Roman cemetery uncovered on the A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling scheme

Inside the cemetery were 14 grave cuts centred around a central grave. Outside the boundary ditch for the cemetery there were a further seven grave cuts.

This kind of small cemetery is not entirely unexpected or unique in rural Roman Britain. However, this one certainly might be.

The grave at the centre of the cemetery contained a stone coffin carved from a single solid block of limestone. The burial inside was encased in gypsum before capping stones were placed on the coffin. This process involves pouring liquid gypsum over the individual which then sets to form a hard cast. This cast can often preserve an imprint of the individual, moulding around them and their clothing or burial shroud. Organic materials can sometimes also be preserved in this cast.

Gypsum burials are rarely found in rural Roman Britain and are instead usually associated with prominent urban centres, such as York, from which at least 45 examples are known. This kind of burial is believed to be high status, with analysis of the gypsum casts from York revealing traces of expensive oils and perfumes.

The stone coffin containing the gypsum burial was bulk lifted from the field and transported to Headland Archaeology’s offices in Silsoe to be excavated away from the harsh elements onsite.

These specialist excavations were carried out by conservator Morgan Creed from York Archaeology and Osteologist Don Walker from Museum of London Archaeology over two full days. Although the gypsum was fragmentary, impressions of the shroud the individual was buried in were visible, and a small piece of the fabric itself was preserved in the gypsum. There were no grave goods within the coffin itself, but a glass vessel and fragments of leather, pottery and animal bone were recovered from the fill of the surrounding grave cut. This glass vessel could have once held a toast or libation for the deceased before it was placed in the cut.

Despite the lack of grave goods, both the beautifully carved stone coffin and the gypsum burial are indicative of an individual of high status. The gypsum for the burial would have come at a high cost, and the stone coffin was not only beautifully carved, but also made from stone quarried around 50 km away, adding the costs of transportation. These factors coupled with the central position of the burial within the cemetery points to an important person, perhaps the head of a prominent family.

However, this burial was not the only high-status grave within the cemetery. Both within and outside the boundary ditch were graves containing large quantities of jewellery and other items.

One grave (SK 432025) to the south-west of the stone coffin burial contained a large concentration of grave goods placed just above the feet of the individual. Preliminary osteology consultation suggests that this is the grave of a young woman aged around 16-20. One theory as to why she was buried with this cache at her feet instead of wearing it is that it could have been meant for her dowry. Among these grave goods were a beautiful pair of silver earrings, nine copper alloy bracelets, three copper alloy rings, and a silver band and oval plate, thought to be the shank and bezel of a signet ring.

Another grave (SK 442003) contained high quantities of grave goods, located outside of the boundary ditch. This was the grave of a child and contained in addition to ten copper alloy bracelets, four worked bone bracelets, a worked bone comb and also a pair of silver earrings, remarkably like those from the other burial (SK 432025). While it is tempting to assign relation between the burials based on the presence of similar jewellery, this also could be the style of a distinctive local craftsperson.

In addition to the burials with high-status grave goods and the prominent stone coffin with gypsum burial, the cemetery exhibited several more kinds of Roman burial practice. These included cist burial, cremation, decapitation burials, infant burial, cist burials, burials with iron nails possibly indicating the presence of a wooden coffin, and an empty grave. Whilst these burial practices are all known from the Roman period, it is more unusual to find them all represented in such a small cemetery, especially as initial assessment of the stratigraphic results suggests that the cemetery was not particularly long-lived.

It is hoped that the post-excavation analysis will be able to untangle the questions surrounding the longevity of the cemetery and how it fits into the surrounding landscape, as well as shedding some light on the individual stories of those buried here.