Monument record MLI50234 - Neolithic Long Barrow, Otby

Summary

Neolithic long barrow, 720m to the east of Otby House.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

A possible long barrow, identified as cropmarks on aerial photographs. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}{6} Although the monument is not visible on the ground it has been recorded on aerial photographs as a soilmark representing the valuable buried archaeological deposits. The central area is roughly rectangular in plan with concave sides and rounded ends, and measures 50m by 30m. The mound which would have covered this area has been degraded by ploughing and is thought to be overlain by medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, but it is considered that the remains of pits and structures associated with funerary rituals carried out before the mound was built, will survive as archaeological features below the present ground surface. Aerial photographic evidence indicates that the monument was encircled by a substantial ditch broken by a causeway to the north-west. This ditch form is a characteristic of the elaborated type of Lincolnshire long barrow which began with the delineation of an enclosure set aside for mortuary activities. When the rituals enacted within the enclosure were completed, it was covered with a mound, the material for which was quarried from the surrounding ditch. The aerial photographic evidence shows thickening of the side ditches. This is thought to indicate that they were recut at least once, an activity which suggests that the monument remained a focus of attention for a long period after it was built. The barrow is one of a large number of similar monuments associated with the Otby Beck to the west of High Street which originated as a prehistoric trackway. For full details see the scheduling documentation. {7} The long barrow is located on the summit of the main west escarpment of the Wolds, below the crest of the ridge. It is aligned north-north-west to south-south-east, and its long axis runs parallel to the contours. It is an oval-shaped enclosure with a causewayed entrance at the north end. The side ditches are wider than terminals to produce a slightly waisted appearance. A short transverse section of ditch flanks the entrance. The enclosure is overlain by traces of ridge and furrow cultivation. Field walking produced no surface traces or finds. {8}{9}

Sources/Archives (9)

  •  Article in Monograph: Paul Everson and Tom Hayes. 1984. 'Lincolnshire from the Air' in A Prospect of Lincolnshire. p.34, fig.2.
  •  Article in Serial: Dilwyn Jones. 1988. 'Aerial Reconnaissance and Prehistoric and Romano-British Archaeology in Northern Lincolnshire - A Sample Survey' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. vol.23, pp.16-7.
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2934/10 (1979).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 2946/16, 18-19 (1980).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1946-98. RCHME National Aerial Photograph Collection at Swindon. TF1493/11-16 (1990).
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. Lincolnshire National Mapping Programme. TF1493: LI.245.1.1.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1996. SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 27873. MPP 22.
  •  Article in Serial: Dilwyn Jones. 1998. 'Long Barrows and Neolithic Elongated Enclosures in Lincolnshire: An Analysis of the Air Photographic Evidence' in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. vol.64, pp.83-114, no.43.
  •  Index: Dilwyn Jones. 1998. Gazetteer of Neolithic Elongated Enclosures and Extant Long Barrows in (Historic) Lincolnshire. no.43.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 1464 9361 (50m by 56m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish WALESBY, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Jan 12 2024 11:47AM

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