Monument record MLI50638 - Neolithic Long Barrow, Cowdyke Plantation, Stainton le Vale

Summary

Cropmarks of a Neolithic long barrow, to the south of Cowdyke Plantation, Stainton le Vale.

Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

Cropmarks of a Neolithic long barrow, to the south of Cowdyke Plantation, Stainton le Vale. Visible as a 'waisted', elongated enclosure, measuring roughly 40m by 20m. The barrow is aligned east to west, and lies on an east facing slope. Identified on aerial photography examined as part of the National Mapping Programme. {1}{2}{3} The barrow appears as an elongated, slightly wedge-shaped oblong enclosure, aligned east to west, and delineated by an infilled ditch measuring about 40m by 20m. The eastern end of the ditch is wider and more rectilinear in plan than the western end and the circuit is unbroken, a form thought to indicate a simpler type of this monument class. The ditched enclosure is believed to have been a focus for mortuary activities, including the exposure of human remains and the remains of structures and deposits associated with these activities will survive as buried features. The long barrow is one of a group of similar monuments associated with the valley of the Waithe Beck and with High Street which originated as a prehistoric trackway. {4} The form and interpretation of this feature is uncertain. On vertical aerial photographs, the enclosure has an elongated trapezoidal plan, with constrictions along the sides to give a waisted appearance. The west terminal has a more globular form, possibly indicating the presence of a ring ditch. The monument may consist of two contiguous ring ditches of different size. Field walking revealed no surface traces or finds. The feature lies on the false crest of a spur, at the head of the Waithe Beck. It is aligned east to west, and measures roughly 52m by 20m (tapering to 14m). {5}{6} More recent analysis of the aerial photography for this area shows the barrow as cropmarks, and as a very shallow earthwork. The barrow enclosure ditch is trapezoidal in form, elongated west to east, and measures 48m by 28m with the eastern end being the widest. {7}{8}

Sources/Archives (8)

  •  Aerial Photograph: Paul Everson. 1975-90. RCHM. TF1594/3, 8-10; 2956/18-19, 36, 42 (1978).
  •  Aerial Photograph: 1946-98. RCHME. TF1697-4, 2955/33.
  •  Map: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1992-1996. Lincolnshire National Mapping Programme. TF1594: LI.256.3.1.
  •  Scheduling Record: ENGLISH HERITAGE. 1996. SCHEDULING DOCUMENT 27886. 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.
  •  Index: Dilwyn Jones. 1998. Gazetteer of Neolithic Elongated Enclosures and Extant Long Barrows in (Historic) Lincolnshire. -.
  •  Aerial Photograph: Aerial Photograph. TL1594 (02/05/2008).
  •  Aerial Photograph: Aerial Photograph. NMR 28848_004-010 (28/01/2016).

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 1513 9459 (49m by 36m) Estimated from Sources
Civil Parish STAINTON LE VALE, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE

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Record last edited

Jun 25 2024 9:15AM

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