Monument record MLI20123 - Early to Middle Saxon site at Chopdike Drove, Gosberton

Summary

Early to Middle Saxon site at Chopdike Drove, Gosberton

Type and Period (7)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 849 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 649 AD?)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 649 AD?)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 649 AD to 849 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 649 AD to 849 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 649 AD?)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age - 410 AD to 849 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

PRN 20123 This is an area of mainly middle Anglo-Saxon settlement. The pottery is early to middle Anglo-Saxon (including Ipswich and Maxey ware). An area in the north of the site was excavated in 1992. The main excavation revealed four phases of occupation. Phase 1 comprises a series of unconnected features, mainly gullies containing few finds. Phase 2 is mainly ditches and gullies characterised by distinct ashy fills and evidence of burning. This probably represents an industrial phase although whether it represents salt-making is unclear. Phase 3 is represented by a rectangular building which is composed of a continuous beam-slot with post-holes situated at each corner. There are other features associated. Phase 4 is represented exclusively by circular or curving ditches. Such ditches are known in the fens from the Roman period onwards and are usually interpreted as stack stands. Organic remains were recovered, including charred cultivated plant remains barley, wheat, rye, oats, peas, beans and flax (they may have been grown locally or imported for processing). Finds of cannabis-type seeds suggest hemp retting. The terrain would have been weedy grassland. Animals are represented by horse, pig, cattle, sheep, goats, cat, bird, fish. Butchery marks on the bones gave evidence for skinning and dismemberment. {1}{2}{3} There is cropmark evidence visible on aerial photographs. {4} Evaluation and excavation work as part of the Fenland Management Project revealed several phases at this site. The earliest phase comprised deep pits with gullies or ditches connecting to one or two corners. The next phase consisted of linear ditches with thin fill layers thought to result from tidal flooding. Dumps of ash and burnt silt lumps were also recorded. The final phase of Ango-Saxon activity was represented by two sill-beam trenches and parts of four circular gullies. One of the beam slots defined the complete ground-plan of a rectangular building with a possible entrance at the south side of the eastern end. Postholes were found at the south-west and south-east corners. The earliest phases on the site are thought to be industrial, with the pits possibly representing hemp retting. The nature of activity represented by the burnt silt and ash dumps is uncertain, but may relate to saltmaking. The third phase represents a shift in function, with a dryland environment now present at the site. The rectangular beam slot is thought to represent a middle Anglo-Saxon timber-built structure. The circular features may be drainage gullies around haystacks, but are larger than other circular cropmarks in the area, and entrances in some may suggest a stock-pen type function. The pottery assemblage covered the early Anglo-Saxon to early medieval periods, with the bulk of the assemblage having a middle Anglo-Saxon date.{5}

Sources/Archives (5)

  •  Bibliographic Reference: Hayes, P. P. and Lane, T. W.. 1992. The Fenland Project No.5: Lincolnshire Survey, the South-West Fens. GAZ GOS 20, 21, 22.
  •  Article in Serial: LANE, T.W.. 1992. HERITAGE LINCOLNSHIRE SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. pp. 24-25.
  •  Article in Serial: LANE, T.W.. 1993. HERITAGE LINCOLNSHIRE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. pp. 30-32.
  •  Aerial Photograph: 1946-98. RCHME. 1713/9,1979, .
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Crowson, A.; Lane, T. and Reeve. J. (eds). 2000. Fenland Management Project Excavations 1991-1995. GOS 22 (GOS92), pp.112-116.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 1985 2880 (377m by 345m)
Civil Parish GOSBERTON, SOUTH HOLLAND, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Related Events/Activities (5)

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Record last edited

Mar 14 2022 4:43PM

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