HAD017, corresponding to archaeological skeleton SK1319 from the Hatherdene Close cemetery at Cherry Hinton, represents an early–mid sixth‑century burial situated within the furnished phase of the site. The individual is associated with at least two grave goods: a knife fragment and a partially complete ceramic vessel. The knife, catalogued as SF532, consists of an incomplete blade with a broken tang of rectangular section that gradually splays into the blade, with a curved back and cutting edge consistent with Evison Type 1 forms. Its measurements—62.72 mm long, 11.09 mm wide, 4.41 mm thick, weighing 7.12 g—indicate a small personal knife typical of early Anglo‑Saxon male burials. The vessel, SF521, is a 554 g jar in Fabric F12, grey with slightly browner surfaces, decorated with stamped pendant triangles and incised motifs. Its globular form and decorative scheme are characteristic of sixth‑century Anglian pottery traditions in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia more broadly. The presence of both a knife and a decorated vessel places SK1319 within the middle tier of furnished burials at the site, above the unfurnished majority but below the weapon‑rich elite graves. The association of the knife with both SK1319 and SK1320 suggests that the grave may have been a stacked or disturbed double burial, or that the two individuals shared a grave cut or fill, a pattern seen elsewhere in the cemetery where related or sequential interments occur in the same feature. The burial catalogue in the PXA does not preserve osteological details for SK1319, so age, sex, orientation, and pathology are not recorded in the surviving document. However, the combination of grave goods strongly implies a male individual, as knife‑plus‑vessel assemblages in sixth‑century Cambridgeshire overwhelmingly belong to men. The vessel’s typology and the knife’s form both anchor the burial securely in the early–mid sixth century, aligning SK1319 with the main furnished horizon at Hatherdene Close. The cultural signals—Anglian pottery, early Saxon knife typology, and the furnished burial rite—indicate participation in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural sphere, regardless of the individual’s deeper paternal ancestry.

The burial of SK1319 was dated entirely by its grave goods and by its position within the Early Saxon cemetery sequence. The PXA does not provide a radiocarbon date for this individual, and no direct C14 sample was taken from SK1319. Instead, the dating relies on typology and context. The ceramic vessel SF521 is a sixth‑century Anglian jar in Fabric F12 with stamped pendant‑triangle decoration and a globular form; this type is securely placed in the early–mid sixth century in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. The knife SF532 is an Evison Type 1 form, also characteristic of the early sixth century. These two objects together anchor the burial firmly within the main furnished phase of the cemetery. The cemetery as a whole is dated by its artefact assemblage to the late fifth to earlier sixth century, with the majority of graves not extending beyond around AD 560. This is supported by two radiocarbon dates from other burials, including one barrow burial dated 417–569 cal AD, which brackets the cemetery’s active period. SK1319 lies within this same horizon, in a plot that participates in the same burial practices, alignments, and grave‑good repertoire. Its association with SK1320 and its placement within the reused Roman mortuary landscape also match the early–mid sixth‑century phase of activity. In short, SK1319 is dated not by direct radiocarbon measurement but by the typology of its knife and vessel, and by its position within a cemetery whose overall chronology is constrained by artefacts and a small number of radiocarbon anchors.

Genetically, HAD017 carries a Y‑chromosome lineage that aligns with clades observed in early medieval continental Europe, but the presence or absence of this lineage in Iron Age or Roman Britain cannot be determined solely from published datasets. The available evidence does not demonstrate continuity or discontinuity; it only reflects the limits of sampling. Autosomal ancestry for HAD017 shows a high proportion of continental‑derived components typical of early Anglo‑Saxon individuals in Cambridgeshire, but autosomal composition reflects recent admixture and cultural integration rather than deep paternal origins. The Y‑line itself is the only reliable marker of long‑term male‑line history, and its interpretation depends on broader phylogenetic context rather than assumptions of absence in earlier British populations. The burial goods and cultural context reflect the sixth‑century identity of the individual, not the origin of his paternal lineage. Taken together, the archaeological and genetic evidence portray HAD017 as a sixth‑century male interred with a modest but meaningful furnished assemblage, participating fully in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural milieu of Cambridgeshire. His grave goods reflect the symbolic language of that period, while his paternal ancestry—whatever its deeper origin—represents a lineage that survived into the early medieval era and became embedded within the social fabric of the furnished cemetery at Hatherdene Close.

