Neolithic enclosure 510m north-east of Lawford House

Summary

A sub-circular Neolithic enclosure, visible as a crop mark on aerial photographs, which is defined by a ring-ditch with gaps in its circuit on its eastern and south-western sides. The function of the enclosure is unclear although excavations have suggested that it represents ritual activity perhaps succeeding occupation.

Reasons for Designation

The Neolithic enclosure 510m north-east of Lawford House is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: the enclosure dates from a period in which relatively few monuments of any type have been recognised and is amongst the earliest monuments identified in the Essex landscape;

* Survival: despite the fact that there have been losses through excavation, significant buried remains survive;

* Potential: the Neolithic remains (and possibly later material) retain considerable archaeological potential to further inform our understanding of the monument and the people who created and used it, as well as the landscape in which it was established;

* Documentation: the monument has been well-documented through archaeological investigations which enhances our knowledge and understanding of this rare monument type;

* Group value: the enclosure is part of a wider, well-documented, prehistoric landscape including sites such as the Bronze Age-Roman Ardleigh Complex (NHLE 1002146) and the Neolithic henge and Bronze Age barrow cemetery situated between Little Bromley and Great Bromley (NHLE 1489898).

History

This site comprises an enclosure dating to the Neolithic period. It was first identified during the Second World War when flints were noticed in fresh plough soil. A visit by Colchester Museum in 1959 confirmed the site was of archaeological interest and also confirmed the survival of a small mound (no longer visible).

The site was partially excavated in 1959, when the focus was on the centre of the enclosure where an area of black ash containing pottery was recorded. The deposit was documented as having contained large quantities of Neolithic pottery and bone. A section was also cut through the eastern side of the ring-ditch surrounding the mound.

The site was further excavated in 1962-1963 where the focus was on the southern half of the site including the ditch. The central ‘black area’ was confirmed during these works and large quantities of freshly broken Neolithic pottery, bone and flint were also recovered. A series of post holes laid out along the inner southern edge of the ditch were also recorded. These excavations established the form and profile of the ditch which was found to be dug as separate sections or pits, the depth of which varied considerably. A small number of weathered early-Neolithic plain bowl and late Neolithic Grooved Ware sherds were recovered from the ring-ditch. These finds led to an interpretation of a small, enclosed Neolithic settlement.

Excavation in 1971 again concentrated on the northern half of the site but with some work in the southern half, investigating both the interior of the enclosure and the ditch. Several pits were identified in the central area with one again producing Neolithic Grooved Ware sherds. Previously interpreted post holes were reinterpreted as being likely natural, periglacial variations or disturbances in the subsoil. These excavations also confirmed the varied width and depth of the enclosure ditch; recording variability between 2m and 5.5m wide and between 1m and 1.8m deep. The stratigraphy within the ditch/pits indicated they were not deliberately backfilled but had silted naturally over time. The upper fills also contained early Iron Age pottery which may indicate later activity but may also represent residual material introduced through continued ploughing.

All three phases of excavation produced Durrington Walls-style Grooved Ware pottery which given its specific character suggests a connection with Wessex. The bulk of the flint and other stonework were also assigned to the late Neolithic. These excavations indicated a more complex interpretation of the site suggesting the ring-ditch and mound were more likely to be a ritual site perhaps monumentalising previous settlement or midden activity, though the precise sequence of activity remains uncertain.

In 2015 Patrick Taylor collated the excavation evidence and considered the appearance of the circle of post holes and the associated openings to match that of many stone circles, the geometric symmetry aligning an axis to the north-east where the moon rises at its maximum angle and distance. Taylor also makes reference to the location of the circle suggesting the site was sited so that the axis lies over a tributary valley providing a topographical sight line to the north-east. The moon at its maximum would appear to have risen up the side of the valley before appearing above the horizon.

In December 2016 Oxford Archaeology East excavated thirty five trenches on land associated with proposed development at Grange Road, Lawford but avoided the monument itself. The evaluation work revealed later prehistoric field systems visible as crop marks to the south of the enclosure. A significant find was a Neolithic polished axe and Neolithic worked flints which were found in residual deposits but potentially relate to the earlier phase of settlement.

A proportion of the interior of the enclosure was excavated during the first three phases of fieldwork and has been degraded to some degree by ploughing since, but sections of the ring-ditch and interior remain uninvestigated, and retain potential for further research and excavation.

The site was mapped as part of the national mapping programme (NMP) in 2003 and again during an enhancement project in 2010. The feature was last observed on aerial photography in 2006 on Google Earth imagery.

The monument was first scheduled on 4th March 1963.

Details

Principal Elements: A sub-circular Neolithic enclosure with gaps in its circuit on its eastern and south-western sides and visible as a crop mark on aerial photographs. The function of the enclosure is unclear. However, previous excavations have suggested that it likely represents ritual activity perhaps succeeding early-Neolithic occupation.

Description: The monument is located west of Lawford, Essex, west of the junction between School Lane and Tye Hill. The geology is characterised by Thames Group Clay, silts and sands. It is sited at the crest of the southern side of the small Wignall Brook valley which feeds the major Stour River to the north. Although unique in its form the site forms part of a wider well-documented, later prehistoric landscape including sites such as the Bronze Age-Roman Ardleigh Complex (NHLE 1002146) and the Neolithic henge and Bronze Age barrow cemetery situated between Little Bromley and Great Bromley (NHLE 1489898).

The enclosure is visible as a crop mark ring-ditch varying between 3.5m and 5m in width creating an enclosed area with an interior diameter of around 24m. Excavations carried out in 1959, 1962-1963 and 1971 (Shennan Healy and Smith 1985) found the ditch to be formed of a series of irregular contiguous pits which explains its variation in width and depth; the pits measured between 2m and 5.5m wide and between 1m and 1.8m deep. The area within the enclosure survived as a low mound until the 1950s or 1960s: no height is recorded in the excavation report although it is estimated that the ditch would have provided enough material for a mound at least 0.3m or 0.6m high, depending on how much of the interior it covered.

Historic aerial photography shows the field appears to be continually under plough until around 2000 after which it was turned over to grass pasture until 2016 when it was temporarily ploughed again before reverting to pasture. The form of the monument has remained consistent across all photography where it was visible. The feature was last observed on aerial photography in 2006 on Google Earth imagery.

Extent of Scheduling: The mapped depiction of the monument includes the full extent of the enclosure plus a 5m buffer zone, which is considered necessary for the support and preservation of the monument.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

EX 133

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Books and journals
Cooper, M, Whittle, A, Sheridan, A, Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200-2400 cal BC, (2023), 171-190
The Excavation of a Ring-Ditch at Tye Field, Lawford, Essex. in Archaeological Journal, Vol. 142 (1), (1985), 150-215
Taylor, P, A Timber Circle Overlooked, (2010)
Taylor, P, Timber Circles in the East, (2020)

Other
Essex NMP Project Management Report. English Heritage Research Report 119/2003
Saunders, H. 2010 NMP Enhancement in Tendring. Essex County Council

End of official list entry

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