Monument record MDO876 - Burials in cists, Tatton Hill, Buckland Ripers, Chickerell

Several unaccompanied adult inhumations in covered slab lined cists, with some charcoal and traces of burning on the stones, were exposed in quarrying ‘Tatton Hill’ in 1826. Eight or ten were in cists, about one foot below the surface. In 1928 an unaccompanied adult skeleton, extended east-west with head to the west, was found at the same depth in a covered cist without end slabs, 6 ½ feet long, 20 inches wide at the shoulders and 15 inches wide at the knees. The posture and type of grave are characteristic of the Roman period in the region.

[SY 6382] The spot lies on the 200 ft contour, in a large arable field of 35 acres, abutting its southern boundary. The grave was accidentally discovered 1 ft below ground level. It was a kistvaen with side linings only, 6 ft 6 ins long and 1 ft 8" wide-orientated East-West.

In 1883 when steam ploughing was going on at Tatton Hill, the very large field to the west, dozens of such graves were found but no objects reported. There were 8 or 9 graves there (a). Probably Romano-British. <2>

[SY 63148193]. Site pointed out on OS 6" by E S Vine, where kist burial was found in 1928. Tatton Hill is the field immediately to the west. At the time of field investigation the site of the 1928 discovery was under high crop which prevented Mr Vine from pointing out, on the ground, its exact position. The field to the west was similarly cropped and not investigated. <3>

SY 631819. Inhumation Burials have been found on the crest of Langton ridge (Cornbrash) in the SW corner of the former parish of Buckland Ripers. According to Ellis several unaccompanied adult inhumations in covered slab-lined cists, with some charcoal and traces of burning on the stones, were exposed in quarrying "Tatton Hill" in 1826 and subsequently reburied together. They were presumably extended. Hutchins adds that eight or ten were in cists, about 1 ft below surface. In 1928 an unaccompanied adult skeleton extended E-W with head to W was found at the same depth nearby (SY 63178191) in covered cist without end slabs, 6.5 ft long, 20 ins wide at shoulders and 15 ins at knees. The posture and type of grave are characteristic of theRoman period in the region. The cemetery apparently extends into Portesham parish.

Inhumation Burials have been found on the Langton ridge (Cornbrash) SE of Langton Cross. Many burials in stone cists were ploughed up in 1883 on 'Tatton Hill' (approx 629819) adjoining similar remains in Chickerell parish (above), and skeletons found on Tatton Farm before 1845 probably come from the same cemetery. <4>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1928, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1927-1928, lxxxiv (Serial). SDO31.

'On April 24th last Mr W M Pim and I examined a kist burial on the farm at Buckland Ripers belonging to Mr A E Vine. There were no objects associated with the skeleton, which lay full length with the feet pointing to the East. As about a dozen similar graves were discovered here in 1823, there must have been a considerable cemetery; but whether Anglo-Saxon or Roman-British we cannot say'.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1929, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1928, 122-124 (Serial). SDO32.

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 29-JUL-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3.1> Vine, E S, Oral: E S Vine, Farmer Chickerell (Verbal communication). SDO18064.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 595 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(35) Buckland Ripers (SY 68 SW). Inhumation Burials have been found on the crest of the Langton ridge (Cornbrash) in the S.W. corner of the former parish of Buckland Ripers (631819).
Several unaccompanied adult inhumations in covered slab lines cists, with some charcoal and traces of burning on the stones, were exposed in quarrying ‘Tatton Hill’ in 1826. Eight or ten were in cists, about one foot below the surface. In 1928 an unaccompanied adult skeleton, extended east-west with head to the west, was found at the same depth in a covered cist without end slabs, 6 ½ feet long, 20 inches wide at the shoulders and 15 inches wide at the knees. The posture and type of grave are characteristic of the Roman period in the region. The cemetery apparently extends into Portesham parish (Portesham (63)). (G.A. Ellis, History and Antiquities of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (1829), 254-6; Hutchins II, 492; Dorset Procs, L (1928), 122-4.)'

<4.1> Ellis, G E, 1829, The History and Antiquities of the Borough and Town of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. (Monograph). SWX8044.

<4.2> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 492 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<4.3> 1845, Gentleman's Magazine, 79 (Serial). SWX9216.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452781 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jun 27 2022 11:24AM