Monument record MLI20198 - Late Neolithic to middle Bronze Age settlement, Parson Drove
Summary
Late Neolithic to middle Bronze Age settlement, Parson Drove
Type and Period (6)
- SETTLEMENT (Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 1001 BC)
- RING DITCH (Unknown date)
- ROUND BARROW (Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1001 BC)
- PIT (Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1001 BC)
- POST HOLE (Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1001 BC)
- ARTEFACT SCATTER (Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 1001 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
PRN 20198
This site, on an 'island' of sand, was represented by a considerable spread of worked flint and Bronze Age pottery. In addition, a round feature, possibly ditched, is just visible on aerial photographs and in the field, but it is impossible to be sure whether it is the remains of a round barrow. A very unusual stone implement, classified as coarse-grained Group XX, is probably a pestle of early Bronze Age date, and originated in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire. The site seems to have been first occupied in the late Neolithic and was probably settled and farmed by the early Bronze Age. Use of the area continued into the middle Bronze Age but by about 1000 BC the site had to be abandoned, probably due to marine flooding.{1}
Excavations in 1993 revealed assorted pits, postholes, gullies and tree-throws, although within the limited areas which were exposed little patterning was apparent and no obvious structures were encountered. Associated artefacts are yet to be securely dated but appear to be late Neolithic to middle Bronze Age. Two sherds of decorated pottery are from collared urns, while much of the remaining pottery assemblage comprises sherds similar to the bucket-shaped vessels excavated on the fen edge at Billingborough.{2}
Trial trenching was carried out as part of the Fenland Management Project. Irregular pits and depressions, along with regular pits and seemingly isolated postholes, were recorded. Lithics of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age date were recovered, including cores, scrapers and a backed blade. The pottery assemblage included collared urn fragments; no pottery beyond the middle Bronze Age was recovered. Fragments of fired clay may be daub or briquetage. If the identification as briquetage is accurate, the site is one of the earliest in the country to yield such evidence. Environmental sampling indicated both woodland and an open habitat, suggesting possible limited clearance.{3}
Sources/Archives (3)
- <1> SLI1079 Bibliographic Reference: Hayes, P. P. and Lane, T. W.. 1992. The Fenland Project No.5: Lincolnshire Survey, the South-West Fens. 5 GAZ PIK11, pp.112-3.
- <2> SLI647 Article in Serial: LANE, T.W.. 1993. HERITAGE LINCOLNSHIRE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. p. 26.
- <3> SLI7859 Bibliographic Reference: Crowson, A.; Lane, T. and Reeve. J. (eds). 2000. Fenland Management Project Excavations 1991-1995. PIK 11 (PIK93), pp.139-142.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 1651 2817 (104m by 104m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | PINCHBECK, SOUTH HOLLAND, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- Event - Intervention: Fenland Management Project trial trenching at Parson Drove (ELI4143)
- Event - Survey: Fenland Survey Field Walking (ELI595)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
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