The Wolverton Warrior: Alkham Valley near Dover

Further to the Interim Report published in the KAS Newsletter Spring 2008, work continued at this site until the end of October 2008. Our investigations concluded two years of geophysical research, excavation and survey. The site is situated on a downland spur between Kearsney Abbey and the small hamlet of Wolverton, in the Alkham Valley.

The Wolverton Project set out to investigate the now-confirmed Bronze Age barrow cemetery on the ridge dating to c.1800 BC. Two continuous chalk-cut ring-ditches under the plough soil are all that remain of the former upstanding mounds, which would have stood out like white cenotaphs, visible for miles around. Both monuments have now been fully explored and recorded; barrow I measured 18m in diameter and barrow II, 11m in diameter.

During the pagan Anglo-Saxon period, local communities commonly buried their dead by reusing barrow cemeteries in Kent. At Wolverton the same practice had been observed, with many of the burials clustered around barrow I. As previously reported, two burials, assigned as GR01 & GR02, are believed to have been excavated at the site during the 1970s.

Only seven interments, damaged or reduced in depth by erosion, were excavated and removed, another 17 were planned and left. The first burial, GR03, orientated east-west, was that of a complete articulated male skeleton with an 183cm-long iron knife, who exhibited a severe unhealed break to the tibia of the left leg. Burial GR04 had been truncated by GR06 and comprised only the bones left in situ. GR06 was that of another fully articulated skeleton interred with no grave goods. In the western ditch of barrow II, a further burial, GR12, also orientated east-west, was located. This burial had been truncated by the ring-ditch, clearly dating to a period before 1800 BC when the monument was constructed. The burial had been almost destroyed, however, two possible small fragments of thin tibia bone were recovered from the bottom of the surviving eastern end of the burial cut.

Whilst searching for evidence of the ploughed-out section of barrow I’s eastern ring-ditch, our trench located a further mostly ploughed-out Anglo-Saxon annular ring ditch, positioned on the eastern flank of the barrow. The ditch (roughly circular) measures 4.4m in diameter, and was probably around one metre wide by perhaps up to one metre deep when constructed. Stakehole evidence suggests the monument was embellished by a circle of large wooden stakes erected in the centre of the ditch.

During the full excavation of this feature, a small burial was located out by the annular ditch. The grave, GR15, contained the partial skeletal remains of a young female. Her body was laid to rest on the left side with knees drawn up and accompanied by a 14cm-long iron knife clasped in her right hand. A string of 64 coloured glass beads had been placed around the neck and a small hinged bronze bracelet on her right wrist.

Due to an unusual number of disarticulated human bones recovered from the annular ditch and central burial area, we expected to find the primary interment badly damaged, however, this was not the case. The burial, GR14, was intact and that of an important weapon burial.

The grave had been head-shaped, widened, deepened and recut at a slightly different orientation from its original formation. The bottom of the grave was thickly packed with chalk, narrowing it to better suit the equal length of the planks probably helped support upright planks forming the burial lining, long since disintegrated. Evidence of an unusual practice, unrecorded in Kent, was the odd use of two human femur bones, supported by four platforms of rough chalk blocks positioned on either side of the burial. The large femurs appear to have been deliberately placed across the interment at low key points over the chest and upper leg just below the given area. After more than 3000 years of natural compression from the ground above, both femurs remained in their original positions. It seems likely that they were placed across the body as supports for a coffin lid, perhaps one board or a number of single planks, to seal the grave. Partial evidence for the use of wood can be suggested by the presence of carbon deposits, an iron axe and a single iron nail recovered from the primary fill adjacent to the body. Neither the axe nor the nail, which measured 8cm in length, bore any physical relationship to other material recovered.

A skull, sited on the warrior’s left arm, and mandible on the stomach area, presumably originated from the former destroyed burial. The position and angle of the skull and mandible some 9cm away from each other, suggests the skull may have not been placed inside the interment post mortem but above. As great care had been exercised in placing the body and goods into the grave, it seems more likely that the skull rolled into the void between the burial sealing material and the cavity left by the decomposing body than to have been unceremoniously thrown in. The almost complete articulated skeleton was surrounded by its personal effects, including an intact wheel-thrown wine bottle manufactured in northern France with a roulette pattern spiralling down the vessel, which probably contained wine for his journey into the afterlife. Other effects included a sword, spear, two knives, a leather boss with three disc fittings, a boss-handled and a few other corroded items yet to be x-rayed.

Directly below warrior GR14 we discovered a second male burial, GR24, perhaps a relation. His untimely demise may have resulted from an infection (septicaemia?) caused by a severe break to his left upper leg that had not repaired prior to his death. The grave goods consisted of an unknown iron rod with a hook at one end and copper alloy clasp fittings possibly attached to a leather bridle recovered from above the skull.

A dental survey was undertaken by Helen Harrington to determine ages. Due to extensive dental caries, an age of between 40-60 years is suggested for warrior GR14. Female GR15 was between 4-5 years and GR24 an adult in his twenties. At the centre of GR14’s skull, an aperture (possibly a violent blow from a sharp object) exhibited no sign of healing prior to death and it is therefore reasonable to postulate...

that this individual died shortly afterwards. It would also appear that he suffered painfully from the sexually transmitted disease of syphilis, well developed by the time of death and affecting his bones.

Of the seven burials examined, two had been completely truncated to make way for another burial, three of the five articulated skeletons exhibited, at the time of death, unhealed bone damage in one form or another. Statistically and inclusive of the destroyed burials, 43% of the burial's occupants had suffered significant or severe bone trauma prior to their demise. All the finds from the site have been donated to Dover Museum.

More information on Alkham’s archaeology is at www.alkhamarchaeology.co.uk.

Vince Burrows

RIGHT: Latest Frankish wine bottle from the weapon burial.

BELOW: Bead recovered from the young female burial.