Monument record TQ 86 NE 1195 - Undated and post-medieval burials, St Mary's Church, Newington

Post-medieval burials were identified during a 2011 evaluation carried out at St Mary's Church, Newington. An undisturbed coffin was identified 1.1m below ground level to the north-east of the church; a row of 3 coffins 1.1m below ground level was identified to the north of the easternmost buttress of the church’s north wall; and a third test pit contained an articulated juvenile skeleton 0.5m below ground level to the west of the northwest corner of the church. (summarised from the report, 1).

Undated burials were identified during a 2012 watching brief carried out at the site. The burials were aligned E-W and the remains appeared to have been buried in a supine position, suggesting that they were buried in the Christian tradition. Both articulated and disarticulated remains were recovered from many graves, some of which appeared to intercut one another, indicating that the graveyard had been used extensively over time. Artefactual material associated with the burials dated from the medieval to the post-medieval periods and included coffin fittings, pottery, and ceramic building material. Due to the absence of associated burial records and headstones, it was difficult to date the burials, however, they are likely to have been interred between the medieval and post-medieval periods. (1)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2012, An Archaeological Watching Brief at St Mary’s Church, Newington, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58330.