Heath Wood barrow cemetery

Heath Wood contains a series of 59 barrows which is a Viking burial site near Ingleby, Derbyshire. The barrows are unusual because they are the only known Scandinavian cremation site in the British Isles. It is believed to be a war cemetery of the Viking Great Army which arrived in the area in 873 A.D. Early excavations by Thomas Bateman in May 1855 found that some of the mounds were empty cenotaph mounds where presumably the body was not available. Excavations between 1998 and 2000 produced a number of finds which are available in Derby Museum. It is believed that these remains are from the same period as burials discovered in nearby Repton. However, the Repton burials are not cremations.…