Site Event/Activity record ECC3859 - Site H excavation at the former Meeanee & Hyderabad Barracks, Colchester, 2011

Location

Location Colchester Garrison Alienated Land Area A1 (former Meeanee & Hyderabad Barracks), Mersea Road, Colchester
Grid reference Centred TL 99946 24366 (12m by 32m)
Map sheet TL92SE
County ESSEX
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Technique(s)

Organisation

Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd

Date

April and June 2011

Map

Description

Site H (165m²) was positioned to intercept the western continuation of the line of a Roman field boundary ditch found in 2002 evaluation trench T10 (AF1004), and in 2012 evaluation T26 and T32 (F143), and explored in excavation Site G (GF1). Site H contained 31 grave cuts, 17 with potential human remains and only one (HF26) with grave goods (iron knife, copper-alloy finger ring and two iron rings). The graves were not closely dated. The absence of coffin nails, hobnails and wood-stains indicative of Roman burials in Colchester may indicate that an early Anglo-Saxon date is as valid as a later Roman date. However, the graves were regularly aligned E-W, which perhaps indicates a Christian ritual. Three large N-S ditches, two of which may define a field corner, cut through nine of the graves. It is possible that some of the N-S aligned graves post-date these ditches, and were aligned upon them.<1>

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> EXCAV REPORT: Brooks, Howard. 2016. A Late Iron Age dyke, Roman and Anglo-Saxon burials, a Roman coin hoard, and a Civil War fort: Stage 1b archaeological evaluation and Stage 2 excavation at Colchester Garrison Alienated Land Area A1. CAT Report 628, pp.77-82.

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

  • Medieval ditches, former Meeanee & Hyderabad Barracks (Site H), Colchester (Element Group)
  • Undated inhumation burials, former Meeanee & Hyderabad Barracks (Site H), Colchester (Element Group)

Record last edited

Dec 16 2016 1:15PM

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