4 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered in Britain illuminates ‘Dark Ages’

Archaeologists working on HS2 (the purpose-built high-speed railway line) have discovered a rich Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, where almost three-quarters of the graves contain quality grave goods.

The items uncovered are dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. The site contains 138 graves, 141 inhumation burials, and 5 cremation burials, in addition to evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman activity. One of the largest Anglo-Saxon burial grounds ever uncovered in Britain.

Many of the burials had two brooches on their collarbones, indicating that they were used to hold up clothes like a cloak or a peplos – a long garment worn by women with shoulder brooches. The brooches were manufactured in a variety of styles, including gilt disk brooches and silver coin brooches. A pair of little square-headed brooches were discovered — a miniature version of the famed Chessell Down Brooch, which is on exhibit at the British Museum.

A set of copper alloy brooches uncovered during HS2 excavations of an Anglo Saxon burial ground in Wendover.
A set of copper alloy brooches was uncovered during HS2 excavations of an Anglo-Saxon burial ground in Wendover. Photo: HS2

One person, a female, was discovered with a large number of items, the quality of which suggests that she was a high-status member of the site’s buried population. She was buried with a whole elaborate glass bowl composed of pale green glass, believed to have been manufactured around the turn of the fifth century and hence might have been of Roman heritage. Other burial items included multiple rings made of copper alloy, a silver ‘zoomorphic’ ring, brooches, discs, iron belt fittings, and objects made of ivory.

Glass bowl, possibly Roman, uncovered during HS2 excavations of an Anglo Saxon burial ground in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Photo: HS2

Some of the items uncovered could have been imported from across Europe, such as amber beads, and various metals and raw materials used to make the artifacts. Two glass cone beakers were uncovered intact, which are similar to vessels made in Northern France, although they were also making them in England at the time.

The beakers, which would have been used for drinking liquids such as wine, may suggest the people there had access to fine beverages from abroad. The vessels have decorative trails in the glass and are comparable to the “Kempston” type cone beaker, uncovered in Bedfordshire in 1891, with one currently on display in the British Museum.

Anglo Saxon decorative glass beads
Anglo Saxon decorative glass beads. Photo: HS2

 Overall, the excavations recovered over 2000 beads, 89 brooches, 40 buckles, 51 knives, 15 spearheads, 7 shield bosses, and a bucket made from iron and wood.

Talking about the excavations, Mike Court, Lead Archaeologist for HS2 Ltd, said:

“As we near the end of our archaeology fieldwork on Phase One of HS2, we are just at the beginning of our understanding of how the discoveries will improve our historical knowledge of Britain.

A silver “zoomorphic” ring. Photo: HS2

“The archaeological finds made at this site in Wendover will not only be of interest to the local community but are of national importance, providing a valuable insight into life in Anglo-Saxon Britain.”

Whilst the majority of burials were inhumations, many were buried with vessels that were similar in style to cremation urns but were placed in graves as accessories. One of these had a unique style with horns protruding out, and distinctive “hot cross bun’ stamps – a fairly common Anglo-Saxon motif.

HS2

Cover Photo: HS2

Related Articles

Riddle of Former Crater Lakes in the Highest Mountains of the Sahara Solved

18 August 2025

18 August 2025

An interdisciplinary research team, led by scientists from the Free University of Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology,...

“Non-returning” Aboriginal boomerangs were discovered in Cooper Creek dried-up riverbed

22 November 2021

22 November 2021

The drying waters of the Cooper Creek river have revealed extremely rare 4 boomerangs that have been partially buried. The...

3000 Years Old Bronze Age Settlement Unveiled Ahead of New Stadium Construction

27 July 2025

27 July 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered an expansive Late Bronze Age settlement in Wolmirstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, ahead of the construction of a new multimillion-euro...

Paleontologists Unearth 139 Million-Year-Old Pregnant Dinosaur Fossil in Chile

10 May 2022

10 May 2022

Archeologists in Chile have unearthed the fossilized remains of a 13ft-long pregnant ichthyosaur from a melting glacier -marking the first...

A newly Discovered Church in Sudan could be a Cathedral

2 June 2021

2 June 2021

Archaeologists have found the remains of the largest church known from medieval Nubia in old Dongola (Sudan). Dongola was the...

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

17 March 2024

17 March 2024

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology have unearthed a well-preserved tomb from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)...

5500-year-old pentagon structure found in North China

13 November 2021

13 November 2021

Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a pentagonal structure going back 5,500 years in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, north China. According to...

Archaeologists discover a 4,000-year-old ancient city in the Iraqi Dhi Qar region

20 July 2021

20 July 2021

An astonishing find was made by archaeologists in Iraq‘s Dhi Qar province, where an ancient settlement estimated to be 4,000...

A Chapel was Found Under the Madonna Tal-Hniena Church in Qrendi, Malta

21 May 2021

21 May 2021

Underneath the Madonna Tal-Hniena church in the village of Qrendi in the south of Malta, the remains of an ancient...

Unique Two-Faced Gold Ring Unearthed in Poland

10 February 2024

10 February 2024

A gold ring with an unusual two-faced design, likely to be from the 11th or 12th century, has been discovered...

Rare Roman Soldier’s Sun Hat Rediscovered After More Than a Century

12 August 2025

12 August 2025

Bolton Museum has unveiled a rare and fascinating artifact—a Roman sun hat worn by a soldier in Ancient Egypt nearly...

Medieval Masterpiece: Rare Jesus Christ Relief from Ani Ruins Unveiled After 130 Years

14 August 2025

14 August 2025

A significant archaeological artifact depicting Jesus Christ has been put on public display for the first time at the Kars...

Hundreds of 8,400-Year-Old Finger Flutings Discovered in Australia’s Glittering Cave

15 August 2025

15 August 2025

Deep within a remote limestone cave in southeastern Australia, archaeologists have uncovered a breathtaking link to the past — hundreds...

Tombs rich in artifacts discovered by Swedish archaeologists in Cyprus

7 July 2023

7 July 2023

A Swedish archaeological expedition made the extraordinary discovery of tombs outside the Bronze Age trading metropolis of Hala Sultan Tekke...

Gaza bulldozers unearth Roman-era a burial site

1 February 2022

1 February 2022

Bulldozers digging for an Egyptian-funded housing project in the Gaza Strip have unearthed the ruins of a tomb dating back...