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Bodies on the Beach
(by Caroline Hardie and Sarah Rushton)
Parts of the North East coast are eroding at an alarming rate. This results in a variety of items of archaeological
interest frequently being uncovered.
Last year's newsletter reported the discovery of stone burial cists on the beach at Low Hauxley near Amble
(NU 284018).
Local walkers noticed a large stone slab protruding from the dunes. Their suspicions were aroused and they contacted
the County Archaeologist.
Bronze Age burials were already known from this area and closer inspection revealed that the stone slab probably
formed part of another burial site.
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As the site was under direct threat, an emergency excavation by Tyne and Wear Museums Service was rapidly carried out
on behalf of the County Council who are the landowners. This revealed that the slab formed part of a burial cist - a
type of square or rectangular coffin made from slabs of stone used during the Bronze Age to bury the dead. It was
covered by a stone burial mound or cairn. The cist was found to contain the remains of a cremated body accompanied by
a beaker with intricate incised decoration. As the sand was cleared from around the cist it revealed another one
positioned close by. This second cist contained a crouched skeleton and another decorated beaker. Both burials were
cut into the remains of a dark peaty deposit. This deposit is thought to represent the remains of a midden site dating to the Mesolithic period. The midden is possibly up to 8500 years old and will contain fascinating information about the diet and lifestyle of some of the earliest prehistoric settlers in Northumberland.
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The cists form part of a Bronze Age cemetery, elements of which were first recognised in 1983 and partially excavated by the University of Edinburgh. The settlement site which would have been associated with this cemetery has not yet been discovered and may have already been washed away by the sea.
It has long been recognised that this is an important and exciting part of the coastline; in addition to the sequence of prehistoric occupation here, a stretch of prehistoric forest, and of peat laid down in the prehistoric period, also survive. These deposits contain well preserved organic material and will contain valuable information about the prehistoric landscape and human activity within it. Severe coastal erosion of this site means that it is a diminishing resource. As a result, English Heritage and Northumberland County Council are working on a project which will seek to discover the limits of the archaeological remains and analyze the potential for further work.
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit have been commissioned to oversee these works. In October 1994, a number of environmental samples were taken from the cliff face and further samples taken from the old ground surface buried beneath several metres of sand.
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These samples, combined with the use of auguring, will be used to determine the limits of the archaeology and the archaeological potential of the surrounding land. A suite of different dating techniques and a variety of specialists from Newcastle University and English Heritage will be used to build up a picture of coastal erosion over the last 10,000 years. This may lead to further work in 1995 and eventually a public display of the discoveries.
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