| Summary : The ring ditches of three Bronze Age round barrows (two with internal macula) are visible in a system of Iron Age/Roman field boundaries, trackways, and ditch. There are also two sub-circular enclosures, a rectilinear enclosure, a possible barrow ring ditch, and ditch, of prehistoric/Roman date, and pits of uncertain date. These features are all visible as cropmarks on air photographs. |
More information : The cropmark of a ditched trackway, orientated north-west/south-east, is visible on air photographs at approximately SE 322 752. There may be a sub-rectangular enclosure aligned on its southern side. A second possible trackway meets with the first from the north-east. Date uncertain. (1-1a)
The ring ditches of three Bronze Age round barrows (two with internal macula) are visible in a system of Iron Age/Roman field boundaries, trackways, and ditch. There are also two sub-circular enclosures, a rectilinear enclosure, a possible barrow ring ditch, and ditch, of prehistoric/Roman date, and pits of uncertain date. These features are all visible as cropmarks on air photographs. They are centred at SE 3174 7563 and must be considered in association with the henge monument at Nunwick (SE 37 NW 15) that lies no more than 350m south-east of this group.
The round barrow ring ditches are located at:
a) SE 3165 7565 - formed by a 1m wide ditch with an internal diameter of c.21m. There are three pits of uncertain, but possibly contemporary, date within the ring ditch. The ring ditch is cut by an Iron Age/Roman field boundary.
b) SE 3174 7563 - formed by a very narrow ditch (under 1m) with an internal diameter of c.27m. There is a macula internally that measures 5m in diameter. Possibly this is an inhumation.
c) SE 3230 7520 - formed by a narrow ditch with internal measurements of 17m by 14m (slightly ovate). There is a 4m by 2m macula at the centre of the ring ditch. To the north the ring ditch is cut by an Iron Age/Roman field boundary.
All of these round barrows lie in close association with what appear to be IronAge/Roman field boundaries and double ditched trackways. There are two distinct trackway alignments running south-west/north-east (plotted over 559m) and north-west/south-east (plotted over 659m). Whilst round barrows (a) and (c) are cut by field boundaries abutting the trackways, barrow (b) sits between the ditches defining the south-west/north-east aligned trackway; indeed these ditches seem to be diverted to avoid the barrow. The ditches of both trackways are widely separated (between 13m and 39m) and not typical of others found in the area. The trackways appear to intersect one another at SE 3189 7569. Also at this point there is a possible rectilinear enclosure (only the southern corner is visible) with a south-west facing entrance that leads potentially into both the trackways at the point of intersection. The north-west/south-east orientated trackway appears to abut this enclosure. It is worth noting that the north-west/south-east aligned trackway is directed straight at the henge at Nunwick and is equally aligned on the three Thornborough henges over 4km to the north-west (SE 28 SE 31, SE 27 NE 32 + 33).
The sub-circular enclosures are located at (d) SE 3176 7528 and (e) SE 3279 7593. These cropmarks are quite diffuse and the enclosures are not wholly visible on the air photographs available. (d) is c.21m in diameter and (e) c.15m in diameter.
The field boundaries are few and widely separated, but would appear to define rectilinear units possibly as large as 508m by 404m. At SE 3181 7560 there are a number of pits that may form a short piece of double pit alignment or avenue. There are too few to be certain, but they seem to be aligned towards Nunwick henge.
(2-6) |