Henge 300m ENE of Newbarns Farm

Reasons for Designation

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval- shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all henges are considered to be of national importance.

Although only visible as a cropmark, the henge monument ENE of Newbarns Farm survives well as a series of buried features. The fills of the ditches will retain archaeological material relating to the construction of the monument and to the environment in which it was built, whilst the buried remains of internal structures will provide information as to its original function and to its use over a long period of time.

Details

The monument includes a henge monument which is situated on the flood plain of the River Brain, 1km south west of Cressing parish church and 20m east of the Essex Way. Although no longer visible as an earthwork at ground level the monument is defined by a single infilled circular ditch which can be clearly seen as a cropmark and on aerial photographs. The henge itself is 42m in diameter and the ditch is approximately 4m in width. This henge is classed as type I because it has only one entrance towards the north west.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

20744

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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