Sussex Archaeological Collections 139

Excavation of a prehistoric monument in advance of its destruction by coastal erosion revealed a number of cremation pits cut into an area of natural chalk demarcated by a shallow ditch. These burials were radiocarbon dated to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. Although no evidence was found of a contemporaneous in-situ `barrow', all the burials including the partial remains of an adult male inhumation were covered with an oval-shaped cairn. This incorporated Late Bronze Age material, including struck flints and pottery, as well as Neolithic, Beaker and Early Bronze Age pottery, indicating that residual material from previous activity in the area has been incorporated into the cairn matrix. The monument seems to have retained or recaptured a position of ritual significance within the local landscape over an extended period of time. Includes

Six items dated to the ninth to eleventh centuries AD (three strap-ends, a pair of tweezers and two horse-harness fittings) were found by a metal-detectorist. Comparative evidence suggests that they may be associated with a precursor of the later medieval manorial curia of `Hamme', comprising the parish church of St Peter and the adjacent site of a medieval manorial residence. The potential of metal-detected finds as a neglected source of evidence is discussed.

Excavations revealed substantial deposits of smelting and forging slag, several ironworking hearths and associated clay floors. A variety of ironworking processes was suggested by the evidence, including ore roasting, smelting and forging/smithing. The remains of a structure, probably a smithy, was of particular interest. Archaeomagnetic dating indicates that the main period of ironworking was during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, which is broadly supported by the pottery recovered. A series of regular field boundaries to the west of the street frontage appeared to represent a planned medieval field system, probably established in the thirteenth century. Evidence of post-medieval activity, not associated with ironworking, was also found. Includes

Examines the social organization of mourning in rural communities; some discussion of the roles of wall tablets, war memorials and parish churches as sites of mourning.