Monument record MLI89688 - Bronze Age cremation cemetery, Wharncliffe Farm, Ruskington

Summary

The remains of five Bronze Age cremation vessels and a possible cremation burial were found during a watching brief

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

A Bronze Age cremation cemetery discovered during a watching brief. Represented by the virtually complete bases of five large vessels, probably urns. A single rim fragment was also found. All five vessels have suffered from plough damage with only the lower wall surviving. All the the vessels are made with the same fabric, and are similar in size suggesting they were made either for a single event, or over a short period of time using an identical clay source. One of the vessels is decorated with a series of apparently random, stabbed decoration in a 'maggot' style that is frequently found on pottery of early Bronze Age date. The rim fragment is a simple, slightly everted type similar to those on beakers and food vessels, again of early Bronze Age date. However, the early dating is uncertain, as there is a lack of any other diagnostic feartures. Nevertheless there is sufficient evidence to provide a definite Bronze Age date. A sixth cremation was found nearby, but unlike the other burials, this cremation was not in an urn. Either its original container had been lost, or it was deposited straight into the ground. The first alternative is less likely as the remnants of a truncated cremation would be expected to yield pottery as well as bone. In this cremation cemetery three of the individuals were juveniles. One of the cremations was unidentifiable. Of the adults, one was probably younger than 40, and the other probably 40 - 60. None of the cremation burials contained bone from more than one individual. This indicates either that each individual was cremated on a new pyre site, or that the pyres were cleaned very thoroughly after each cremation, so that no cremated bone remained which could mingle with the next cremated individual. No pyre material, such as charcoal or burnt clay, was detected within the cremations, showing that the burnt bones had been carefully sorted from the remains of the fire. No boundary ditch or other form of demarcation of the cemetery was found. A relatively shallow ditch could have been lost to ploughing. However, there are other examples of Bronze Age cremation cemeteries in the East Midlands that lacked any associated barrows, gullies banks or structures (PRN 64421) and so it is possible that no such features existed.{1}{2}

Sources/Archives (2)

  •  Report: Network Archaeology Ltd. Apr 2003. Archaeological Evaluation, Excavation and Watching Brief on the Hatton to Silk Willoughby Gas Pipeline 2001. HAT00.
  •  Archive: Network Archaeology Ltd. Apr 2003. Archaeological Evaluation, Excavation and Watching Brief on the Hatton to Silk Willoughby Gas Pipeline 2001. LCNCC 2000.102.

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred TF 10351 51320 (55m by 50m) Approximate
Civil Parish RUSKINGTON, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

External Links (0)

Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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