droxford anglo-saxon cemetery, soberton, hampshire

90 Pages·2016·14.39 MB·English

Proc. Hants. Field Club Archaeol. Soc. 35, 1979, 93-182. 93
DROXFORD ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY,
SOBERTON, HAMPSHIRE
By FRED ALDSWORTH
with contributions by MARTIN WELCH
ABSTRACT (11 miles) from its mouth (Fig. 1). The place
THE cemetery was discovered in 1900 during is mentioned in late Saxon land charters (pp.
railway construction when a large number of
175—G) and is the Drocheneford of Domesday
graves were found. At least 41 further inhumation
Book (pp. 175). It presumably derives its
burials, mainly oriented east-west, were found
during excavations in 1974. No cremation graves name from a point where the river could be
have been recorded. The grave goods with forded with comparative ease (-ford), the first
the burials suggest a range of date from the late element probably representing a personal
fifth century through the sixth century. The
element.
relationship between pagan cemeteries, execution
cemeteries, 'heathen burialplaces' and estate and
The Hood plain of the Riven Meon is about
parish boundaries is further discussed.
two hundred metres wide at Droxford and
from the edge of the valley bottom the ground
PREFACE rises comparatively steeply on either side, but
THE pagan-Saxon cemetery that is the subject more steeply on the east side than on the west.
of this paper was first discovered in 1900 but, The present village is situated on the west
like a number of other such sites in Hamp- side of the river in a relatively flat area
shire found during the last eighty years, the provided by a dry valley which formerly sup-
finds have never been fully published. The ported a tributary of the Meon which joined
absence of excavation reports for cemeteries it near the church. On the east side the
excavated in Hampshire even during the last ground rises steeply from the floor of the
twenty years, with the notable exception of valley, at about 45 m O.D., to a false crest,
Winnall, renders comparative study for the at about 70 m O.D., and it is in this area that
Droxford cemetery almost impossible, so the the cemetery is located (Figs. 1 and 2). That
present paper should really be seen as a part of the cemetery so far located actually
presentation of the facts which can only be lies within the administrative parish of Sober-
seen in their true regional perspective when ton but its close proximity to the former
the comparative evidence is available. Droxford Station, in the hamlet of Brock-
bridge, has led to its association with Drox-
Also absent from this paper are specialist
ford rather than Soberton.
reports, other than the comments by Martin
Welch, since the author felt that the provision The cemetery was first discovered in 1900
of such material would unduly delay the during the making of a cutting to carry the
publication of the evidence provided by the Meon Valley railway line linking Alton
excavations of 1974, which is supplemented with Fareham, which was being built in
by an illustrated gazetteer and limited dis- accordance with the Meon Valley Railway
cussion of the objects found between 1900 and Act of 1897. It was opened in June 1903 and
1902- was closed in February 1955 (Clark 1964). A
local antiquary, William Dale Esq., F.S.A.,
then of 5 Sussex Place, Southampton, visited
1. DISCOVERY 1900-02 the site, having been informed that human
THE village of Droxford lies in south-east bones and pieces of ironwork had been found,
Hampshire, on the River Meon about 18 km and retrieved a number of objects which were
94 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
subsequently identified as Anglo-Saxon by comes..'. On September the 8th 1900, it was
Mr. Charles Hercules Read, of the British reported that 'good progress has also been
Museum and then Secretary of the Society of made with the Meon Valley line..' and on
Antiquaries of London (Dale 1903, 125—9; October 19th 1901, a road was being built
1906, 173-7). 'from the bottom of Garson Hill to the new
station at Brockbridge' but it is not clear
.During the summer of 1900 and the whether the station had already been built.
autumn and winter of 1901-02 Dale visited In December 1901 the Droxford District Sur-
the site regularly and was able, with the help veyor was directed to submit an estimate of
of " a couple of navvies who were more the damage caused by the contractors of the
intelligent than is usual with their class ", to Meon Valley Railway, which appears to indi-
retrieve a quantity of objects and bones. The cate that by this time the line had been made
objects were presented to the British Museum through part of Droxford. That the line was
(pp. 136-41) and a few bones were given to nearly completed by January 1902 is indicated
the British Museum (Natural History) in 1951 by the reporting of the dissolution of the local
and 1955 (pp. 142). After the main line committee of the Meon Valley Navvy Mission
had been made the railway was widened near which was to close 'as the cuttings are nearly
the station and a small number of objects finished'.
were retrieved and presented to Winchester
City Museum (pp. 141-2). iSince it has not been possible to locate any
original records of the discovery of the ceme-
William Dale evidently spent a consider- tery, it is upon Dale's two published notes and
able amount of time on the site but, apart the material now held in the British Museum
from two published notes, no written record and the Winchester City Museum that we
of his observations has been traced in archives must rely for the evidence of the position,
held by the Society of Antiquaries of London, extent, and contents of the graves discovered
the Hampshire Field Club, Southampton between 1900 and 1902.