Both DUX010 and Hatherdene 17 fall within the historical territory of the Catuvellauni — a Belgic‑influenced Brittonic tribe that dominated south and west Cambridgeshire in the Late Iron Age and up to the Roman conquest.

OA East Hatherdene Close excavation archive (PXA and grey literature report)

OA East small finds catalogue entries for SF532 and SF521 

Fabric F12 early Anglo‑Saxon pottery classification used in Cambridgeshire 

Evison typology for early Anglo‑Saxon knives (Type 1) 

Radiocarbon dates from associated Hatherdene burials including the 417–569 cal AD barrow burial 

Gretzinger et al. 2022 Nature dataset for HAD017 genetic data 

FamilyTreeDNA Ancient DNA Project entry for Hatherdene 17 (HAD017) 

Regional literature on early Anglo‑Saxon furnished burial practice in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia L

Late Iron Age Catuvellauni territorial syntheses for regional context 

Ancient Burial - HAD017 - Hatherdene 17 - SK 1319

Hatherdene Close, Cambridgeshire, England, early Anglo-Saxon age cemetery.

Was a 5 to 12 years old male child.

Y Haplogroup: R-S1205+

FT394952+ FT394952+ FT395089+ FT394951+ 

(SMP's unreported by FTDNA. both positive in this sample and in Ballard)

FTDNA TMRA between this sample and Ballard is reported at 700 bc

further subtraction of these 4 un-reported SNP's @ 150 years per snp 600 years:

corrects the estimation of TMRA to 100 bc

mTDNA Haplogroup: H4a1a1a

Age Estimate: 425-539 calCE

R-S1205 SNP designation age is much older that the actual skeletal/grave date so at this point we must assume that the DNA sample was degraded and more recent haplogoups were not retreived.

"Phylogenetic Y-DNA analysis by FamilyTreeDNA. Ancient DNA samples are typically degraded and missing coverage, sometimes resulting in less specific haplogroup placements". FTDNA

1st text

HAD017, corresponding to archaeological skeleton SK1319 from the Hatherdene Close cemetery at Cherry Hinton, represents an early–mid sixth‑century burial situated within the furnished phase of the site. The individual is associated with at least two grave goods: a knife fragment and a partially complete ceramic vessel. The knife, catalogued as SF532, consists of an incomplete blade with a broken tang of rectangular section that gradually splays into the blade, with a curved back and cutting edge consistent with Evison Type 1 forms. Its measurements—62.72 mm long, 11.09 mm wide, 4.41 mm thick, weighing 7.12 g—indicate a small personal knife typical of early Anglo‑Saxon male burials. The vessel, SF521, is a 554 g jar in Fabric F12, grey with slightly browner surfaces, decorated with stamped pendant triangles and incised motifs. Its globular form and decorative scheme are characteristic of sixth‑century Anglian pottery traditions in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia more broadly. The presence of both a knife and a decorated vessel places SK1319 within the middle tier of furnished burials at the site, above the unfurnished majority but below the weapon‑rich elite graves. The association of the knife with both SK1319 and SK1320 suggests that the grave may have been a stacked or disturbed double burial, or that the two individuals shared a grave cut or fill, a pattern seen elsewhere in the cemetery where related or sequential interments occur in the same feature.

The burial catalogue in the PXA does not preserve osteological details for SK1319, so age, sex, orientation, and pathology are not recorded in the surviving document. However, the combination of grave goods strongly implies a male individual, as knife‑plus‑vessel assemblages in sixth‑century Cambridgeshire overwhelmingly belong to men. The vessel’s typology and the knife’s form both anchor the burial securely in the early–mid sixth century, aligning SK1319 with the main furnished horizon at Hatherdene Close. The cultural signals—Anglian pottery, early Saxon knife typology, and the furnished burial rite—indicate participation in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural sphere, regardless of the individual’s deeper paternal ancestry.

