Monument record MDR4341 - Early Medieval Chapel and Viking mass burial with associated cemetery, Repton
Type and Period (4)
- CEMETERY (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
- BARROW (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
- CHAPEL (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
SK 3020 2715. The Anglo-Saxon chapel located in the vicarage garden has been excavated from 1982. It was constructed of Bunter stone and may have been contemporary with the church excavated by the minster. If it is contemporary it would have been built before c. 700. The building was probably ruined before it was used for the mass burial c. 873-4. It was originally thought the bodies were those of Saxons, killed fighting the Vikings and buried in a Royal chapel and a mound thrown over them. However, examination of the bones revealed no sign of injury and it is now suggested that the mass burial were Vikings who may have died of disease. The fact that coins were buried in the mound, a Scandinavian custom, indicates Vikings rather than Saxons. Also the fact that rich secondary burials were inserted into the mound and a cemetery grew up round it indicates a veneration of the site. If these graves were of Scandinavians, they may have been looking back to the founders of their settlement, the Viking army of 873-4. (1)
SK 302 271. Excavations and research were carried out at this approximate location by Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjolbye-Biddle at some time before 1989. A cemetery and funerary structure were recorded in the Derby Museum Catalogue Records. (3)
Sources/Archives (3)
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3020 2715 (10m by 10m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | REPTON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR313
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Sep 15 2016 4:45PM