Monument record TR 34 SE 444 - Anglo-Saxon graves and gully, The Droveway, St Margaret's at Cliffe

Six Anglo-Saxon graves and a gully, were identified during excavations at The Droveway, St Margaret's at Cliffe in 2014. Five of the graves were excavated, one of which was empty, two of which comprised the unaccompanied skeletal remains of adult females, and the remaining two burials, those of an adult male and a child (around 4 years old), contained grave goods.

The adult male burial was associated with a spear, shield, knife and iron belt buckle, and the child burial contained a knife, a gilt-copper alloy Kentish disc brooch decorated with garnets and style 1 animal motifs and a necklace comprised of copper alloy beads, three glass beads, several small metal objects (a cross shaped fitting and a six spoked wheel), and a copper alloy pendant. The shield associated with the adult burial appeared to have been placed over the head of the individual, whilst both hands appeared to have been positioned holding the spear. Several artefacts probably representing grave goods were associated with the child burial, these comprised a copper alloy rivet and fragments of copper alloy sheet, alongside a piece of decayed antler. One of the female burials which did not contain any identifiable grave goods did include two fragments of iron beneath the left tibia, which were tentatively interpreted (2) as potentially originating from a bracket or repair clip associated with a wooden artefact. The grave goods in the adult male burial indicated a date of around 550-610 AD, and the grave goods for the child burial indicated a date of 650 AD.

The skeletons appear to have been interred in an extended supine position, and the grave cuts were relatively widely spaced, with between 0.2m - 5m between each grave. In terms of orientation two of the graves were aligned east-west, whilst three others were aligned north-west by south-east, and one was only partially excavated therefore the alignment could not be determined. One grave contained a stake hole in its base, whilst another had a step or ledge cut into its eastern end.

The grave containing the child burial also had a pit dug into its base which was interpreted (2) as a possible further burial. This feature measured 1.80m long, 0.43m wide, and 0.38m deep and contained three sherds of a Roman flagon, possibly representing intrusive material.

Analysis of the skeletal material uncovered evidence for interpersonal violence; two skeletons demonstrated evidence for cranial trauma, one of which (adult female) had a "possible healed depression which suggests the individual survived the trauma", the other of which (adult male) demonstrated evidence for peri-mortem blunt force trauma and possible trepanation. The adult male skeleton also demonstrated evidence for cribra orbitalia and a ‘sideways’ madibular pre molar, interpreted (2) as possible evidence for childhood stress or genetic factors.

A gully was also identified during the excavation, this feature measured up to 0.15m in depth and partialy encircled several of the grave cuts. The identification of a single sherd of late 5th century to 7th century pottery within its fill indicated that the feature was broadly contemporary with the burials. (1, 2)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd, 2017, Nos. 36-38 The Droveway, St Margaret’s at Cliffe: archaeological desk assessment (Unpublished document). SKE52833.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2014, Land north-west of ‘Seamark’ The Droveway St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe Kent Archaeological Excavation Report (Unpublished document). SKE58602.