Bed burial

A number of early Anglo-Saxon bed burials, almost all dating to the 7th century, have been found in England, predominantly in the southern counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Wiltshire, but single examples have also been found in Derbyshire and North Yorkshire.

The beds used in these burials were made of wood, and although none have been fully preserved, their presence can be inferred from the presence of iron fixtures and fittings, such as nails, cleats, grommets, brackets, headboard mounts and railings, that outline the rectangular shape of the bed in the grave.

The high quality of the gold jewellery found in the bed burial at Loftus in Yorkshire suggests that the occupant of the grave may have been a princess.

[4] On the other hand, some of the young women buried on their beds have pectoral crosses or other Christian emblems buried with them (Ixworth,[5] Roundway Down, Swallowcliffe Down, Trumpington, Harpole), which has suggested the possibility that they may have been abbesses, who in the early Anglo-Saxon period were recruited from noble families.

[24][25] In 1910, Morris Lofton was buried in Rose Cemetery of Tarpon Springs, Florida, in his iron bed frame, his only possession.