Denton, three short cists

HER Number:
1243

District:
Newcastle

Site Name:
Denton, three short cists

Place:
Denton

Map Sheet:
NZ16NE

Class:
Religious Ritual and Funerary

Site Type: Broad:
Funerary site

Site Type: Specific:
Cist

General Period:
Prehistoric

Specific Period:
Bronze Age

Form of Evidence:
Find

Description:
In 1813 or 1814, just over a quarter of a mile south-west of the Roman Wall, Edward Woodhouse raised a large stone which had obstructed the plough. Beneath it he found "three enclosures, about two feet in length, and from twelve to eighteem inches in breadth". Each was composed of four stones set on edge, the longest stones set SW-NE, and they were separated from one another by spaces about 12 inches wide filled with rubble. In the East cist were calcined bones, and in the centre one a food vessel containing ash. The vessel was later described as a bipartite vase in buff fabric, 11.5 cm high x 15.3 cm rim diam x 7.7. cm base diameter. The exterior is decorated all over with combed pseudo maggots arranged herringbone fashion. The bottom of the vessel was about the same depth as the edge stones; the remaining space within being filled up with very fine soft yellow sand, almost to the surface. The pot was donated to the Society of Antiquaries in Jan. 1815.

Easting:
1971

Northing:
6522

Grid Reference:
NZ19716522

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 1243 >> E. Woodhouse, 1822, An Account of the Opening of an ancient grave near Denton... Archaeologia Aeliana, 1, I, 101-2 Archaeologia Aeliana, 1822, Donations, 1, I, 6 M.H. Dodds, 1930, Prehistoric Period, Northumberland County History, XIII, 12 T. Wake, 1937, A Bronze Age Burial Cist found near Denton Burn, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle, 4, VII (for 1935-36), 227 R. Miket, 1984, The Prehistory of Tyne and Wear, p. 15 no. 1