Monument record MDO2408 - South of Tinney's Lane, Sherborne; late Iron Age inhumation burial juvenile[12]

A flexed inhumation burial of a young juvenile was discovered during an archaeological evaluation of land to the south of Tinney’s Lane in 1996. It was subsequently exhumed during excavations by Wessex Archaeology. The burial is thought to be late Iron Age in date from its flexed burial position and close association with another similar burial which was radiocarbon dated to 370 BC- AD 10.

Found during an archaeological evaluation conducted by AC Archaeology on land to the south of Tinney’s Lane during 1996 (1) but not excavated until a subsequent excavation conducted by Wessex Archaeology during January 1997 in advance of a housing development. Results of the excavation have been published in PDNHAS, 121, 53-69 (2). Numbers in square brackets below refer to context numbers given in this report.

The flexed inhumation burial [25] of a young juvenile (aged approximately 7-8 years) was excavated within grave cut [12] in close proximity to two adult flexed inhumations, and a crouched inhumation. The flexed inhumations were all laid on their right side with their heads to te north, right arm extended and left arm flexed over the body. The grave cut [12] was cut 0.2m into the natural limestone bedrock.

No datable artefacts were found in association with the burial but it is thought to be late Iron Age in date from its flexed burial position and close association with another similar burial which was radiocarbon dated to 370 BC- AD 10.

Cotton, J, 1997, Sherborne, Tinney’s Lane; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10372.

<1> Cotton, J, 1996, An archaeological evaluation of the proposed development of land south of Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO10370.

<2> McKinley, J I, 1999, Excavations at Tinney’s Lane, Sherborne, Dorset; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10368.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2011 5:01AM