| Summary : A Neolithic causewayed enclosure, a Bronze Age barrow cemetery and traces of a Saxon settlement adjacent to the Thames at Gatehampton Farm, Goring. The remains were identified during archaeological work associated with a water pipeline. The possible Neolithic enclosure consists of two arcs of rarely interrupted but pit-dug ditch, the inner leading from and perhaps cutting the line of the outer, with an entrance to the north-east, open to the Thames to the south and enclosing perhaps as much as 7 hectares. Plain Neolithic bowl pottery came from various levels in the ditch fill. The upper half of the fill of the main ditch length included a crouched child burial, radiocarbon dated to 3100-2890 cal BC. Research into the dating of causewayed enclosures suggests that it was probably constructed in the 37th century (3700-3601) cal BC, and hence may have been in use at the same time as other enclosures in the area. The burial may relate to later occupation of the site and may be associated with the recutting of the ditch. The barrow cemetery comprised a cluster of seven ring ditches within the Neolithic enclosure; a further six lie to the north. Evidence for Saxon settlement included a grubenhaus and scattered post holes. Other features included a Roman corn drier. The Bronze Age barrow cemetery and fragments of boundary ditches are visible as cropmarks and have been mapped from aerial photographs. |
More information : SU 6079 SU 67 NW Area centred SU 604797
GORING
Group of 8 circles, including 2 double concentric circles, and 4 incomplete ones. Parallel lines to W (trackway ?).
ST JOSEPH 59 YO 47; 62 AFT 45; 66 AOJ 75; 70 BCH 62-63
NMR 70 SU 6079/2/141, 144. (1)
Areas immediately north of the Thames and on both sides of the railway line were examined between 1985 and 1992 in advance of the construction of a new water supply depot and feeder pipeline (see also SU 67 NW 23). The excavations have been fully published. Most of the features plotted as cropmarks by Gates (authority 1) were not trenched, but the limited excavations and a new assessment of AP cover produced some significant differences to Gates' original plots and interpretations. The major features encountered are as follows:
(i) - Barrow cemetery - a cluster of 7 ring ditches exist close to the river. The existence of the railway line makes it impossible to say wether the group c200m NE (see SU 67 NW 23) were connected, or part of a separate cluster. Two of the seven were subject to limited investigation. The westernmost (at cSU 60307965) survived as a very slight earthwork. Its relationship to an adjacent linear feature visible as a cropmark proved difficult to ascertain, though the latter is probably prehistoric in origin. The barrow itself yielded no datable finds but is presumed to be Bronze Age in date. An unaccompanied cremation inserted into its ditch is assumed to be a secondary deposit of MBA date. Some pre-barrow activity in the form of ditches or long pits was also enccountered. A second ring ditch at cSU 60357965 was examined by means of a narrow L-shaped trench across its SW quadrant. Its core was a low mound of clay, probably derived from the river. Subsequently, the mound had been enlarged to c16m diameter by successive dumped layers. It was separated from its surrounding ditch by a berm. A single beaker sherd was found on the old ground surface sealed beneath the clay core, as was a single stake hole, which given the narrowness of the trench may indicate the presence of some kind of pre-barrow structure. A ring ditch was also examined adjacent to the railway line at cSU 60507970. No mound survived. The primary ditch fill included Peterborough ware and an animal bone. A gulley cutting the edge of the ditch included Neolithic & Bronze Age pottery, Neolithic flintwork and some redeposited Mesolithic flints. The other barrows are located at cSU 60357963, SU 60377965, SU 60377968 and SU 60407965.
(ii) A suggested Neolithic causewayed enclosure was encountered at c SU 60457970. A short length of curving ditch was excavated, along with other ditch fragments. The former was flat-bottomed and vertically-sided, and included a possible recut observed in section. The upper half of its fill included the crouched inhumation of a juvenile, bone from which yielded a C14 date of 3095-2890 Cal BC (4360+/-45 BP, BM-2835). Plain Neolithic bowl pottery came from various levels of its fill. Two V-profile shallow ditches had been cut into the upper fill, which also contained Iron Age or Roman pottery. A (possibly) Roman ploughsoil was observed just to the NE of the ditch, the gap implying a bank or hedge, though the date of such a feature is unknown.
(iii) Roman corn drier - located a little South of the Neolithic ditch, few finds were retrieved from contexts contemporary with its use. 1st or 2nd century AD potsherds were taken to indicate a tpq for its construction. Early Saxon sherds from a post-collapse context suggested that the corn drier may have stood until the 5th century. Along with traces of an RB boundary ditch and field/enclosure system, this area seems to have been on the periphery of a rural settlement probably located in the area of Gatehampton Farm (see SU 67 NW 23).
(iv) Grubenhaus - a short distance SW of the corn drier, a grubenhaus was excavated. It was sub-rectangular, 3.5m x 4.4m and survived to a depth of 0.25m. As well as post-holes directly associated with it, there was a scatter of further post-holes in the area, some of which may have been contemporary with it.
Additional features encountered include silted river channels, tree holes and pits dating from the Neolithic onwards, pottery spanning the period from the Neolithic through to the Medieval period, plus flint scatters of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age date. (2)
The site was researched as part of the RCHME's national project to record Industry and Enclosure in the Neolithic. The Monarch record was up-dated, but in view of the condition of the possible causewayed enclosure no survey work was undertaken. (3)
The Bronze Age barrow cemetery, consisting of eight possible barrows, referred to by the previous authorities, and fragments of boundary ditches are visible as cropmarks and have been mapped from aerial photographs.
The barrows are defined as follows: An incomplete,
double ditched, sub-circular enclosure with a diameter of 12m, centred at SU 6030 7966; two subcircular ditched enclosures with diameters of 38m and 20m, centred at SU 6034 7964 and SU 6038 7962; two circular ditched enclosures with diameters of 20m and 40m, centred at SU 6040 7962 and SU 6041 7967; a circular double ditched enclosure with a diameter of 22m, centred at SU 6044 7963; two incomplete circualr enclosures, each with a diameter of 30m, centred at SU 6050 7967 and SU 6048 7975. (Morph No.s TG.309.6.1-8)
A number of ditched boundaries, two of which appear to form a funnel entrance, are visible to the west of, and amongst the barrows. These are centred at SU 6049 7965, SU 6044 7965, SU 6031 7970 and SU 6034 7979. (Morph No.s 309.7.1-9.1)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database. (4)
Gatehampton Farm was included in some recent research into the dating of causewayed enclosures. The results are as follows: the possible Neolithic enclosure consists of two arcs of rarely interrupted but pit-dug ditch, the inner leading from and perhaps cutting the line of the outer, with an entrance to the north-east, open to the Thames to the south and enclosing perhaps as much as 7 hectares. Plain Neolithic bowl pottery came from various levels in the ditch fill. The upper half of the fill of the main ditch length included a crouched child burial, radiocarbon dated to 3100-2890 cal BC. The radiocarbon dating suggests that it was probably constructed in the 37th century (3700-3601) cal BC, and hence may have been in use at the same time as other enclosures in the area. The burial may relate to later occupation of the site and may be associated with the recutting of the ditch. (5) |