Monument record MLI43702 - The Bluestone Heath Road
Summary
The Bluestone Heath Road
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
An ancient trackway called the Bluestone Heath Road runs from the neighbourhood of Burgh-le-Marsh at the edge of the sea plain to headwaters of the River Bain where its further course northward is undetermined. In the Middle Ages it was called Bushkow Strete. For some way in its middle course it is the boundary between the wapentakes of Louthesk and Gartree and it is probable that it joined up with Caistor High Street and so led through to the River Humber. {1}
On the east side of the Wolds the crest of the hills carried a prehistoric route. It starts near Ludford and follows the chalk ridges towards Burgh-le-Marsh. {2}
The Bluestone Heath Road is a wide ridgeway, much sunken in several places including parts of Calceby and Tetford parishes. Although it is believed to have been used by the Romans, it is thought to have prehistoric origins. {3}{4}
During at watching brief on a pipeline which crossed the Bluestone Heath Road, a section (at TF 26065 83040) across the road was recorded. The section revealed a buried topsoil beneath a layer of chalk rubble which formed the earliest metalling for the Bluestone Heath Road. The tipped chalk had a marked camber. It would appear that there is evidence for only one phase of road construction at this point before the introduction of tar-based metalling. This suggests that although the route is prehistoric, the road itself may not have been laid until much later. A backfilled ditch was also found to the west of the road, aligned parallel to the hedgeline beside the road. This adjacent ditch was potentially associated with the road. {5}{6}
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SLI323 Article in Serial: C.W. Phillips. 1935. 'The Present State of Archaeology in Lincolnshire: Part 2' in the Archaeological Journal. vol.91, p.148.
- <2> SLI1091 Bibliographic Reference: MAY, J.. 1976. Prehistoric Lincolnshire. pp.9, 46.
- <3> SLI2881 Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 36 NE: L, N.
- <4> SLI2881 Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 27 NE: D.
- <5> SLI5302 Report: Lindsey Archaeological Services. 1997. Stenigot reservoir to Kenwick pumping station. SKM97.
- <6> SLI1724 Archive: Lindsey Archaeological Services. 1997. Stenigot reservoir to Kenwick pumping station. LCNCC 13.97.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 3099 7637 (14228m by 11645m) Centre |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DONINGTON ON BAIN, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | GAYTON LE WOLD, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | MAIDENWELL, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | BELCHFORD, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | SCAMBLESBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | SOUTH ORMSBY CUM KETSBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | SOUTH THORESBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | STENIGOT, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | TATHWELL, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | TETFORD, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | WELTON LE WOLD, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | WITHCALL, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | CALCEBY, EAST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
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