Monument record MDR5560 - Inhumation cemetery (site of), Borrowash, Ockbrook
Type and Period (2)
- CINERARY URN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- INHUMATION (Undated)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
About eighty inhumations and a quantity of burnt bones were found about two feet down when excavating through an elevated piece of ground near Borrowash, for the Midland Counties Railway, a few hundred yards from the River Derwent. There were no surface indications. Nine of the skeletons lay east-west and one was in a crude vault covered with stones. A flint arrowhead was found inside one of the skulls. Underneath one skeleton was a twin ridged Beaker battle axe, found in 1841. At a later period a box containing amulets, a blue bead and an Anglo-Saxon ornament was found. In another part of the ground a small vase containing bird bones and a coin of Constantine was found. Burnt animal bones were found in abundance. Briggs suggested the name Borrowash referred to a barrow here but E.P.N.S. derives the first element from 'burh'. (1-5)
At Borrowash the canal had to be diverted to make way for the railway, and it was during this work in 1838 that the discoveries were made. (6) The Midland Railway, Derby to Nottingham, was built in 1838 and opened in 1839. No further work was done for 37 years and reports of finds after that date are wrongly dated. (7)
The original plans of this cutting show it in an area SK 41403430. The elevated ground referred to by Briggs was probably at SK 41453429. The axe hammer is in Western Park Museum, Sheffield, Acc. J. 93-8 (G.36), as is the Anglo Saxon ornament and a contemporary bronze ring and fragments of another - Acc. J.93-716 (H.186). The Museum's Director had no knowledge of other finds from this site. (8)
SK 4134 Borrowash. The perforated stone battle-axe (Db. 123) 'found with unburnt burial' (9) is of dolerite (10) and is of Neolithic date (11).
Borrowash Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery. Listed in surveys. (12-13)
Sources/Archives (12)
- <1> SDR7787 Article in serial: Briggs. J.B.A.A. 7,1852,.
- <3> SDR16129 Bibliographic reference: Vestiges of the Ants. of Derby, 1848,7. (T. Bateman).
- <4> SDR6017 Bibliographic reference: Evans, J. 1897. Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain. p196.
- <5> SDR3818 Bibliographic reference: Catalogue of Bateman Collection 1899,226. (Sheffield Museum).
- <6> SDR15264 Bibliographic reference: The Midland Railway , pp 26,397. (F.S. Williams).
- <7> SDR6234 Personal Observation: F1 FDC 12-JAN-60.
- <8> SDR6565 Personal Observation: F2 FDC 12-JAN-60.
- <9> SDR1507 Article in serial: Allen, J R. 1903. Archaeologia Cambrensis 1903. Volume 3. p233.
- <10> SDR13190 Article in serial: Moore, C N and Cummins, W A. 1974. 'Petrological Identification of Stone Implements from Derbyshire and Leicestershire', Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. Volume 40, pp 59-78. p71.
- <11> SDR15753 Bibliographic reference: Trent Valley Arch Res Comm Gaz c 1980 3.
- <12> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p80.
- <13> SDR15749 Bibliographic reference: Trent Valley Arch Res Comm Gaz c 1980 12.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 4150 3430 (239m by 199m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | OCKBROOK, EREWASH, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR1026
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Aug 7 2020 2:22PM