Monument record MLI50567 - Neolithic Long Barrow, Nettleton

Summary

Neolithic long barrow, to the south-east of Nettleton.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

Cropmarks of a long barrow, to the south-east of Nettleton. Visible as an oblong-shaped enclsoure, defined by a single ditch measuring 53m by 22m, and with traces of possible internal features. {1}{2}{3}{4} The remains of the barrow were recorded during a geophysical survey, conducted in the winter of 1992, and partially excavated in March 1993 by British Gas. {5} The Neolithic long barrow, 940m north-north-west of Mount Pleasant, is an important example of this class of monument. It was observed as a cropmark site and confirmed by geophysical survey and part excavation. A substantial portion of the ditch survives, together with internal features cut into the original ground surface. The limited excavation served to establish, beyond doubt, the prehistoric nature of the site as well as providing valuable evidence relating to the construction of the mound and the ditch, and the timespan during which the monument was built. The archaeological work left the southern portion of the monument undisturbed, including the area which would have seen the greatest activity. Much rare and valuable archaeological information will be retained in the ditch fills and within the area of the mound, and organic material preserved in these contexts will provide further evidence illustrating the nature of the landscape in which the monument was constructed and used. A further ditch thought to be broadly contemporary with the barrow survives beneath the present ground surface and archaeological deposits contained within its fills together with its stratigraphic relationship to the monument will provide information concerning prehistoric land use patterns around the barrow. The barrow is one of a number of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary sites associated with the prehistoric trackway now formalised as High Street. For more detail see the Scheduling Document 27862. The RCHM plot is slightly to the north-west of the monument area indicated on the scheduling document map. {6} This long barrow is located on a ridge top, below the crest, adjacent to the High Street ridgeway. It is aligned north-north-west by south-south-east, and its long axis traverses the contours. It appears as an oblong-shaped enclosure with convex ends. {7}{8} The excavations in 1993 confirmed that the site was a Neolithic long barrow enclosed by a quarry ditch between about 4m and 7m wide from which a large quantity of prehistoric and Romano-British pottery was recovered. The ditch had been recut twice, indicating that the monument continued to be a focus of attention and activity long after its initial construction, as also demonstrated by the wide date range of pottery fragments. Large pieces of flint and chalk blocks found in the original ditch cut and in the first recut give evidence for the method of construction. A further ditch 0.33m deep by 1.1m wide was located beyond the quarry ditch to the north east. This was thought to represent an independent structure predating the final recut. A substantial feature containing evidence of burning was recorded at the centre of the monument but was not excavated. No material suitable for radiocarbon dating was recovered, but the form of the monument together with the relative dating provided by the pottery indicate that the barrow was constructed in the later Neolithic period. Environmental samples taken at the time of the excavation suggested that the monument was constructed in an area of open grassland which subsequently became colonised by scrub vegetation. The site is now preserved under redeposited soil and, while there has been limited disturbance as a result of the archaeological investigations, the southern portion of the barrow in which funerary activity would have been concentrated, is untouched. The monument survives as buried remains visible as cropmarks on air photographs. The feature is defined by an oval ditch, elongated north-west to south-east and measuring 36.3m by 20.8m. Photography shows a faint compacted centre, representing the mound, but no earthwork is visible on height data or digital elevation models. {9}10}{11}

Sources/Archives (11)

  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. 5171/3 (1977).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1946-98. RCHME National Aerial Photograph Collection at Swindon. TF1398/3 (1979).
  •  Photograph: S.J. Catney. 1993. LONG BARROW CROPMARK, NETTLETON. -.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. Lincolnshire National Mapping Programme. TF1298: LI.298.6.1.
  •  Report: British Gas. 1993. Skitter to Hatton Pipeline Report. SH20, pp.31-41.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1996. SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 27862. 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.48.
  •  Index: Dilwyn Jones. 1998. Gazetteer of Neolithic Elongated Enclosures and Extant Long Barrows in (Historic) Lincolnshire. no.48.
  •  Website: Historic England (formerly English Heritage). 2011->. The National Heritage List for England. http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. 1013889.
  •  Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946-71. RAF POST WAR COLLECTION. CPE/UK/1746 RP 3053 (21/09/1946).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Aerial Photograph. NMR 17800/63 (05/06/2003).

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 1298 9803 (40m by 43m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish NETTLETON, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Jan 4 2024 1:20PM

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