Reasons for Designation
Between 50 and 70 causewayed enclosures are recorded nationally, mainly in
southern and eastern England. They were constructed over a period of some 500
years during the middle part of the Neolithic period (c.3000-2400 BC) but also
continued in use into later periods. They vary considerably in size (from 2 to
70 acres) and were apparently used for a variety of functions, including
settlement, defence, and ceremonial and funerary purposes. However, all
comprise a roughly circular to ovoid area bounded by one or more concentric
rings of banks and ditches. The ditches, from which the monument class derives
its name, were formed of a series of elongated pits punctuated by unexcavated
causeways. Causewayed enclosures are amongst the earliest field monuments to
survive as recognisable features in the modern landscape and are one of the
few known Neolithic monument types. Due to their rarity, their wide diversity
of plan, and their considerable age, all causewayed enclosures are considered
to be nationally important.
Details
The monument includes a causewayed enclosure, defined by a double circuit
of ditches. It is located on a low-lying knoll of chalk marl surrounded by
peat, situated to the south of the Little Wilbraham River. Low ploughed-down
earthworks mark the location of the monument but the enclosure is most clearly
observed from the air and is recorded on aerial photographs; the following
description is largely based on the photographic record. The enclosure is
roughly oval in plan and has maximum dimensions of 260m east-west by 200m
north-south. The outer ditch is estimated to be 4m wide and is interrupted by
at least five causeways on its south-western arm. The inner ditch is separated
from the outer by a distance of between 20-50m and is of similar width,
although the circuit is less clearly defined than that of the outer ditch.
Several poorly defined curvilinear features, thought to be subsidiary
enclosure ditches, have been observed towards the western end of the interior.
A straight linear feature, on an approximate northerly alignment, which runs
across the centre of the enclosure, is thought to be a later field boundary or
drainage ditch. Small scale excavations, accompanied by geophysical survey and
surface collection of finds, were carried out in 1975-6. Three types of
deposits were found to survive; features cut into bedrock, covered by layers
of material eroded from the top of the knoll, and associated with peat
containing waterlogged organic materials. Two phases of ditch construction and
a palisade trench inside the outer ditch were recorded while a variety of
artefacts of Neolithic date were recovered. There was also evidence of minor
re-use of the site in the Roman period.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20449
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
