AD 830-900, the first long-cist burials
It was not until the ninth century and then probably towards the end of it, that the first long-cist graves appear. By then the rectangular stone-walled enclosure was almost completely buried in sand.
Click on the plan on the information tool to see images of the excavated long-cist.
This long-cist grave (burial B18) only survived as sand would have quickly engulfed it and then protected it from the elements.
AD 1000- early 1100s
During the 11th or early 12th century a layers of stone rubble was laid down over the area of the by now completely sand-engulfed rectangular stone enclosure and a stone-built chapel was constructed on top of the rubble.
A bronze pin, dating to around AD 1050 had been pushed upright into the stone rubble layer. Burials were placed on and in the stone rubble, but as in the first phase of the cemetery back in the 8th century only children were buried. Several of the cist graves were unusual being capped with quartz pebbles. Here’s one example.
