machinery. A base-line was put across the cleared area with pegs, labelled A-I, placed at 15m intervals. The relative positions of all the graves were plotted in relation to this line which, unfortunately, was not tied in to the national grid. Upon discovery each grave was allocated a number, and all finds relating to it placed together. The exposure of the graves necessitated the rapid removal of all visible grave goods and as a consequence their actual positioning in relation to the skeletons was not always recorded. In total 133 inhumation graves, (numbered 1–132 and 201), and one cremation (135) were accounted for. In addition two further burials were excavated: one referred to as ‘Mr X’ cut into the fills of the trackway, (now Grave 133), and of uncertain date, and one referred to as ‘BSH’ (presumably ‘behind spoil-heap’), whose location is unknown but was accompanied by Saxon grave goods (now Grave 134). The 136 burials yielded a total of 155 individuals. In two cases, Graves 55 and 132, no diagnostic bone was recovered.

In 1974, Justine Bayley of the Ancient Monuments Laboratory undertook the recording of the human bone on site. One hundred and twelve skeletons were recorded in the field at this time and notes made of age at death, sex, long-bone lengths, dental pathologies and anomalies, and any obvious bony anomalies, or pathologies. From these burials all the extant dentitions were lifted. No on-site records are available for the additional burials uncovered in 1975, but most of the skeletal material from these was retained.

The graves were cleaned by hand, drawn and photographed. The drawings were undertaken using a metric grid but plotted onto imperial graph paper, at a scale c 1:8. The orientations on the individual grave drawings were not noted, nor were the positions of all the grave goods. A rough inventory of the grave goods by grave was compiled and in some cases a rough sketch made in a field notebook to show their location.

A magnetometer survey was undertaken in 1974, by Alistair Bartlett of the Ancient Monuments Laboratory. Three areas, labelled A, B and C, were looked at outside the area under excavation in an attempt to trace the features already identified, such as the trackway and ditches (see below and Fig 5).

A number of sections were cut across the trackway which bounded the south side of the cemetery. One burial, (Grave 133), was found cut into the fill. A further machine-cut section was put across a feature identified from the magnetometer survey in area A.

After archaeological work had finished on the site in 1975, one further burial, (201), was found and the finds from this recovered. Its location was not recorded.

Figure 4: View across site (source: Site archive)

1.5 Site Documentation

The records available for the site comprise photographic slides, a site plan, a grave catalogue, a set of photocopies of the burial drawings, and the finds: grave goods, pottery, animal bone and human skeletal remains. The variable quality of the preserved remains meant that not all the burials had a drawn, or photographic record. Many photographs were taken after the grave goods had been removed, and the drawings do not always record the position of these, or the orientation of the body. Little attention was given to the nature of the grave cuts, which in many cases appear to be arbitrary lines drawn around the body. No written records were made about the micro-topography of the site, or about the individual contexts of finds.

Figure 5: Location of Magnetometer Survey

The graves have been redrawn for this report using a combination of the excavator’s field drawings and photographs. Since many of the latter were oblique there have been difficulties in reconciling the two. The scales can only, therefore, be regarded as approximate, the purpose of the drawings being to show the general disposition of the limbs and the location of the grave goods where known. The reliability of the labelling on some of the finds is doubtful and it must be assumed that some mislabelling or later muddling has occurred. A few finds have lost their labels, and some appear to have been labelled from memory some time after discovery. Some attempt to correlate the finds with the photographs has been made but is not possible for all cases.

The orientation of the individual graves has been made on the basis of the orientations shown on the excavator’s main plan (scale 1:100); again, a small degree of latitude must be allowed. A number of finds withdrawn from the museum for post-excavation work, could not be located during the preparation of this report. In some cases information on missing items can be deduced from conservation records and grave catalogues. Some of the items listed on the original field inventory, but no longer identifiable amongst the finds, may be accounted for by the mislabelled, or unlabelled finds, or may have been misidentified at the time the record was made. Some finds, particularly the iron items, have suffered considerable deterioration, following their removal from the ground. Consequently several of the iron artefacts have been drawn from radiographs.

1.6 Magnetometer Survey by Alistair Bartlett, David Haddon-Reece and S T Chase

Three areas adjoining the Saxon cemetery were surveyed using a fluxgate gradiometer to detect magnetic anomalies (Fig 5). In addition to the large number of graves that had been uncovered, a ditch, and a parallel pair of ruts, which apparently form a track, ran through the site. The purpose of the survey was to find whether these features could be traced outside the area so far excavated.

Results

Area A

A strongly defined ditch 1–2m wide was identified running east-west across the survey. Two other ditches appear to branch off at the sides. The position of the fence and other disturbances made it impossible to tell whether or not the main ditch detected here joined, or formed a continuation, of the north-south ditch found in the excavations.

There was no evidence of graves except for one anomaly at 1 (Fig 5) which probably represents a hollow some 2m across. This could be a grave but is perhaps rather too substantial by the standards of those excavated. Most graves are too slight to cause significant magnetic anomalies, and only those containing ferrous grave goods would be detectable. The only anomaly with the shape characteristic of iron in this section is the small one in the ditch at 2 (Fig 5).

