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Archaeologists working at a medieval cemetery in Wales have made significant progress toward uncovering the origins and identities of the women buried there. Among the latest discoveries is the outline of what may have once been a small building, alongside a range of domestic and decorative objects, including delicately crafted coloured glass beads. Dating back to the 6th or 7th Century, the site has yielded 58 skeletons, the vast majority of which belong to women—a fact that sets this burial ground apart.
Excavations at the Fonmon Castle grounds, near Cardiff airport, have been ongoing for four years. The remains were found in shallow graves cut into the limestone bedrock, revealing well-preserved skeletons that speak to the challenging lives of those buried there. Despite this, the presence of high-quality artefacts—such as ornate brooches, bone pins, and antler combs—suggests these women may have enjoyed a degree of wealth or status. The discovery of a possible small shrine or chapel has led researchers to propose that this could have been an early female religious community. “I do think that we have a site which may be an early religious community,” said Dr Andy Seaman from Cardiff University, who is leading the dig.
An interesting feature of the cemetery is the clustering of graves around the suspected building’s site, indicating a deliberate desire for proximity to this structure. Some graves even contain multiple individuals, with no apparent taboo against burying people atop one another, as explained by Cardiff University archaeologist Tudur Davies: “It’s a highly desired location for people to be buried in. Sometimes two, three, four individuals have been buried on the same spot, again and again.” The artefacts recovered have provided further insight into the community. Among the finds are a copper brooch, likely bronze and possibly gilded, with green enamel coating its ends, as conservator Clare Emerson described: “This would have been a very decorative brooch. I think it’s a very special find for the site.” Additionally, there are intricately decorated bone pins, combs carved from antler, and tiny multicoloured glass beads measuring approximately 3mm in diameter, which may have adorned clothing or jewellery.
Beyond personal adornments, everyday domestic items have emerged from the site as well. Tools such as a quern stone for grinding flour, pottery, and glass vessels for eating and drinking suggest that the area supported a living community as well as serving as a burial place. Dr Seaman noted, “It’s clearly not just a place for the dead. There’s a living community here as well.” He believes the people lived in an enclosed settlement next to the cemetery, separated from the wider community. Although much has been learned, questions remain, including the identities of a few men and children found at the site and the reasons why two women were unceremoniously discarded in a ditch, one with her hands and feet bound. The team is now investigating whether this cemetery might represent one of the earliest Christian communities, a period of history that remains poorly documented. “We don’t really understand early church sites… how they functioned, what they looked like, how they were organised,” Dr Seaman explained. Excavations are set to continue later this year as researchers work to piece together the story of this fascinating archaeological find
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