Monument record MLI115958 - Ridge and Furrow, South-West of Louth

Summary

Ridge and furrow to the south-west of Louth, with later post-medieval field boundaries, and a later earthwork platform.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

A magnetometry survey was carried out by GSB Prospection on the former recreation ground off the road Julian Bower south of Louth. This had previously been the playing field of the Girl's Grammar School in Louth and has a raised and level earthwork platform on which sports pitches used to stand. The magnetometry survey found below ground evidence for medieval ridge and furrow and a post-medieval former field boundary running across the field. The ridge and furrow was aligned on a roughly north-west to south-east axis, with the later former field boundary cutting across on a perpendicular axis. {1} A site visit by the County Archaeologist noted very shallow surviving ridge and furrow to the south of the field that appeared to run beneath the earthwork platform. No surviving earthwork ridge and furrow was seen on top of the earthwork platform. {2} The Governors' minutes between 1930 and 1932 for Louth Girls' Grammar School record the levelling of the new Girl's School playing field at that time and the importing of material to level the field. {3} A local Louth resident has argued that the earthwork platform is actually an ancient monument rather than having been created during landscaping for the school playing field in the early 1930s. This theory has not been accepted by Lincolnshire planning archaeologists. The arguments and evidence are presented on the East Lindsey Planning Portal and include the suggestion that the platform was the site of the Julian Bower medieval turf maze. The HER places this site further to the east (see MLI86594). {4}{5} In the Louth Enclosure Award of 1805 there is mention of a footpath called Julian Bower footpath that runs south from Horncastle Road (close to where the earthwork platform stands today). Dr Caitlin Green adduces this as evidence for the use of the name Julian Bower for the entire southern hill of Louth. The award describes the line of the Julian Bower footpath and plots its route on the enclosure award plan. The full description reads: 'One other public foot path called Julian Bower foot path leading from the south end of Quarry Lane across the said allotment No155 the said Bowling Green Road and the north end of the said allotment No157 to the said Turnpike Road leading to Spilsby.' This actually places this footpath to the east of Upgate-London Road (formerly the Turnpike Road leading to Spilsby) and not running south from Horncastle Road. {6}{7} Further traces of medieval ridge and furrow were recorded in December 2021, in the field to the immediate south-west of the previously identified remains, to the north of the Julian Bower footpath. The remains were present only in the south-eastern part of this field, and were visible as a series of poorly preserved, parallel linear earthworks, aligned on a roughly south-west to north-east axis. This alignment ran perpendicular to the previously identified remains in the adjacent field, indicating a slight sub-division in the former open field system here. The remains in the western field were overlain at their western edge by a linear mound, running down much of the middle of the field, which was thought to represent the remains of a later hedge bank. {8}{9}

Sources/Archives (9)

  •  Report: GSB Prospection. 2015. Geophysical Survey, Julian Bower Platform Site, Louth. -.
  •  Verbal Communication: Lott, Beryl. 2015. Information from the County Archaeologist. 19/08/2015.
  •  Unpublished Document: Lincolnshire Archives. Document Held by the Lincolnshire Archives. 3-LOUTH GS/1.
  •  Website: East Lindsey District Council. 2013->. East Lindsey Planning Portal. http://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/applications. Reference nos N/105/01757/14 and N/105/01567/16.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Prisca Furlong. 2016. From Pagan Stone to Soaring Spire. Extract from chapter 4.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Caitlin Green. 2012. The Streets of Louth: An A-Z History. p.124.
  •  Unpublished Document: Lincolnshire Archives. Document Held by the Lincolnshire Archives. Louth Enclosure Award. Louth St James PAR/17/1: page 82 and plan.
  •  Report: PCAS Archaeology Ltd. 2021. Land to North of Julian Bower, Louth. PAL site code: NJBT 21.
  •  Archive: PCAS Archaeology Ltd. 2021. Land to North of Julian Bower, Louth. LCNCC 2021.210.

Map

Find a placename, postcode or grid reference

Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

Tools

Location

Grid reference Centred TF 3264 8662 (192m by 259m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish LOUTH, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (3)

Please contact the HER for details.

External Links (0)

Record last edited

Jul 7 2022 9:55AM

Feedback?

Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.