University Library, Winchester City Museum,
For the position of the cemetery we must
Southampton City Record Office, the British
rely upon the following abstracts of Dale's
Museum, the British Museum (Natural His-
two published notes:
tory), the Hampshire County Record Office,
or the Royal Commission on Historical 'At the village of Droxford it (the railway
Documents. The county newspaper, the line) cuts through the top of the hill over-
Hampshire Chronicle, has been scanned for looking the valley on the eastern side, and it
references to the cemetery for the period is at this point, immediately above Droxford
during which the cutting was being made at Church and close to the place marked Brock-
Droxford but no direct references occur. bridge on the map, that the discovery was
Indeed, it is somewhat surprising that the made' (Dale 1903, 125).
work on the line went almost unnoticed in
the contemporary press, although its progress 'The area of the cemetery seemed confined to
can be determined by indirect references. On the top of the hill and the railway cut
the 30th of June reference is made to the through about 100 yards of it from north to
making of an 'improved roadway from south, apparently near the middle,...' (Dale
Droxford village to the proposed new railway 1906, 175).
station at Brockbridge' and these works were
'After the main cutting was completed,... the
again mentioned on the 7th and 14th of July
railway was widened a little near the station,
in the same year. On August 25th 1900, an
and ... a few more things were found.' (Dale
application for a new hotel near the proposed
1906, 177).
new station at Brockbridge was discussed as
for possible construction 'if the light railway The cemetery, as located in 1900-02, thus
F. R. ALDSWORTH: DROXFORD ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY 95
Fig. 1. Location maps, occupied areas stippled.
96 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
lay on the top of a hill near the station and doubt, in view of the position of the shadows,
extended for about 100 yards. Subsequent that this section of the line was being dug
survey (pp. 98-9) has shown that this was from north to south. It seems likely that the
almost certainly the area immediately adjoin- field which was being dug through when
ing the now disused station on its south side, work was halted in 1900 was that which lay
the later widening refering to the provision immediately south of the present road junc-
of sidings. The making of the cutting also tion, north of the disused station. Work had
rendered the old road from Soberton obsolete evidently proceeded to 'half-way through' this
since it had been severed immediately south field in 1900.
of the area excavated in 1974 (Fig. 2). This
fit can thus be argued that the cemetery
road, now Station Road, appears to have been
may have extended as far north as something
remade further east, but there is no direct
over half-way across the former field immedia-
reference to burials being found during the
tely south of the Droxford to Waterlooville
making of the cutting in which it lies. The
road, that is somewhere in the vicinity of the
former position of this old road from Sober-
station (Fig. 2, point a), as far south as the old
ton can be traced on the Ordnance Survey
field boundary south of the station (Fig. 2,
plan of 1896 (shown dotted on Fig. 2) and the
point b), and at least part of the way across
north-east boundary of this road was en-
the area subsequently occupied by the railway
countered as a gully during the 1974
sidings. The extent of the original sidings
excavation (p. 134 Feature 2). On the plan of
can, to some extent, be deduced on a contem-
1896 .two fields are shown to the east of this
porary photograph of Droxford station soon
road but only one to the west.
after its completion in about 1903 ((see Fig. 4).
One additional abstract from Dale's articles This view, looking south, shows the main line
may assist in determining the extent of the bearing to the left with a small siding on the
cemetery as located in 1900-02. He says 'Very right. The area excavated in 1974 lies above
little progress was made with the railway in the cutting behind the workmen on the left.
