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The Excavation of Two Barrows, One of Saxon Date, at Ford, Laverstock, near Salisbury, Wiltshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2011

Summary

Circular soil marks were shown by excavation to mark the line of the ditches of two ploughed-out barrows one of Early Bronze Age Wessex II date, the other Saxon. The grave of the Bronze Age barrow contained a cremation with a pair of bone tweezers. The ditch of the Saxon barrow was interrupted by a causeway and evidence is adduced for an external bank and a small internal mound similar to that of prehistoric disc barrows. The grave was very large and contained the skeleton of a male individual equipped with a hanging bowl containing onions and crab-apples, seax, a shield with sugar-loaf boss, two spears, a buckle, and a bone comb. The burial is of seventh-century date and the seax is of special significance because of the elaborate nature of its scabbard fittings.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1969

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References

page 98 note 1 Wilts. Arch. Mag. lix (1964), 86.

page 99 note 1 I am greatly indebted to Mr. Hunt and his father (Mr. J. W. P. Hunt) for so willingly agreeing to the subsequent excavation (in 1964). Mr. Hunt also kindly back-filled the excavation with a tractor blade.

page 99 note 2 The excavation was directed jointly by Mr. D. J. Algar and the writer. We are indebted to members of the Research Committee Group for their help with the excavation, part of which was conducted under atrocious weather conditions. Thanks are also due to Miss V. Evison for her comments on the seax, to Mrs. C. Boddington for redrawing some of the figures and to Mrs. F. de M. Vatcher for undertaking the conservation of the finds (with the exception of the seax).

page 99 note 3 History of Ancient Wilts. (1812). Map of Amesbury Station V, South District.

page 102 note 1 All the finds were presented by Mr. Hunt to Salisbury Museum and are on exhibition there.

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page 102 note 4 Medieval Archaeology, v (1961), 71Google Scholar. I am indebted to Mr. Biek for his comments and to Mr. V. R. Rickard for his X-ray examination.

page 104 note 1 Unpublished. I am grateful to Miss Evison and the Ministry of Public Building and Works for permission to mention it here in advance of the publication of the Beckford cemetery.

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page 106 note 1 I am grateful to Miss Gedye and Mr. Hodges for accepting the seax for conservation and reconstruction at the Institute of Archaeology, University of London. It was drawn by Mr. P. A. Broxton, and during its drawing Mr. Broxton was able to draw attention to certain new features bearing on the reconstruction of the scabbard.

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