Area B

The broad line of the track runs clearly through this area. Alongside on the west are more intense anomalies representing apparently intermittent sections of ditch. There is a concentration of strong iron anomalies to the north of the square at 1 (Fig 5). These were located on the ground at the time of the survey. There are similar single features at 2 and 3 (Fig 5).

Area C

The track and ditch traced in B must enter this area if they are to continue but no magnetic responses were identified to them. This suggests that they rise to the surface and become too superficial to detect. There is a considerable amount of buried iron of whatever kind in this area of the survey.

Conclusions

The ditch and the track could not be followed to the south beyond B, but ditches were found in Area A to the west of the excavation. In Areas B and C there is buried iron which could indicate graves. Some especially strong examples lie at some distance from the known cemetery at the south end of Area C.

2 Pre-Saxon Features and Finds

2.1 Features

In the absence of, either an overall site plan showing all the pre-Saxon features encountered, or a site record individually identifying these features, it is almost impossible to reconstruct the pre-cemetery archaeology of the excavated area. Several features are identified, in particular pits and ditches, and these are described in relation to temporary topographic features on the site during the excavation, such as spoil-heaps, or fence lines, whose position can no longer be identified. It is clear that most of the activity was restricted to the general area of site B and around grid peg G (see Figs 3 and 5). Several finds, mostly pottery and animal bone, were recovered from these features which would broadly suggest a date in the later Iron Age, or early Roman period.

The following list of features has been deduced from the finds labels, various sketches and incomplete plans. For the purposes of this report each main identified feature has been allocated a feature (F) number.

F1 Trackway

A linear feature forming the southern boundary of the Saxon cemetery. It was sectioned in seven places, the sections loosely corresponding to the grid pegs on the base line and labelled accordingly A, B, C, E, F, G and H. Sections A-C and H were lm wide, section E 2m, section F 4m and section G 3m wide (Fig 3). The sections revealed a trackway c 3.5m wide with sloping sides and with two cart ruts in the bottom. The ruts appear to be approximately 1.5m apart. The depth of the fill from the machine-cleared level was 0.75m. At section H, the upper fill consisted of a light brown soil, with small pieces of limestone. The thinner lower fill comprised a sandy silt.

Finds of pottery and bone, apparently from the trackway fill, suggest a late Iron-Age/early Roman date. Presumably the continued existence of the trackway into the Saxon period suggests the upper levels of silting, with its concomitant debris, had been removed, either prior to, or during the construction work.

Cut into the upper fill of the track at section E was a burial aligned roughly north-west/south-east along the track (Grave 133). Photographs of this burial (see Fig 6), an adult male aged 18–20 years, suggest that the grave was cut into the fill from an unknown level. It probably post-dates the main use of the cemetery.

F2 Ditch

Approximately 3.5m south of F1, part of a ditch was revealed and a length of c 9m investigated. The ditch appears to run parallel to the trackway F1. It was approximately lm wide across the top. Finds of animal bone and pottery similar to F1 were recovered.

Figure 6: Trackway F1 showing Grave 133 (Source: Site archive)

Figure 7: Sections across Iron Age features: a) Section across Grave 113 and underlying ditch F3; b) Machine-cut section through F8

F3 Ditch

A 16m curvi-linear length of ditch was planned underlying part of the cemetery (Fig 3), c 1.5m north of trackway F1. It was cut by Graves 1, 2, 88 and 113. A section through F3 at the point where Grave 113 was cut into it (Fig 7a) shows a 1m wide feature 0.5m below the machine cleared level. The upper fill comprised a dark loam with limestone above a stony lower fill.

F4 Hearth

A hearth with an associated scatter of burnt stone and charcoal was noted on the upper fill of trackway F1, 4m south and 2.5m east of Peg G. Pottery found nearby was of late Iron Age date, similar to that from the fill of the trackway.

F5 Pit

A pit was identified in the west face of section G on the south side of trackway F1. The relationship of this pit with F1 is not known. Pottery finds are similar material to F1.

F6 Oval Pit by cobbled area

Location not known. The pottery again suggests a late Iron Age date for the fill.

F7 Pit

Pit located near Peg A. Exact position not known. No details recorded.

F8 Linear feature

A machine-cut section was put through a linear feature identified by the magnetometer survey in Area A (see Fig 5). The section (Fig 7b) revealed a shallow cut c 5m wide and 0.5m deep. The fill is described as a clayey subsoil over silt with concentrations of charcoal at the base. Scraps of animal bone and charcoal were noted. The width and general shallowness of F8 suggest that it may have been part of a trackway, either similar to, or a continuation of F1.

F9 Pit?

A pit was noted in the west face of the trackway section by Peg H. One sherd of Iron Age pot was recovered.

F10 Pit 1

Location not known. Sherds of both Iron Age and Roman pottery were recovered.