1900 owing to the scarcity of labour, and the
Of the graves themselves Dale published
cutting, after going about half-way through
little information, except that many were
the field where the interments were found,
evidently comparatively shallow, but he did
stopped until the following autumn when the
note that there was no evidence of covering
work was again resumed and fresh discoveries
barrows, that both east-west and north-south
made' (Dale 1906, 174). What Dale does not
inhumations were encountered, and that a
make clear is the direction in which the work
number were unaccompanied. He makes no
was being undertaken. A contemporary photo-
specific reference to the discovery of cremation
graph of the line under construction shows a
burials.
steam shovel, which according to an elderly
resident of Droxford, is identical to that Of the objects retrieved by Dale at least 176
which was used to make the Droxford cutting were donated to the British Museum (pp.
(see Fig. 3). There is litle evidence to indicate 136-41 and Figs. 31-46) and 27 were donated
the precise section of the line which was to Winchester City Museum (pp. 141-2 and
under construction when the photograph was Figs. 47-9).
taken but it would be nice to think, in view
of the close attention that is being paid by 2. REDISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION
two of the 'navvies' to the upper levels of the 1973-4
cutting where a rectangular pit or grave
THE re-examination of the material from
appears to have been encountered, that this is
Droxford and a detailed study of the original
the Droxford cutting, but I am informed that
area of the discovery were undertaken by the
it is more likely the Meonstoke cutting fur-
writer in 1973 as part of a study of the
ther north. Be this as it may there can be little
evidence available for a reconstruction of a
F. R. ALDSWORTH: DROXFORD ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY 97
50 M
I
Section A-B
..^
Fig. 2 Droxford: The site and extent of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Scales: a. 1:5,000,
b. 1:2,500, c. Horizontal 1:1,000, Vertical x2f
HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Fig. 3. The making of the railway cutting near Droxford in ibout 1900. Photograph
by kind permission of Mr R. Stone.
pre-Domesday Geography for Hampshire section 4 (pp. 174-5).
using archaeology, written sources, and place-
name elements (Aldsworth 1973). It soon Dale (1906, 175) indicated that the cemetery
became clear that there was a wealth of un- lay 00 the top of a hill. A contour survey of
published material from Anglo-Saxon ceme- the area in the vicinity of Droxford Station,
teries in the county and fieldwork indicated made in 1973, indicated that, although a
that where individual objects or graves had considerable area of the original top soil and
previously been discovered undetected ceme- underlying chalk had been removed during
teries may exist. There appears to be a the construction of the railway, its sidings,
general similarity, for example, in the topo- and access roads, sufficient evidence survived
graphical position of many pagan-Saxon to indicate the original profile of the land
cemeteries in that they usually lie on the top (Fig. 2). A spur of high ground, rising to just
of a crest either alongside an earlier burial over 70 m O.D., near the station, extends
mound or at the very end of a spur of land. westwards to terminate, close to the western
The re-discovery of the Droxford cemetery side of the railway cutting, in a steep drop
came as a direct result of the recognition of down onto the flood plain of the River Meon.
this pattern which is further discussed in The crest of this spur has been destroyed for
F. R. ALDSWORTH! DROXFORD ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY 99
Ik
.
Fig. 4. Droxford Station in about 1903. Photograph In kind permission of Mr R. Stone.
a distance of about 100 m by the railway Close attention was paid in 1973 to the
cutting (Fig. 2), a figure which tallies with narrow strip of land between the railway
Dale's description. cutting and Station Road, the western face of
which was suffering natural erosion due to the
It appears that only a limited area of the
fact that it had been cut back by the owner in
original ground surface level on the summit
about 1970. No discoveries were reported
of the end of the spur has survived the con-
when this work was undertaken but a close
struction of the railway. To the west of the
examination of the eroding chalk face
original cutting a small area survives in the
revealed graves, subsequently identified as
garden of a pair of semi-detached houses. To
Graves 2 and 3, and an iron spearhead, subse-
the east of the original cutting a narrow strip
quently identified as Grave 1.
of land, about 100 m long and up to 10 m
wide, survives between the cuttings made for The Anglo-Saxon cemetery of Droxford had
the railway and Station Road. The land to the thus been re-discovered but the few graves
south has been developed with detached which were visible were being destroyed by
houses, in the gardens of which parts of the erosion. In view of the implications of the
cemetery may survive and other remains may threat to the site an approach was made to the
occur to the east of Station Road in a field Department of the Environment and the
which is ploughed regularly (Fig. 4). Hampshire County Museum Service with a
:
N :
A .iilii
lii
L
P

E
T
I ng
S utti
C
: ay
E Railw
R used use
I DisDis
H
S
P
M
A
H

.
