Anglo-Saxon remains discovered in Lincolnshire

An Anglo-Saxon burial site has been discovered in the Lincolnshire Wolds, including the remains of a woman cradling a  baby in her arms.

Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield have unearthed more than 20 burials at the newly discovered Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Scremby in Skegness which date back to the fifth and sixth centuries AD.

The dig also uncovered a number of Anglo-Saxon artefacts including copper gilded brooches, iron shield bosses and spear heads.

A female burial discovered at the cemetery site in Lincolnshire. Photo: University of Sheffield

Dr Hugh Willmott, a senior lecturer in European Historical Archaeology at the University of Sheffield said: “Almost without exception, the burials were accompanied with a rich array of objects, in keeping with the funerary rites adopted during the early centuries of Germanic migrations to eastern England.

“What is particularly interesting is the significant proportion of very lavish burials which belonged to women. These women wore necklaces made from sometimes hundreds of amber, glass and rock crystal beads.

“They used personal items such as tweezers, carried fabric bags held open by elephant ivory rings, and wore exquisitely decorated brooches to fasten their clothing.”

The dead were buried with an array of items including silver rings, buckles and brooches. Photo: University of Sheffield

Dr Willmott added: “Children were notably absent in the parts of the cemetery excavated this year, however, one of the most striking burials was that of a richly-dressed woman who was buried with a baby cradled in her left arm.”