Information for record number MWA7932:
Charnel Pit at St Nicholas' Church, Alcester

Summary A possible charnel pit was found during an archaeological excavation. The pit contained human bone, Roman pottery and various other artefacts. The site was located at St. Nicholas' Church, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Pit, Charnel Pit
Period: Medieval - Romano-British (1066 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 09 57
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Archaeological observation carried out at St Nicholas' Church, Alcester, recorded a possible charnel pit containing a large amount of disarticulated human bone, a small amount of Romano-British (2nd-4th century) pottery, a copper alloy pin and stud and some iron nails.
2 Dating of charnel pit changed to medieval.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Archaeological Recording at St Nicholas' Church, Alcester
Author/originator: Jones C & Wright K
Date: 1997
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm. Giles Carey
Author/originator: G Carey
Date: 2009-2014
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CHARNEL PIT * A pit used for the re-burial of disarticulated human remains from many individuals, occasionally displaying sorting of remains, eg. grouping of skulls or long bones. Distinct from mass burials which contain articulated skeletal remains. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record