Twyford, Winchester

English Heritage summaries. 2007/2008

This project is a post-excavation assessment of an excavation, carried out in October 2007, of part of a previously unknown Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Eighteen graves were excavated containing nineteen complete or partially complete burials, to which may be added a further three burials that were disturbed at the point of discovery during building work. The burials were of varied orientation, mainly west-east (head to west) or south-north (head to south). Nine of the burials were accompanied with grave goods including disc brooches, a bead necklace, shield bosses, a buckle, a seax, and knives. The grave goods indicate the burials are of late 6th – 7th century date.

There is no clear evidence for the extent of the cemetery to which these graves belonged. However, burials were apparently found during building works some 50m to the north in 1974, suggesting the cemetery was fairly extensive.

The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Twyford adds significantly to knowledge of settlements and cemeteries of the period in the Itchen valley. The date of the cemetery places it within the so-called conversion period and to a time when Twyford, as part of the Chilcomb estate, was granted to the church at Winchester.

The current HEEP project includes stabilisation of the archive and will provide an assessment of the results of the excavation.

This page was published on 13/05/2008