Monument record MLI33838 - Iron working site within circular enclosure

Summary

Iron working site within circular enclosure

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Full Description

A plain ditched circular earthwork, ridge and furrow crosses the ring and so it is probably not old.{1} A large ditched ringwork with traces of both inner and outer banks, in a prominent position, but is overlooked by higher ground to the immediate north, west and south. It overlies ridge and furrow. The interior holds vast quantity of iron slag etc, the earth shows evidence of intense burning. Fragments of pottery (possibly late medieval) was found. The finds suggest this is a bloomery or iron smelting site, but a better position would be closer to water, and the almost perfect circular earthwork has hitherto never been discovered on bloomery sites. {1} The impression of an earthwork overlying ridge and furrow was false as the site seems to be Romano-British. {4}{6} The site was visited by Jane Cowgill who reported that the site has been extensively ploughed and seeded, and so no finds were made. There are signs of a circular ditch with an inner bank. {7} The site lies within a ring ditch. Fieldwalking in the 1970s showed a dense scatter of slag and a few Romano-British sherds. Before ploughing in the 1970s ridge and furrow survived (Cowgill, pers comm), but this is now ploughed out entirely and the bloomery site is likely to have suffered the same fate. At the time of the field visit it was under crop, so could not be inspected. No earthworks or remnants of ridge and furrow were visible: one piece of dense, non-porous slag found at SK 9906 3135. {9} The site was visited in 2016. The archaeologist noted that there is a stream (forming the southern boundary of the field) within 20m or so of the slag concentration. This would contradict the implication in source 1 that the site was not close to water. The archaeologist thought the site was probably Roman although no pottery was seen. {10}

Sources/Archives (10)

  •  Index: OS CARD INDEX. INGOLDSBY. SK 93 SE:11,1965, DA.
  •  Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946-71. RAF POST WAR COLLECTION. 106G-UK-1431-5114-5,1946, .
  •  Index: SMR FILE. INGOLDSBY. SK 93 SE:G,P,1976, RWH.
  •  Article in Serial: J.B. Whitwell (ed.). 1966. 'Archaeological Notes, 1964 and 1965' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. VOL 1 P 48.
  •  Artefact: 1976. CITY AND COUNTY MUSEUM COLLECTION 1976. LCNCC 196.76.
  •  Verbal Communication: HEALEY, R.H.. -.
  •  Verbal Communication: COWGILL J. 1997. -.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. National Mapping Programme. SK9931:LI.831.1.1,1996, .
  •  Unpublished Document: English Heritage. 2000. MPP Iron and Steel Industry: Site Assessment. -.
  •  Electronic Communication: Taylor, Gary. 2016. Information from Gary Taylor following a visit to the site. 15/04/2016.

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Location

Grid reference Centred SK 9900 3131 (131m by 113m)
Civil Parish INGOLDSBY, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Dec 29 2022 10:24AM

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