MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) undertook evaluation and subsequent excavation at Wollaston Quarry, near Wellingborough through the 1990s. These excavations took place in advance of gravel extraction on land to the north and south of Hardwater Road, Wollaston. The archaeological work found Iron Age and Roman farms arranged along a single routeway and the remains of at least two Roman vineyards. A single late 7th century grave, the Pioneer burial, lay alongside a long-lived routeway at the southern end of the quarry, close to the floodplain and any burial mound would have overlooked the River Nene. The burial was an isolated feature; the only other Saxon artefacts recovered from other parts of the quarry were limited to two scatters of pottery and two fragments of small long brooch recovered by metal detection. All were located some distance from the grave. The Pioneer burial was adjacent to the south-western corner of the later Saxon Higham Hundred boundary where it meets the River Nene. It is probable the burial had originally been within a barrow, but no evidence was found for it. Within the grave there was an individual adult of slender build probably in their early to middle 20s equipped with a boar-crested iron helmet, a pattern-welded sword, a copper alloy hanging bowl with enamelled escutcheon, an iron knife, a copper alloy clothing hook and three iron buckles. The burial contained artefacts indicative of very high status, with the early to middle Saxon helmet being at the time only the fourth to have been recovered from a burial in England.
Author(s): Ian Meadows
Publisher: Archaeopress Archaeology
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 82
City: Summertown
Back Cover
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
List of Figures
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1. Location and sites in Northamptonshire mentioned in the text
Introduction
Project background
Archaeological background
Topography and geology
Chapter 2
Figure 1.2. The site and its environs with Roman road and cropmarks located
Figure 1.3. Areas to be excavated and protected areas within the site with Pioneer burial location recorded (after Kidd 1995)
Figure 1.4. Daily Mail article dated 23 April 1997
Figure 1.5. Article in Northampton Chronicle and Echo dated 23 April 1997
Figure 1.6. Helmet restored with Ian Meadows directly behind talking to colleagues (Greg Phillips, Graham Cadman, Vikki Pearson, Martin Ellison, Ian Meadows, Rob Atkins, Glenn Foard, Brenda Perryman, Jenny Ballinger and Ann Bond)
Excavation
Burial location
The excavation methodology
The grave
The grave goods
Chapter 3
Figure 2.1. Plan of burial showing grave goods
Figure 2.2. view of the burial, looking south
Figure 2.3. Vertical view of sword, femurs and part of helmet
Figure 2.4. Remains of the skull, looking south
Figure 2.5. Hanging bowl, skull and cobble, looking south-west
Figure 2.6. Detail of sword grip and knife
Figure 2.7. Helmet from above
Figure 2.8. Helmet in ground from side
Figure 2.10. Helmet getting plastered
Figure 2.11. Machine excavation trenches around the burial, looking north-west
Figure 2.9. Helmet in cling film
Artefacts
Overview
The helmet
Nose to nape band
The brow band
External reinforcing ribs
Lateral bands
The cheek guards
The infill plates
The Boar crest
The eyebrows and nasal
The helmet in the grave
Conservation report on the helmet
Organic material associated with the helmet
Hanging bowl
Analysis of the hanging bowl
Microscopic examination
Scientific examination
Chemical analysis
Discussion
Organic material associated with the sword
Scabbard
The sword
Other artefacts
The knife, buckles, iron rods and clothing hook
The buckles
Buckle A (RA2)
Buckle C (RA3)
Buckle B (RA1)
The knife
The clothing hook
The iron rods
Conservation report on the buckles
Condition
Descriptions
RA3, buckle C
RA1, buckle B
RA1, side 2
RA2, buckle A
RA4
RA4, A-F
RA4, described as miscellaneous fragments
RA5, described as plough deposits
RA5, individual fragments B-D (Fig 3.33).
Introduction
Treatment
Textiles remains possibly relating to bedding
Introduction
Textile A
Textile B
Conclusion
Chapter 4
Figure 3.1. The helmet, front
Figure 3.2. The helmet, right side, largely showing interior of left side
Figure 3.3. The helmet, rear
Figure 3.4. The helmet, left side
Figure 3.5. The conserved helmet
Figure 3.6. Views of the helmet following conservation
Figure 3.7. The helmet and its component parts
Figure 3.8. Helmet details
Figure 3.9. Helmet being X-rayed
Figure 3.10. X-ray of helmet
Figure 3.11 Helmet being cleaned
Figure 3.13. Nick Gore and George Jeavons inspect the helmet in Leicester
Figure 3.14. Unconserved boar crest
Figure 3.15. Detail of boar crest after cleaning
Figure 3.16. Helmet in CT scanner
Figure 3.17. Results examined on computer
Figure 3.18. Hanging bowl
Figure 3.19. The sword
Figure 3.20. The knife, buckles and clothing hook
Figure 3.21. X-radiograph of RA3 (buckle C)
Figure 3.22. RA3 (buckle C), textile seen to left of black line
Figure 3.23. RA3 (buckle C), other side, semi-circular piece of metal can be seen
Figure 3.24. X-radiograph of RA2 (buckle A)
Figure 3.25. RA2 (buckle A), after cleaning, side 1
Figure 3.26. RA2 (buckle A), after cleaning, side 2
Figure 3.27. X-radiograph of RA1 (buckle B)
Figure 3.28. RA1 (buckle B), side 1
Figure 3.29. RA1 (buckle B), side 2
Figure 3.30. RA4
Figure 3.31. RA5 A, X-radiograph of soil block
Figure 3.32. RA5 Group A from soil block (side with circular feature)
Figure 3.33. RA5, individual fragments B-E
Figure 3.34. Detail of textiles
Figure 3.35. Textiles
Human remains
Skeletal report
Summary
Chapter 5
The dentition
The legs
The skull
Discussion
Overview
The location of the Pioneer burial
Routeways in relation to the Pioneer burial
Burial time period
The River Nene and land boundary
Wollaston in relation to Saxon administrative organisation
Nature of the grave
Barrow mound
The grave
Importance of the burial
Helmet
Hanging bowl
Pattern-welded sword
Pioneer burial and ‘Christianity’
Contemporary probable Christian burial comparisons
Conclusions
Figure 5.1. Helmet, hanging bowl and pattern-welded sword
Figure 5.2. Pioneer burial in its national setting with other Saxon (and Viking) helmets located
Figure 5.3. View along the line of the Roman road to the Pioneer burial, looking south-west
Figure 5.4. Artist’s impression of the Pioneer helmet
Bibliography
