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Summary

Triple ring ditch barrow and possible henge, to the west of West Ashby.

Full description

Triple ring-ditch seen on an aerial photograph of St Joseph, Cambridge. The mound has been half quarried away for sand. A section was cut by the North Lincolnshire Archaeological Unit in 1977 that revealed an urn inverted in a pit near the centre of the mound. Illustrations of the site and urn are in the parish file. {1}

Excavation revealed the existence of a possible class 1 henge beneath a Bronze Age barrow. The barrow had been reused and excavation identified several phases of activity. The shape and design of the barrow had been changed several times, sometimes quite drastically. The digging of ditches for larger barrows on the same site as the first barrow resulted in the triple ring ditch feature seen in the aerial photographs. Features of all phases were mainly found in the central area of the barrow and included two inhumation coffins, one accompanied by a Yorkshire-type food vessel. A cremation in a collared urn accompanied by a bronze knife and two flint plano-convex knives. A further cremation in a collared urn was found in the middle ditch. The site may lie close to a Bronze Age settlement: early Bronze Age flintwork and pottery, including grooved ware and beaker sherds, were recovered from the several phases of mound make-up.
Following excavation of the site, the remains were destroyed by gravel quarrying. {2}{3}

Cropamrks of the barrow were noted on aerial photographs examined as part of the National Mapping Programme. {4}

<1> Lincolnshire County Council, Sites and Monuments Record Card Index, TF 27 SW: N (Index). SLI2881.

<2> A.J. White (ed.), 1978, 'Archaeology in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, 1977' in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, vol.13, p.82 (Article in Serial). SLI763.

<3> Naomi Field, 1985, 'A Multi-Phased Barrow and Possible Henge Monument at West Ashby, Lincolnshire' in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, vol.51, pp.103-36 (Article in Serial). SLI589.

<4> Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1992-1996, National Mapping Programme, TF2572: LI.139.1.1 (Map). SLI3613.

Monument Types

• HENGE? (Middle Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
• BURIAL (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• CREMATION (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• PIT (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• RING DITCH (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• ROUND BARROW (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)

Associated Finds

• BLADE (Early Neolithic to Middle Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• LEAF ARROWHEAD (Early Neolithic to Late Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 801 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 801 BC)
• SHERD (Middle Neolithic to Late Neolithic - 3000 BC to 2351 BC)
• BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• BURIN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• CINERARY URN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• COFFIN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• CORE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• KNIFE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• KNIFE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• PENDANT (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• PLANO CONVEX KNIFE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• PLANT REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• SHERD (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 801 BC)
• TRANSVERSE ARROWHEAD (Early Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 1501 BC)

Associated Events

• Excavation of barrow and henge, West Ashby
• Contour survey of triple ring ditch, West Ashby

Sources and further reading

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