Roman-medieval cemetery to the south-east of Great Chesterford Roman town, 'South-Eastern cemetery', Great Chesterford (EHER 83504)

The south-eastern cemetery area comprises a number of scattered inhumations from within the area of the southeastern extra-mural settlement and the Second Walled Enclosure, as well as a small group of probable Saxon burials from the vicinity of the later church.

The south-eastern cemetery area comprises a number of scattered inhumations from within the area of the southeastern extra-mural settlement and the Second Walled Enclosure, as well as a small group of probable Saxon burials from the vicinity of the later church. <1> This record draws together the archaeological evidence for a Roman cemetery to the south-east of the town, in chronological order of discovery. It also provides links to relevant records where you can find more information on each discovery. In 1785, at least three (and possibly four) stone coffins were found by labourers digging for gravel in the garden of Mill House. The coffins contained human remains, and Roman artefacts such as coins were also found at this site. See EHER 16398. In 1853-1854, Hon. R.C. Neville (Lord Braybrooke) excavated two graves containing the remains of four human skeletons and an ironwork finds assemblage. See EHER 4951. In 1948, E. Searle recovered an Anglo-Saxon burial while grave-digging. The grave goods were analysed in 1971 by A.E. Collins. See EHER 83320. In 1968, work on a sewerage scheme recorded two undated inhumations at Amberley Cottage, Manor Lane. See EHER 83498. In 1969, continued sewerage work recorded another five undated inhumations on the opposite side of the road. See EHER 83499. In 1972, an undated inhumation was encountered during building work in the cellar of the Crown and Thistle public house. See EHER 83500. Together, these eight inhumations have been interpreted for evidence of a possibly medieval cemetery around the site of the medieval St John’s Cross. See EHER 4976 for more detail. In 1986, a watching brief recorded a pit containing oyster shell, bones and pottery sherds, and the partial remains of a female skeleton. See EHER 83311. In 1993, trial trenching at the site of the Old Swaine Adeney factory recorded the skeleton of a young person lying face down with the right forearm under the body, and the pelvis and legs missing. Fragments of the skull were found over 1m away, and the burial was screened with a line of large flints. See EHER 13748. In November 2019, or in 2020, police were called to a report of human remains recovered during the digging of a pipe trench. The remains are thought to be from an articulated skeleton and possibly Roman in date. See EHER 83502. A Roman burial is recorded by A.E. Collins at the site of the new vicarage but the year of discovery and further details are not known. See EHER 13923. Note: The mapped extent of this cemetery is loosely based on the figure in source <2> and has been determined by the mapped location of the above records, for which it provides a bounding outline. It does not reflect a definitive maximum extent of the cemetery, but rather it aims to provide a broad grouping of funerary activity to the east of the town. It is an interpretation of the available, sometimes uncertain, evidence. Given the burials described seem to date to several periods, the evidence may represent more than one cemetery. A more thorough understanding of the character of the cemetery/cemeteries would benefit from more refined dating material, which for the above records, was not always recorded when the discoveries were made.