Monument record 1511400000 - Field south of Ellesborough Road

Geophysical survey carried out in March 2018 by Magnitude Surveys in advance of groundworks for HS2 failed to identify any archaeological anomalies (B1).
Evaluation trial trenching by INFRA in March 2019 identified 19 probable grave cuts in Trenches 11, 12, 18 and 19. Human bone was visible in the upper fills of 5 of these and grave goods (an iron spearhead, a bronze bracelet or brooch and a pottery bowl) were present in at least 3. The burials and grave goods were retained in-situ and were not excavated. The graves were orientated north-south and east-west; graves orientated north-south with the head at the southern end, appeared not to contain grave goods, whereas those orientated east-west with the heads positioned at the west end, appeared to contain grave goods. On-site spot dating of the grave goods suggested a possible Anglo-Saxon date. The presence of two different orientations of the inhumations suggest a multi-period burial ground, a change in burial practices within the same period or within the same community, or possibly different family groups. See report for detail (B2).
Two unstratified brooch fragments found during metal detecting survey (B3)