Cemetery 200m E of Boteler's Castle, Alcester

1 A group of 16 inhumations was found to the NE of Icknield St during observation of a pipe trench. The burials were 0.2-1.3m beneath ground surface in red marl, sealed by occupation debris of Medieval and Roman date. No grave goods were recovered but sherds of Roman pottery were recovered from the grave fills. If the cemetery was Medieval, it may have been connected with Boteler’s Castle, which which is said to have had a chapel. The field name evidence (Chapel Close, Rough Chapel Close, Lower Chapel Close) suggests a Medieval origin for the cemetery.
3 Initial report on above. Same info. Eight of the burials were immature (<25 yrs old), 5 were adult and 3 could not be estimated. 4 The OS records that the cemetery has been dated by radio carbon dating to the C10.
56 Radiocarbon dates. One from burial. Other almost certainly form another burial, definitely from same site. First calibrated to AD 1050 +/- 170 (95%), second to AD 1195 +/- 125. Could both therefore be contemporary with settlement to west (MWA537).
7 Correspondence about an entry in Harwell’s Radiocarbon list.
8 Review of the radio carbon dates for HAR 2732 (1000bp +/-80) and HAR 3434 (880bp +/-70).
9 A radiocarbon date which appears to refer to this site; HAR 3433 (740bp +/-70).