Probably Anglo-Saxon graves, part of N cemetery, northwest of Great Chesterford (EHER 83491)
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Summary
The creation of a track using mechanical excavator and bulldozer prior to the third phase of rescue excavation is thought to have destroyed several Anglo-Saxon graves belonging to the Northern cemetery (EHER 83475) without proper archaeological recording, and left human remains exposed on the surface. Vera Evison was prohibited from recovering these human remains from the area of the track during the third phase of rescue excavation.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TL 5010 4345 (49m by 165m) Fig. 2 and desciption on p.2 |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | GREAT CHESTERFORD, UTTLESFORD, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
A track 3ft (0.91m) deep and 21ft (6.4m) wide had been mechanically scraped for about 50 yards (45.27m) adjacent to a baulk left along the edge of the Phase II excavation. Between 7 February and 10 February, when excavation on Phase III (EEX64448) by Evison began, this track had been further bulldozed to a length of 150yds (137.25m) metres. It likely destroyed several more graves and had exposed human bone which was left on the surface. Archaeological activity was prohibited on the track, not even for the removal of the visible human remains. <1>
Other graves which were destroyed under similar circumstances in 1952 and 1953 are recorded in EHER 83486 and EHER 83490.
Sources
- <1> SEX17134 Monograph: Evison, V.I.. 1994. CBA Research Report No. 91: An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Great Chesterford, Essex.