Genetically, HAD017 carries a Y‑chromosome lineage that aligns with clades observed in early medieval continental Europe, but the presence or absence of this lineage in Iron Age or Roman Britain cannot be determined solely from published datasets. The available evidence does not demonstrate continuity or discontinuity; it only reflects the limits of sampling. Autosomal ancestry for HAD017 shows a high proportion of continental‑derived components typical of early Anglo‑Saxon individuals in Cambridgeshire, but autosomal composition reflects recent admixture and cultural integration rather than deep paternal origins. The Y‑line itself is the only reliable marker of long‑term male‑line history, and its interpretation depends on broader phylogenetic context rather than assumptions of absence in earlier British populations. The burial goods and cultural context reflect the sixth‑century identity of the individual, not the origin of his paternal lineage.

Taken together, the archaeological and genetic evidence portray HAD017 as a sixth‑century male interred with a modest but meaningful furnished assemblage, participating fully in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural milieu of Cambridgeshire. His grave goods reflect the symbolic language of that period, while his paternal ancestry—whatever its deeper origin—represents a lineage that survived into the early medieval era and became embedded within the social fabric of the furnished cemetery at Hatherdene Close.

The burial of SK1319 was dated entirely by its grave goods and by its position within the Early Saxon cemetery sequence. The PXA does not provide a radiocarbon date for this individual, and no direct C14 sample was taken from SK1319. Instead, the dating relies on typology and context. The ceramic vessel SF521 is a sixth‑century Anglian jar in Fabric F12 with stamped pendant‑triangle decoration and a globular form; this type is securely placed in the early–mid sixth century in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. The knife SF532 is an Evison Type 1 form, also characteristic of the early sixth century. These two objects together anchor the burial firmly within the main furnished phase of the cemetery. The cemetery as a whole is dated by its artefact assemblage to the late fifth to earlier sixth century, with the majority of graves not extending beyond around AD 560. This is supported by two radiocarbon dates from other burials, including one barrow burial dated 417–569 cal AD, which brackets the cemetery’s active period. SK1319 lies within this same horizon, in a plot that participates in the same burial practices, alignments, and grave‑good repertoire. Its association with SK1320 and its placement within the reused Roman mortuary landscape also match the early–mid sixth‑century phase of activity. In short, SK1319 is dated not by direct radiocarbon measurement but by the typology of its knife and vessel, and by its position within a cemetery whose overall chronology is constrained by artefacts and a small number of radiocarbon anchors. 

2nd amended

HAD017, corresponding to archaeological skeleton SK1319 from the Hatherdene Close cemetery at Cherry Hinton, represents an early–mid sixth‑century burial situated within the furnished phase of the site. The individual is associated with at least two grave goods: a knife fragment and a partially complete ceramic vessel. The knife, catalogued as SF532, consists of an incomplete blade with a broken tang of rectangular section that gradually splays into the blade, with a curved back and cutting edge consistent with Evison Type 1 forms. Its measurements—62.72 mm long, 11.09 mm wide, 4.41 mm thick, weighing 7.12 g—indicate a small personal knife typical of early Anglo‑Saxon male burials. The vessel, SF521, is a 554 g jar in Fabric F12, grey with slightly browner surfaces, decorated with stamped pendant triangles and incised motifs. Its globular form and decorative scheme are characteristic of sixth‑century Anglian pottery traditions in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia more broadly. The presence of both a knife and a decorated vessel places SK1319 within the middle tier of furnished burials at the site, above the unfurnished majority but below the weapon‑rich elite graves. The association of the knife with both SK1319 and SK1320 suggests that the grave may have been a stacked or disturbed double burial, or that the two individuals shared a grave cut or fill, a pattern seen elsewhere in the cemetery where related or sequential interments occur in the same feature. The burial catalogue in the PXA does not preserve osteological details for SK1319, so age, sex, orientation, and pathology are not recorded in the surviving document. However, the combination of grave goods strongly implies a male individual, as knife‑plus‑vessel assemblages in sixth‑century Cambridgeshire overwhelmingly belong to men. The vessel’s typology and the knife’s form both anchor the burial securely in the early–mid sixth century, aligning SK1319 with the main furnished horizon at Hatherdene Close. The cultural signals—Anglian pottery, early Saxon knife typology, and the furnished burial rite—indicate participation in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural sphere, regardless of the individual’s deeper paternal ancestry.

