Buckland Anglo-Saxon cemetery facts for kids

The Buckland Anglo-Saxon cemetery was an ancient burial ground. It is located on Long Hill in the town of Dover in Kent, South East England. This cemetery dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It was part of a much larger tradition of burying the dead in early Anglo-Saxon England.

At Buckland, people were only buried, not cremated. The cemetery was on a high part of the hill, offering wide views of the area. Many of the people buried here had special items placed with them. These items included jewelry, weapons, and things used in daily life.

This important cemetery was found in 1951. Workers were building new homes on the site. The Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments ordered a special dig. Archaeologists, led by Vera I. Evison, quickly excavated the site. The work to study the finds took 30 years. Today, many of the items are on display at the British Museum in Bloomsbury, Central London.

Where is the Buckland Anglo-Saxon Cemetery?

The cemetery is on the southern side of Long Hill. It sits on the eastern bank of the River Dour. You can see the site from the river valley, which leads to the coast. The ground beneath the cemetery is solid chalk rock.

Archaeologists found an old ditch from prehistoric times. It was at the highest point of the cemetery. They also found signs of Roman-British activity. This included a small, round pit. It was about 2 feet deep and held pieces of Roman pottery.

What was Anglo-Saxon Kent Like?

The Kingdom of Kent during the Anglo-Saxon period.

The Anglo-Saxon period began in the 400s CE. During this time, the area known as Kent changed a lot. Before this, it was part of the Roman Empire. It was called civitas of Cantiaci. After Roman rule ended around 410 CE, Roman ways slowly disappeared. Anglo-Saxon culture became more common.

Old Anglo-Saxon stories say that tribes from northern Europe arrived. These tribes were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They spoke Germanic languages. However, archaeological finds show that cultures mixed. Anglo-Saxon ways blended with Roman-British traditions.

The name Kent comes from the Anglo-Saxon period. It was based on an older Celtic name, Cantii. At first, it only meant the area east of the River Medway. By the late 500s, it included areas to the west too. The Kingdom of Kent was the first Anglo-Saxon kingdom recorded in history. By the end of the 500s, it was very powerful. It controlled large parts of southern and eastern Britain.

Kent had strong trade connections with Francia (modern-day France). The Kentish royal family even married into Francia's Merovingian dynasty. These Merovingian rulers were already Christian. Kentish King Æthelberht was a powerful ruler. He became Christian in the early 600s. This happened because of Augustine of Canterbury and the Gregorian mission. They were sent by Pope Gregory to spread Christianity. They wanted to replace England's older pagan beliefs. The Buckland cemetery was in use during this important time.

Kent has many ancient burial sites from the early Middle Ages. The first digs of Anglo-Saxon graves in Kent happened in the 1600s. People who studied old things, called antiquarians, became very interested. Later, more scientific archaeological methods were used. Famous archaeologists like Bryan Faussett and Charles Roach Smith studied Kent's past.

What Did the Buckland Graves Look Like?

Most of the graves at Buckland faced west-northwest to east-southeast. Only one grave faced the opposite way. The depth of the graves varied. Most were about 0.36 meters (about 1.2 feet) deep. The deepest was 0.76 meters (about 2.5 feet) deep. The shallowest were 15 to 23 centimeters (about 6 to 9 inches) deep. This shows that the ground level was higher in Anglo-Saxon times.

The sizes of the graves also differed. The smallest was about 1.02 meters long, 0.51 meters wide, and 0.28 meters deep. The largest was about 3.2 meters long, 0.86 meters wide, and 0.41 meters deep. Some graves were neatly cut into the rock. Others were more roughly made.

The soil conditions meant that the bones were not well preserved. In 11 cases, the bones suggested a different gender than the grave goods. The archaeologists believed the grave goods were a better sign of the person's gender. They thought the bone analysis might be wrong.

One interesting burial was in Grave 67. It held a woman's body facing downward. Her skull was turned to look up. Her right arm was under her body, but her hand was over her left shoulder. Her left arm was bent under her body. Her right leg was bent under her straight left leg. Vera Evison, the lead archaeologist, thought the body might have been placed "unceremoniously." But because there were no grave goods, she wondered if the woman had been buried alive. Her position might show she tried to push her way out.

How Was the Cemetery Discovered?

In 1951, construction started on the Buckland Estate. This was a project to build new homes. Workers found old items as they cleared the soil. Then they found human bones. An archaeologist named W.P.B. Stebbing was called in. He oversaw the digging of Grave C. This grave showed it was from the Anglo-Saxon period.

The items found were sent to F.L. Warner, who was the curator of Dover Museum. The Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments decided a full rescue excavation was needed. The dig began in September 1951. Vera I. Evison led the team. Her assistants included John Anstee, David Smith, and G.C. Dunning.

After World War II, resources were limited. This delayed the work of studying the finds. In 1963, the items were moved to the British Museum in Bloomsbury, Central London. From 1974 to 1980, the Museum showed most of the finds in their Medieval Gallery. The final report on the excavation was finished in 1984 and published in 1987. Archaeologist Keith Parfitt called the report "a major contribution" to Anglo-Saxon studies.

In early 1994, plans were made for another housing estate. It was called "Castle View." This new estate was on the lower slopes of Long Hill. Kent County Council's Heritage Conservation Group asked archaeologists to dig test trenches. They wanted to see if any more Anglo-Saxon graves were there. In March 1994, South-Eastern Archaeological Services found 12 graves in one day.

A full excavation was clearly needed. The developer, Orbit Housing Association, hired the Canterbury Archaeological Trust. They worked from June to September. After the dig, the developer gave all the finds to the British Museum. The two new roads in the housing estate were named Evison Close and Parfitt Way. These names honor the archaeologists who led the digs.

Images for kids

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  The Kingdom of Kent during the Anglo-Saxon period.