Monument MPM126 - Anglo-Saxon Burials, George Inn, Portsdown

Two Anglo-Saxon inhumation burials discovered close to the George Inn, Portsdown Hill, in 1966/67. One burial contained several grave goods, including iron knives and a wooden bucket. The second burial had been decaptiated, and the head placed on top of the shoulders. Two ditches, possibly related to the burials, were revealed to the south and east of the graves.

Two Anglo-Saxon burials and two parallel ditches were discovered during archaeological excavations prior to the redevelopment of the A3 near the George Inn, Portsdown Hill, in 1966/67. The graves were 70ft apart, and both were on an east-west alignment.

The first grave (Grave 1, West) was rectangular, measuring 8 1/2ft by 3ft, with a minimum depth of 1ft 7in. It contained the remains of a male around 25 years old. The burial was extended with the head to the west and the arms at the sides. Three iron knives had been placed over the left hand. Other grave goods comprised a small iron buckle which lay between the legs, and the remains of a bronze bound wooden bucket against the left shin. The burial had been contained in an arrangement of planks/coffin in the centre of the grave, visible only in section in the south-east corner and as a stain running parallel to the body in the north-east corner. Nails belonging to this feature were removed from the lower filling of the grave. Large flint nodules had been used to line part of the base of the south side of the grave.

The second grave (Grave 2, East) measured 6ft long by 2 1/4ft wide, and had been cut about 1ft 6in into the surface of the chalk. It was not possible to positively identify the gender of the burial. The head had been severed from the neck and placed on top of the shoulders, which were positioned close against the east end of the grave. The elbows were bent and the hands laid in the lap. Unlike Grave 1, there was no evidence of a coffin having been used, and there were no grave goods. A fragment of Saxon chaff tempered pottery and small fragments of Iron Age and Roman coarse ware were recovered from the graves fill.

Two ditches, possibly related to the burials/cemetery, were revealed to the south and east of the graves. The first of these (ditch 1) was observed running west to east for 425ft from the eastern verge of the old Drayton Lane (now the eastern side of the present A3). This ditch was 1ft 6in deep at its western end, the fill mainly consisting of redeposited chalk, and soil with flints in the top 3in. At its eastern end it began to turn north round the slope of Portsdown Hill and faded out at a depth of 3in. The top of a Roman pitcher was found on the surface of this section of the ditch. A section excavated about one third of the way along the ditch revealed it to be 2ft deep with a flat bottom and sharply sloping sides. Fragments of Saxon cooking pot and a bronze stud were recovered from the top layer of the ditches fill. These items would have been thrown/placed in the ditch when it was no longer in use. Two very shallow depressions were just visible running parallel to the north at its west and eastern ends.

A second ditch (ditch 2) ran parallel to ditch 1, 16ft to the north. This ditch was 141ft long, and started about 150ft east of the present A3. The western end of the ditch was rounded, while the eastern end terminated in a square. It was 2ft 9in deep. The two ditches were thought to be contemporary with one another, but their function is not clear. It is possible that they formed a boundary to a Saxon cemetery starting further to the west (see MPM1694) and including the two burials above.


Held in the collections of Portsmouth Museum Service. Accession No: 1967/31 and 1967/32.

Bradley, R, Lewis, E, 1969, Excavations at the George Inn, Portsdown Hill, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Volume XXV for 1968, p27-50 (Bibliographic reference). SPM336.

Portsmouth City Council, n/a, Portsmouth City SMR Cards, SU60NE21 (Index). SPM1.