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Anglo Saxon Norton : In-depth Information Excavations by Cleveland County Archaeology Section (now Tees Archaeology), between 1984 -1985, revealed the full extent of the cemetery. Bounded by earlier Romano-British ditches to the south and west, by Billingham Bottom marshes to the east, and a trackway (now Mill Lane), to the north, the site was found to contain 120 burials, nearly all of them aligned north-south. Of these, 32 were crouched burials, 46 extended, 7 prone (lying face-down) and three cremations. It is the burial position of these people and the presence of grave goods that identify the community as pagan. It has been suggested that the people found in the prone position may well have been buried alive – a treatment often considered to be reserved for witches, acts of cowardice or treason. Crouched burials were very common in Britain, before and during the Roman period, particularly in the north of the country and may simply indicate a strong native British presence within this Anglo-Saxon community at Norton. A further 32 graves had been heavily disturbed and could not be allocated to a particular burial form. Some of the burials show the social status of there occupants within Anglo Saxon society because only ’free men’ were allowed to carry weapons, the quality and number of which denoted their ’rank’ in legal and social status. Ten of the male burials had their weapons buried with them; five having a spear only (and therefore from the lowest social ranks with the exception of slaves), and five with spear and shield, indicating the next level up in social standing. One burial, in addition to spear and shield, also contained a seax , a single-edged weapon best described as something between a large knife and a small sword – clearly a man of some importance during his life at the Norton settlement. Some of the poorer burials may have been those of slaves (who were not allowed to carry weapons, other than perhaps a small knife), with each grave containing few grave goods or only the remains of food, possibly for their own journey to the after-life or as a simple offering to the Gods. The presence of bronze belt buckles, sleeve clasps and various brooches, show that they were clothed or dressed when buried, and sometimes be used to reconstruct how they looked. From the style of these brooches, it would seem likely these people were Angles, originating from what is now Schleswig-Holstein, in Northern Germany/Southern Denmark, and who appear to have settled predominantly along the east coast of England from Northumbria to East Anglia. These styles also demonstrate that the small community of Anglo Saxon Norton were in a large trading network because of a Frankish buckle more often found in Kent. Sets of iron keys, glass and amber bead necklaces, were also discovered in a small number of burials. Other objects found in the graves included earthenware pots, iron knives, bronze toiletry sets (including tweezers and pins), and combs made of bone. |
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