Anglo-Saxon Textiles from Cleatham, Humberside

Abstract

Excavation of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery of Cleatham, England, which was discovered in 1856, occurred between 1979 and 1989. The site has major significance as a cremation cemetery, with 1,016 cremation burials identified to date. Some of the inhumation graves, which go back to the 5th century, preserve textiles that reflect pre-Christian practices of burying grave goods with the dead. Contact with metal grave goods such as brooches, buckles, and wrist clasps was responsible for the preservation of these textiles. Analysis of these fragments provides such descriptions as dimensions, weave structure, fiber type, thread count, whether the yarn is Z or S twist, the artifact with which the fragment is associated, and whether the inhumation was male or female based on the type of grave goods.