Saxon settlement and cemetery at Bonhunt Farm (EHER 185)

Excavations near Bonhunt Farm have located a settlement occupied mainly in the Middle Saxon period (6th to early 7th centuries), the site reoccupied in the Saxo-Norman period. At least 24 buildings were assigned to the Middle Saxon period, 3 to the Saxo-Norman period. The mid Saxon phase also included large quantities of cattle bones, possibly a collection point for animals given as tax in kind. Several burials predating the nearby St Helen's Chapel were also identified. The latest dateable feature on the site was a 13th century ditch.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 185 and 186. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: 1967-1968. Field survey and excavation. Middle Saxon settlement discovered in 1967 by a local archaeologist, Bari Hooper, after the ploughing of a pasture field adjacent to St Helen's Chapel which revealed handmade sand-tempered pottery belonging to the 6th or early 7th century. In the following year Mr Hooper excavated 49 inhumations around the chapel and bulldozing nearby revealed further Anglo-Saxon pottery associated with possible hut structures. 5th century grass-tempered wares which were collected from the disturbed surface. <1> - <6> 1971-1973. Excavations. Excavations for the then Ministry of Public Building and Works from 1971 to 1973 by K. Wade and A. Rogerson revealed evidence of at least 28 structures of Middle Saxon date. They vary in floor space from 36 to 130 square metres and in their technique of construction. Three types are present: individual post hole construction, individual post holes with short lengths of foundation trench and the continuous foundation trench. Successive settlement boundaries indicate at least two phases of activity. A channel running across the bottom of the site into which the boundary ditches drained and which itself drained into a stream-possible leet for a water mill, although no trace of a structure was found. Other features included 2 wells. The largest hall contained the only hearth found on the site. Some of the buildings were workshops, barns or byres, a single nine-post structure is almost certainly a granary or hayloft. Pottery included grass-tempered ware, proto St Neots' ware, Ipswich ware, and imported continental wares. Metal objects included iron heckle, keys, pins, knives. Weaving artefacts included bone thread pickers, spindle whorls of bone, clay and stone, and loom weights of fired clay. Animal bones include those of cattle, pig and sheep and fowl, geese, ducks, doves and peacock. Environmental samples produced remains of bread wheat, oats, barley, peas and beans. Timbers from one of the wells gave a radio-carbon date of AD830+ or-50 years. Following the Middle Saxon settlement there appears to have been a break in occupation until the 11th century, although a boundary slot contained an iron knife inlaid with gold dated to the 10th century. <5> - <11> February 1975. Field survey. Excavation of the site, which have now been completed, revealed extensive Anglo-Saxon occupation and burials centred surrounding but pre-dating St Helen's Chapel. An excavation report is pending. No evidence of the settlement remains on the surface. <12> <13> 1993. Geophysical survey. A geophysical survey encompassing an area some 195m long between 'The Farthings' and the green lane on the western side of the M11 motorway was undertaken in 1993 by ECC. The survey comprised a magnetic susceptibility survey and a magnetometer survey and showed the ground to be extremely disturbed, thought to be due to the presence of Saxon occupation remains below inhumations associated with St Helen's Chapel. <14> May 1993. Trial trenching. In May 1993 the Field Archaeology Group of Essex County Council was commissioned by W.S. Atkins on behalf of the Dept. of Transport, to undertake an investigation at north-east of Bonhunt House as part of the Stage II Archaeological Assessment of the proposed widening of the M11 between junctions 8 and 9. The assessment uncovered the remains of 51 individuals; all aligned roughly west-east and laid in extended supine attitude, with head to the west. Six trenches north-east of Bonhunt House, to the west of the M11 revealed inhumation burials of Saxon or early medieval date; from the trenching it can be estimated that the cemetery survives to an extent of 70-80m east-west and to approximately 70m southwards from the line of the old Wicken Road; it is possible that a max. total of 3000 inhumations may be present within the land take area. Only a small sample of the large amount of the human remains extant on the site was removed for analysis. A total of 10 complete skeletons, five fairly complete and seven groups of unarticulated bones were lifted. None of the burials had associated grave-goods. Pottery associated with the skeletons ranged from Saxon (400-900 AD) to Early Medieval ware (11th to 12th century date). Other features possibly contemporary with the cemetery include a pair of north-south aligned ditches (in trench U) which contained Saxon and Early Medieval pottery. The largest concentration of burials was encountered in trench T, a total of 36 articulated skeletons were identified. In total the assessment uncovered the remains of 51 individuals which included a neonate, children and juveniles as well as adults. All were aligned roughly west-east and laid in extended supine attitude, with head to the west. Although there were no grave-goods to date the burials a ditch running north-south and cutting the cemetery soil truncating three inhumations, contained a large amount of pottery of 12th-13th century date and a silver short-cross penny of Edward the Confessor (AD 1042-1066). This ditch therefore provides an early medieval terminus ante quem for the cemetery. <14> - <16> A type 27 Sceatta was found from this site. <17> The site produced a large quantity of cattle bones. The evidence points to the site having been a cattle processing centre. This, combined with the place name evidence has led to speculation that this is a rare example of a royal food-rent collecting centre of the middle Saxon period. <18> See also: <19> - <25>