The Jutish (Saxon) Cemetery at Lyminge, Kent

a decoration of spiral glass trail. There are two rows of claws, each four in number, arranged symmetrically around the glass. The claws have a pronounced clockwise sweep, and each tip is doubled back in a clockwise direction. The glass is extremely thin and shows many air bubbles in its texture. GRAVE 42. A child, sex unknown; 6-12 months old; the skeleton is in very poor condition but the burial was probably on the left hand side with the legs slightly contracted; 35 deg., 2ft. 4 in. deep. Finds. A silver-plated bronze buckle (Fig. 9, No.7) at the left waist, tongue pointing right. The tongue has a rectangular shield. A hand-made pot of black corky fabric with shell grit. The pot was poorly made and fired and in three places the surface had flaked off, probably in the process of firing. GRAVE 43. Probably a woman; 5 ft. 5 in.; 50-60 years of age; supine, full length, arms straight; 92 deg., 1 ft. 11 in. deep. No finds. GRAVE 44. Probably a woman; 5ft. 1 in.; 40-45 year of age¹.; supine, full length, arms across the pelvis; skeleton in good condition; the skull had fallen backwards off the lower jaw; an exceptionally large grave, 9 ft. 3 in. by 4 ft. 1 in. ; 100 deg., 4 ft. 3 in. deep (Pl.V). Finds. Four iron coffin clamps, each with two nails. The position of these in the grave indicated the size of the coffin and the method of its construction. The coffin was 6 ft. 3 in. long, 1 ft. 9 in. wide at the head, and 1 ft. 6 in. wide at the		foot. One of the coffin clamps (Fig. 4, No. 4) has been electrolytically cleaned and is now in an excellent state of preservation. It consists of a bar 5 3/8 in. long by 1 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick, pierced by two round-headed nails, 2 ¾ in. long. The diameter of the heads is 7/8 in. and the nails are rectangular in section, tapering to a point in one dimension only². The side of the coffin clearly consisted of two planks clamped together by the iron bar and its nails. These nails were sufficiently long to pass through the side planks and hold the end planks in place, and the whole framework was thus held firm by the four bars and eight nails. The outline of the sides ¹. In view of the importance of this burial the remarks of the anatomist (Dr. J. Joseph) on the skeleton are worth quoting in full: "These skeletal remains show certain peculiarities. The limb bones are small and suggest a female, height 5 ft. 1 in. (from a femur and a tibia). The innominate bone is female, as is the sacroiliac articulation, but the sacrum has certain male measurements. The frontal bone of the skull suggests male and the mastoid processes of the temporal bone could be male or female. The atlas is definitely female (transverse diameter 76 mm.). With regard to the age, the lower jaw of the alveolus during life, and the remaining teeth show varying wear, some very worn and some not (40-45). The skull shows suture lines, including the metopic suture, suggesting age bout 30. The skull is thicker than usual (10 mm.)." ². Four similar clamps with nails were found at Sarre and are in the Collections of the Kent Archaeological Society at the Maidstone Museum, K.A.S. nos. 756-59. A typical one measures 6 ¾ in. by 7/8 in. of the coffin could be traced by discoloration of the grave fill; the powdery remains of the base and lid could also be traced. The coffin had been banked up on all sides by chalk lumps after it had been placed in the grave.
Page 28 (This page prepared for the Website by Christine Pantrey)

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