Monument record MNL 001 - Warren Hill; Three Hills (Sax)

Anglo-Saxon secondary graves and inhumation cemetery on and around barrow cemetery called Three Hills, Warren Hill, Mildenhall. Approximately 18 inhumation graves with grave goods recorded, most with skeletal remains in very poor state of survival. Also horse burial and `cone-shaped' features. Excavated by Bunbury in 1820, pottery and other objects found but no record of other discoveries (S1).
Anglo-Saxon urn (now in IPSMG) said to have been found with beads and rings in gravel pit near Warren Lodge in 1853 (S2), possibly relate to this site rather than High Lodge (MNL 134) area.
In 1866 quarrying revealed several Anglo-Saxon graves nearer the surface (than the EBA primary burial) of the central barrow, with grave goods including 2 iron shield bosses, 4 iron spearheads, bronze toilet set and `volute' handle (see Rom), and 2 iron plates or studs (S3).
From 1875 onwards cemetery partially and intermittently examined by Fenton and Prigg, its location being `distant but a few score yards along the top of the ridge from where the tumuli formerly stood' (S4).
Fenton's finds were as follows:- 1875: grave with bronze tweezers, bronze twisted wire ring, fabric fragments, small triangular bronze plate with rivets and wood remains; adjacent grave containing iron shield boss and spearhead; grave containing bronze cruciform brooch with fabric remains (possibly one in Birmingham Museum, A.206/58 (S14)) and 2 circular brooches; 2 small plain urns, one with a flat pottery lid (possibly being grave goods with inhumations?); cone- shaped holes containing `burnt matter'.
1876: Grave with bronze cruciform brooch, fragment of circular brooch, fabric fragments, amber and `paste' beads, 4 very thin silver discs circa 1 inch in diameter ornamented with central star enclosing a slight boss, around outer edge circle of punched dots, 4 silver wire rings and fragments of other/s.
1877: Grave with 3 small cruciform brooches (now in Birmingham Museum, A.207/58-A.210/58 (S14)), wrist clasps, urn fragments, iron knife; worman's grave with pair silver bracelets and 2 silver rings; skeleton of horse which had apparently been `placed in a hole upon its haunches and then covered over. With it was a small iron buckle. It was just beside this horse, to the west, that the grave ... containing the boss and spearhead occurred' (above 1875 - adjacent grave).
Prigg continued in 1881 and found:- grave containing male with shield boss and bronze-bound wooden cup; grave containing spearhead; grave with female, iron knife and girdlehanger, 2 bronze clasps, gilded bronze brooch, 2 penannular brooches, beads of amber, `paste' and rock crystal, textile remains and a bronze ring; grave with urn close to gilt clasp and 6 beads of amber and 3 bronze ferrules (?); grave with urn and single child tooth (S4). Also listed are a tinned bronze mount from a shield?; in form of a fish from Warren Hill in Fenton's possession (S5).
The bones from the horse burial plus a warrior burial were donated to IPSMG by Fenton (S6).
A cremation urn with raised lobes on lower half of body, stamped rosettes on lobes and rest of body, from Warren Hill was sold at Sotheby's on 16 January 1956 (S7)(S8).
Two small Anglo-Saxon pottery urns (possibly those found in 1875 ?) found at Three Hills, were sold at Sotheby's (lot 72) on 28 October 1963 to (see 'Not to be published on web' tab for finder/s and/or findspot/s) for 6 pounds (S9).
The barrows now appear to have been destroyed and the area is extensively disturbed by quarrying and afforested (S10).
Photographs of toilet sets, tweezer and wrist clasp from Moyses Hall.
See also Pal, BA & Rom.