An Osteological Analysis and Social Investigation of the Cremation Rite at the Cemeteries of Elsham and Cleatham, North Lincolnshire: PhD Thesis, University of Sheffield (2011)
Kirsty Squires, 2015. https://doi.org/10.5284/1029431. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Dr Kirsty Squires unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
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- ADS Collection: 1902
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1029431
- How to cite using this DOI
Overview
Elsham
Between 1975 and 1976 the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery located at Elsham (National Grid Reference: TA046125) in North Lincolnshire was excavated in advance of road construction. Over 569 cremation and nine inhumation burials were identified and recovered over the course of the excavation. The aim of this archaeological investigation was two-fold. Firstly, to establish the relationship between the cemetery and nearby Roman road and ditches and secondly, to produce a chronological sequence for the development of the cemetery. Unfortunately, the amount of published information about the cemetery is scant and a site report detailing the excavations, skeletal remains and artefactual evidence is yet to be published.
Cleatham
The Cleatham cemetery (National Grid Reference: SE932008), situated in the parish of Manton in North Lincolnshire, was excavated between 1984 and 1989. It is the third largest cremation cemetery from early Anglo-Saxon England. A total of 62 inhumation burials and 1204 cinerary urns were initially identified, although only 979 deposits of cremated bone were recorded from this site. In 2007, Kevin Leahy published a detailed site report (and accompanying ADS data resource) focusing on the cinerary urns and associated finds from the Cleatham cemetery. The primary aim of this study was to describe and classify the urns and associated finds. The skeletal remains from the 62 inhumation burials were analysed by Betina Jakob in 1999 and a summary of her findings can be found in Leahy's (2007) report. However the cremated bone remained unstudied.
