Monument record MLI43556 - Small multivallate enclosure, 340m south of North Road Farm, Tattershall Thorpe

Summary

Small multivallate enclosure, 340m south of North Road Farm, Tattershall Thorpe

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

An Iron Age defended enclosure that is one quarter quarried away and three quarters now scheduled. Excavation in 1979 discovered two ditches, the outer being 2m deep and U-shaped, the inner 1.8m deep and flat bottomed. The ditches were rich in wood and other organic material with a 0.5m peat layer in the ditches. Few artefacts were found and all of them were lying above or on the peat; pottery dating from the early to middle Iron Age was found, including a virtually complete base of a pedestal urn, with a cordon at the base/wall junction. A triangular loomweight and a beehive quern were also found. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5} The monument includes the buried remains of a small multivallate hillfort located 340m south-east of North Road Farm. It is situated in a commanding position on the Southrey gravel terrace above the River Bain to the south-east and the River Witham to the south-west. It has been suggested that although the system of ditches and ramparts was clearly defensive in form, the site may not have had any true military function. It is thought that, while the monument may have served as a refuge for the local Iron Age population in times of threat, it is more likely that its primary use was for the seasonal corralling of grazing animals. The banks and ditches would have enclosed the animals and provided a deterrent to cattle rustlers and predators. {6} A small area of the south-eastern outer ditch was excavated in 1986 in advance of further gravel extraction. The ditch itself was investigated, including the possible entrance. Again, organic remains were present including wood, although only one fragment of worked wood was recovered. A small amount of leather was also recovered, although it is uncertain whether it had been worked. Other finds included pottery, a small amount of animal bone and an iron object, possibly a chisel. {7}

Sources/Archives (7)

  •  Article in Serial: A.J. White (ed.). 1980. 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1979' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.15, p.79.
  •  Scheduling Record: HBMC. 1978. AM 7. SAM 329.
  •  Aerial Photograph: ST JOSEPH, J.K.S.. 1945-79. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION. BU175.
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2957/29, 32.
  •  Article in Serial: CHOWNE, P., GIRLING, M. AND GRIEG, J.. 1986. PROCEEDINGS OF THE PREHISTORIC SOCIETY. vol.52, pp.159-88.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1998. REVISED SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 29725. MPP 23.
  •  Article in Serial: Seager Smith, Rachael. 1998. 'Further Excavations at the Iron Age Enclosure at Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, by Peter Chowne, 1986' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.33, pp.7-19.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 2233 5983 (226m by 208m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish TATTERSHALL THORPE, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

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Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

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