D
R an.
O p e pl
F Sit
X . d:
r
RQ j ..,., roxfo
- D D
D A
u RO 5.
Y. ATION Fig.
R ST
E
T ;
.
E .
-
M
C
.
E .
.
C "
.
N ;
L
O
X
^
^
A i
w
S S
- S
O
=
L :
1
G
2
N
3
A 4
F. R. ALDSWORTH: DROXFORD ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY 101
SECTIONS
?(cid:129)/ Chalk
1V"I Flint
E H Clay
AA
70.8m.OD.
BB
70.85m.
CC
Grave 37 F8
70.10m.
^^g^^.qr
DD
Grave 19
71.10m.
Vt ^^mmmmmw \'i-i^
EE
71.20m.
FF
G2
71.30m.
Fig. 6. Droxford: Sections, for positions see Fig. 5. Scale 1:40.
102 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
view to excavating that part of the cemetery of clay, chalk, and flint. Many of the graves
which was threatened. It was hoped that a contained large nodular flints but in only one
small number of grave groups might throw case, grave 21, did these appear to have been
light upon the nature and date of the whole deliberately placed in position (p. 124 and
cemetery. When the excavation was under- Fig. 11).
taken in July and August 1974, the resulting
forty-one graves, containing over three In the following list of graves and their
hundred and eighty associated objects, sur- contents the osteological evidence is based on
passed all expectation. the preliminary site observations and measure-
ments provided by Graham Johnson which
Although the strip of land which survives is have been amended as a result of Miss Connie
about 100 m long it was decided, in view of Toomey's additional work. A copy of Mr
the fact that the main threat was at the south Johnson's report has been placed with the
end and bearing in mind the problem of Hampshire County Museum Service and it is
storing the topsoil for replacement, that hoped that a copy of Miss Toomey's observa-
excavation should be confined to this area tions will eventually accompany it. Many of
(Fig. 2). It had previously been disturbed, by the objects described in the list are further
ploughing and during the cutting and re- discussed in subsequent paragraphs: swords
cutting of the railway, and much of the over- (p. 124), spearheads (pp. 164-6), shield bosses
lying topsoil had been removed. The surface and grips (p. 167), knives (p. 167), belt fittings
sloped gently from about 72.5 m O.D. at the (pp. 170-1), brooches (pp. 167-71), firesteels
north end to about 71.5 m O.D. at the south and pursemounts (pp. 167-8), amulets,
end. An area of approximately five hundred amulet bags, and chatelaines (p. 171), pottery
square metres of topsoil, about 0.4 m deep, and glass (pp. 173—4), and beads (pp. 171-3).
was removed by mechanical means to reveal The grave orientations are measured clock-
a thin, patchy, layer of clay-with-flints over wise from true north.
underlying chalk. The precise limits of the
excavated area were determined by the rail-
way cutting on the west and by vegetation and
GRAVE 1
service poles on the east. The excavation was
Originally found in 1973 when the spearhead
taken as far south as was possible at the time.
and a few pieces of human bone were found in
Subsequent cleaning of the surface revealed
the edge of the railway ' cutting. Subsequent
forty-three probable grave cuts, one rectangu- excavation, in 1974, revealed part of the right
lar post-hole (Feature 1), one gully (Feature humerus and clavicle, and a fragment of cranium,
2), and a number of natural clay-filled which suggested that the skeleton had originally
been laid in a grave aligned south-north.
solution hollows. Two probable grave cuts
underlay the eastern side of the excavation, Associated find:
at the south end, and were not excavated. One
1. Iron spearhead (Fig. 16, no. 1.1), 215 mm
lay north-east of grave 31 and the other lay long with broken tip, of Swanton's angular
between graves 37 and 39 (Fig. 5). typeF .
2
The excavation of the remaining forty-one
graves was commenced at the northern end GRAVE 2
West-east 287°. Only the eastern part survived,
and work proceeded in a southerly direction,
the remainder having been destroyed by the
each grave taking an average of four man-days
railway cutting, up to 0.92 m long, 0.76 m wide,
to excavate, record, photograph, and remove. and 0.28 m deep..
The depth to which the graves had been dug
Of the skeleton only the lower leg bones
in the chalk varied between 0.1 m and 0.74 m,
survived and these are thought to be female.
the overlying top soil having been up to 0.5 m
thick. The grave fills were normally a mixture No associated finds.