The burial of SK1319 was dated entirely by its grave goods and by its position within the Early Saxon cemetery sequence. The PXA does not provide a radiocarbon date for this individual, and no direct C14 sample was taken from SK1319. Instead, the dating relies on typology and context. The ceramic vessel SF521 is a sixth‑century Anglian jar in Fabric F12 with stamped pendant‑triangle decoration and a globular form; this type is securely placed in the early–mid sixth century in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. The knife SF532 is an Evison Type 1 form, also characteristic of the early sixth century. These two objects together anchor the burial firmly within the main furnished phase of the cemetery. The cemetery as a whole is dated by its artefact assemblage to the late fifth to earlier sixth century, with the majority of graves not extending beyond around AD 560. This is supported by two radiocarbon dates from other burials, including one barrow burial dated 417–569 cal AD, which brackets the cemetery’s active period. SK1319 lies within this same horizon, in a plot that participates in the same burial practices, alignments, and grave‑good repertoire. Its association with SK1320 and its placement within the reused Roman mortuary landscape also match the early–mid sixth‑century phase of activity. In short, SK1319 is dated not by direct radiocarbon measurement but by the typology of its knife and vessel, and by its position within a cemetery whose overall chronology is constrained by artefacts and a small number of radiocarbon anchors.

Genetically, HAD017 carries a Y‑chromosome lineage that aligns with clades observed in early medieval continental Europe, but the presence or absence of this lineage in Iron Age or Roman Britain cannot be determined solely from published datasets. The available evidence does not demonstrate continuity or discontinuity; it only reflects the limits of sampling. Autosomal ancestry for HAD017 shows a high proportion of continental‑derived components typical of early Anglo‑Saxon individuals in Cambridgeshire, but autosomal composition reflects recent admixture and cultural integration rather than deep paternal origins. The Y‑line itself is the only reliable marker of long‑term male‑line history, and its interpretation depends on broader phylogenetic context rather than assumptions of absence in earlier British populations. The burial goods and cultural context reflect the sixth‑century identity of the individual, not the origin of his paternal lineage. Taken together, the archaeological and genetic evidence portray HAD017 as a sixth‑century male interred with a modest but meaningful furnished assemblage, participating fully in the early Anglo‑Saxon cultural milieu of Cambridgeshire. His grave goods reflect the symbolic language of that period, while his paternal ancestry—whatever its deeper origin—represents a lineage that survived into the early medieval era and became embedded within the social fabric of the furnished cemetery at Hatherdene Close.

Both DUX010 and Hatherdene 17 fall within the historical territory of the Catuvellauni — a Belgic‑influenced Brittonic tribe that dominated south and west Cambridgeshire in the Late Iron Age and up to the Roman conquest.

[1] Gretzinger, J., Sayer, D., Justeau, P. et al. The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool. Nature (2022).

Late Iron Age and Roman Features, a Roman and Early Saxon Cemetery, and Middle Saxon Features, Hatherdene Close, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge Oxford Archaeology East (2018) Report No. 2045 Site Code: ECB4258 

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=3210304 

Late Iron Age and Roman Features, a Roman and Early Saxon Cemetery, and Middle Saxon Features, Hatherdene  Close, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge

https://eprints.oxfordarchaeology.com/5828/

SF521, SK1319: Fabric F12, 554g. Sixth century. Partially complete jar with stamped and incised decoration. Grey fabric with slightly browner surfaces. The stamped pendant triangle decoration and globular form are very typical of the sixth century. 

F532 — Knife (Evison Type 1)

SF521 — Ceramic vessel (6th‑century stamped jar)