Table Of ContentMedieval History and Archaeology
GeneralEditors
JOHN BLAIR HELENA HAMEROW
Anglo-Saxon Deviant Burial Customs
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
AND ARCHAEOLOGY
GeneralEditors
John Blair Helena Hamerow
Thevolumesinthisseriesbringtogetherarchaeological, historical,and
visualmethodstooffernewapproachestoaspectsofmedievalsociety,
economy,andmaterialculture.Theseriesseekstopresentandinterpret
archaeological evidence inwaysreadilyaccessible tohistorians,while
providingahistoricalperspectiveandcontextforthematerialcultureofthe
period.
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN THIS SERIES
BEYOND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
TheDiversification ofLandscapeCharacterinSouthernBritain
StephenRippon
WATERWAYS AND CANAL-BUILDING IN MEDIEVAL
ENGLAND
EditedbyJohnBlair
FOOD IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
DietandNutrition
EditedbyC.M.Woolgar,D.Serjeantson,andT.Waldron
GOLD AND GILT, POTS AND PINS
PossessionsandPeopleinMedieval Britain
DavidA.Hinton
THE ICONOGRAPHY OF EARLY ANGLO-SAXON COINAGE
AnnaGannon
EARLY MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENTS
TheArchaeologyofRuralCommunities inNorth-WestEurope400–900
HelenaHamerow
ANGLO-SAXON
DEVIANT BURIAL
CUSTOMS
ANDREW REYNOLDS
1
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To my mother and father
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Preface and Acknowledgements
A large number ofindividuals and institutions havecontributed to the writing
of this book. The project began life as Ph.D research at the Institute of
Archaeology, University College London, successfully concluded in 1998 with
the support of a three-year studentship from the British Academy. The Ph.D
was supervised with great care and judicious direction by James Graham-
Campbell, initially a great teacher, now a great friend. Martin Carver and
Wendy Davies examined the thesis, and I have benefited from knowing them
bothinsomanyways.
This book is offered as a new perspective on a neglected aspect of Anglo-
Saxon society. Burial evidence of the period is much studied, yet this volume
differs significantly from what has gone before in that an attempt is made
to chart how social others were treated in a society that developed from one
organizedapparentlyatcommunityleveltothatofacomplexnationstate.Early
Anglo-Saxon communities ofthe fifth to seventh centuries applied avariety of
burial rites to those who were apparently regarded as social others, and this
materialhasmuchtoaddtoourunderstandingofdevelopingmodesofdealing
with social outcasts both during the process of kingdom-formation and later
in Middle and Late Anglo-Saxon England. This research has revealed a high
degreeofcomplexityamongstthearchaeologicalmaterial,andseveralbroader
strands are pursued here, not least the poorly understood, but remarkably
varied, patterns of burial apparent in the landscape of Christian Anglo-Saxon
England.
The approach taken throughout is interdisciplinary, and it is intended that
there will be material of interest to archaeologists working on burial, land-
scapes,socialmeaning,andperceptionandtohistoriansofstate-formationand
legalandsocialhistorywhohavestudiedsimilartopicsfromdifferentperspect-
ives.Thereismuchofinterest,Ithink,toanthropologistsalso,butlimitationsof
space have precluded pursuing cross-cultural and cross-chronological avenues
ofresearch.
With hindsight, to have published the thesis immediately after examination
would have been an unfortunate course of action, not least because so much
new, and especially scientifically dated, information has come to light since to
necessitate complete revision of the Ph.D. Completion of this book therefore
required extensive new research, facilitated by a year of study leave 2002–3
fundedbyKingAlfred’sCollege,Winchester,andtheformerArtsandHuman-
ities Research Board under their Research Leave Scheme. As an archaeologist,
I have benefited immeasurably from the responses to various seminar papers
viii PrefaceandAcknowledgements
I have given over the years, in particular in the company of historians at the
Institute of Historical Research in London and the Department of Medieval
HistoryinStAndrews,amongothers.
Forprovidinginformation,assistance,andfordiscussionduringtheprepar-
ationofmyPh.Dthesisandultimatelythepresentbook,Ishouldliketoextend
mywarmestthankstoMaryAlexander,MichaelAllen,MaureenBennell,John
Bleach, Stuart Brookes, Don Brothwell, Jo Buckberry, Martin Carver, Craig
Cessford, Annia Cherryson, Judie English, Helen Geake, Dawn Hadley, Alan
Hardy, David Hill, Robin Holgate, John Hudson, Joy Jenkyns, Stuart Laid-
law, Alex Langlands, Paul McCulloch, Audrey Meaney, Richard Mortimer,
Gabriel Pepper, Tim Pestell, Rob Poulton, Jeanette Ratcliffe, Richard Reece,
Jane Roberts, Andrew Rogerson, Nesta Rooke, Edwin Rose, Jane Sidell, Nick
Stoodley,RuthTaylor,ChrisTod,MartinWelch,JohnB.Weller,SallyWhite,
ChristopherWhittick, andHowardWilliams.
For reading and commenting on drafts of various chapters and appen-
dices I am indebted to John Baker (Appendix 4), John Blair, Megan Brickley
(Chapter 2), Bruce Eagles (Chapter 3), Guy Halsall (Chapter 1), Helena
Hamerow,ChrisKnu¨sel(Chapter2),StephanyLeach(Chapter2),NickStood-
ley (Chapter 3), and Barbara Yorke (Chapter 1); the end-result is better for
thebenefitoftheirknowledgeandexperience.Twoanonymousreviewersalso
read the text, which has benefited from their thoroughness and independence.
Needless to say, I accept full responsibility for any shortcomings. I had the
good fortune to first meet with Patrick Wormald in 1993, and he maintained
an influential interest in the topic until his untimely death in 2004; he is much
missed. Especial thanks for constructive comments and good advice go to
John Blair and Sarah Semple. I am grateful to Martin Comey for assistance in
preparingtheillustrations,andtoRupertCousens,SethCayleyandKateHind
atOxfordUniversityPressfortheirhelpandadviceinseeingthebookthrough
topublication.
This book is dedicated to my parents, but especial mention should be made
of those who have lived with its gestation—Elizabeth, Jacob, and Sarah. My
mother,inparticular,encouragedmyinterestinarchaeologyasachildinmany
ways,notleastwithacopyofEricWoods’sCollinsFieldGuidetoArchaeology
asaChristmaspresentin1977;ithasservedmewell.
A.R.
Contents
ListofFigures x
ListofTables xiii
Abbreviations xiv
1. Sources,approaches,andcontexts 1
2. Burials,bodies,andbeheadings:interpretation anddiscovery 34
3. Socialdeviantsinapagansociety:thefifthtoseventhcenturies 61
4. SocialdeviantsinaChristianworld:theseventhtoeleventh
centuries 96
5. ThegeographyofdeviantburialinAnglo-SaxonEngland 180
6. Themesandtrajectories:thewidersocialcontext 235
Appendix1. AhandlistofAnglo-Saxonlaw-codes prescribing
capitalpunishment,mutilation andburialinunconsecratedground 251
Appendix2. AhandlistofearlyAnglo-Saxondeviantburials 262
Appendix3. Ahandlistofselect burialsfromexecution cemeteries 266
Appendix4. Ahandlistofexecutionandrelatedsites,andburialplaces,
inAnglo-Saxoncharterbounds 272
Bibliography 282
Index 313