F11 Site B, Pit 2

Location not known. Iron Age pottery present.

2.2 Finds: The Pottery

Introduction

A small assemblage of pottery was collected from the site dating from the later Iron Age to early Saxon periods, with a single medieval sherd. Several sherds were recovered from the graves, either from the fills, or in apparent association with the burial. Unfortunately, many of the recorded sherds are currently missing, but the extant material shows much of the grave material to be either late Iron Age/early Roman, or Saxon. The former was presumably derived from the disturbance of the underlying features during grave digging, and is thus redeposited. In addition to the pre-Roman material derived from the graves, a small amount of pottery was recovered from the pre-Saxon features, in particular the trackway. The sherds were sorted into fabric types and the featured pieces illustrated (Fig 8). The following section briefly describes the fabrics and forms and the contexts in which they occurred. The numbers in brackets indicate the quantity of sherds.

Iron Age wares

Fabric A: a reddish-brown to black ware with a dark grey-black interior and inner core. The fairly soft paste contains a moderate to dense frequency of coarse fossil shell, up to 1.5mm across in size.

Forms: handmade jars with heavily scored exterior surfaces. Also slightly thinner-walled plain vessels (Fig 8.1–5).

Contexts: from surface of the natural limestone [2]; trackway F1, in fills of east and west ruts [45]; hearth F4 [14]; pit ?F5 [1]; pit F6 [24]; pit F7 [7] ?pit F9 [1]; pit F10 [8]; grave 56 [1]; grave 119 [1]; unstratified [53].

Fabric B: orange-brown ware with a black core. The paste contains sparse fine limestone and fine quartz sand.

Forms: handmade vessels including a jar with a short everted rim and burnished surface (Fig 8.7), and a bowl decorated with a curvi-linear design (Fig 8.6). Some bodysherds show heavily scored surfaces.

Contexts: trackway F1 [6]; pit ?F5 [1]; pit F6 [5]; pit F11 [1]; unstratified [6].

Fabric C: similar to fabric A but with markedly less fossil shell. Sparse fragments only.

Forms: handmade, no featured sherds.

Contexts: Grave 22 [1]; unstratified [1].

Fabric D: dark brown or black, slightly soapy ware. The fabric contains a mixture of limestone, fossil shell and grog/clay pellets. Forms: handmade jars with squared, or slightly everted, rims (Fig 8.8,9).

Contexts: trackway F1 [1]; Pit F6 upper fill [1]; unstratified [4].

Figure 8: Selection of Iron Age and Roman pottery

Fabric E: grog tempered ware.

Forms: handmade closed vessels, some sherds with a scored surface.

Contexts: pit F6 [1]; pit F11 [15]; Grave 127 [1]; unstratified [5].

Fabric F: dense limestone-tempered ware.

Form: handmade closed vessel.

Context: Site B [1].

Comment

The Iron Age assemblage was dominated by fabric A, which showed particularly high concentrations in the lower fills of the trackway, and in a number of pits. Fabrics B, C, D and E appeared in lesser numbers, but in association with fabric A suggesting a certain degree of contemporaneity. The range of fabrics and forms matches closely with that recovered from the nearby site at Whitwell (Todd 1981, 23, fig 12) thought to date to the later Iron Age.

Roman wares

The majority of the Roman wares recovered were surface finds. Most sherds were very abraded emphasising the probability that they are residual. These are summarised below according to general findspot.

Surface finds

Grey and black sandy wares including a rim from a necked cordoned jar; a rim from a beaded rim flagon in a pinkish-white sandy ware; a bodysherd from a grey sandy ware rusticated beaker and other various wheelmade sandy wares. Total 12 sherds.

From the upper fill of the trackway F1: one sherd of Nene Valley colour-coated ware; two sherds of grey sandy ware and a basesherd from a pedestalled beaker.

Hearth F4: one pink sandy wheelmade ware.

Pit ?F5: two bodysherds, fine, black, wheelmade sandy wares.

Large recut ditch, F3: straight-sided dish with a beaded rim and flat base. Moderately soft black ware with a shell temper. Handmade/ wheel finished? (Fig 8.10).

The Roman wares do not suggest any direct continuity with the preceding later Iron Age. Later first and second to third century types are present.

2.3 Other Finds

Fig 119.5. Copper alloy finger ring. Plain sub-rectangular section with a rounded, diamond-shaped plain bezel. Probably Roman. The exact find location is unknown. It is possible that it may have in fact come from a disturbed burial and thus represents the re-use of a Roman item.

2.4 Animal Bone by Sheila Hamilton-Dyer

Introduction

The methods used for identification and recording were based on the FRU (Faunal Remains Unit, Southampton) method 86 system, with some modifications. Identifications were made using modern comparative collections. Measurements follow von den Driesch (1976), and withers heights of the domestic ungulates are based on von den Driesch and Boessneck (1974). Archive material includes metrical and other data not presented here.

Results

A total of 233 fragments were available for analysis, many severely affected by modern damage. Where possible