| Summary : A neolithic cursus, parts of which have been destroyed through gravel extraction. Excavations (in 1957-8, 1962-3, 1979-81 and 1982-4) have principally occurred around its central area, and towards its southern end. The cursus is at least 2 kilometres in length, and orientated roughly northwest-southeast, though with a marked change in direction around the mid point, just northwest of the henge. Its visible course begins near the River Welland at its northwest end, athough no terminals are visible, these possibly being concealed by alluvium. At this end, the cursus appears to be marked by 4 roughly parallel ditches, the northern pair only visible for a short distance. The two principal ditches are discontinuous, at least as cropmarks, with the southern ditch continuing as far as the Maxey Cut watercourse in the south. The northern ditch seems to end long before this point, having begun to turn south. Examination of air photographs by RCHME in 1997 however noted a 30 metre length of ditch some 140 metres south of the causewayed enclosure TF 10 NW 51, which lies directly on the line of the northern cursus ditch and which turns through 90 degrees, possibly indicating a terminal. Around the mid-point, in the excavated area, the cursus ditches were around 58 metres apart, and 2 metres wide. Both were very shallow with no clear evidence either for a bank or for episodes of recutting. A discontinuous layer of comminuted charcoal was noted near the base of both. It is not in situ burning but could be associated with land clearance. Finds were minimal, and no real dating evidence recovered. However, both ditches appear to have been fully silted up by the time the henge and associated features (TF 10 NW 59) were constructed. These later Neolithic monuments, although constructed over the cursus, appear not to respect the course of the cursus, and follow a different (east-west) alignment. Some Beaker pottery was found in the southern ditch, near the causewayed enclosure. |
More information : (TF 130075 derived from OS 1:10000) The multi-period site at
Maxey was discovered by Dr. J.K.St. Joseph from aerial
photography (see TF 10 NW 1 for an outline of the main features).
The cursus monument represents the earliest phase of activity on
the site.
The Maxey cursus is clearly visible from Dr St Joseph's
photograph. The 1956 RCHME survey of archaeological sites on
rivers notes that the Maxey cursus has a definite change in
alignment about 3/4 mile from the Welland end. Any evidence for
a junction in the cursus had already been destroyed by gravel
quarrying. (1,1a)
In 1962-63 WG Simpson excavated at Maxey examining the West,
North and Central areas of the site. The Cursus runs diagonally
across the 'island' from the bank of the river in the north-
west to the former flood channel (the Maxey cut) in the south-
east. It changes direction by about 12 degrees at about the
middle of its course. (2)
Simpson's excavations located both ditches of the cursus monument
they are c58m apart and 2m wide and not more than 30cm deep. The
north ditch is not visible on aerial photographs and survived
only as shallow cuts, patches of ditch fill or staining on the
gravel surface. The south ditch had been partially protected by
a plough headland surviving to a depth of c 30cm. Dr J Alexander
had located the south ditch at two points in his rescue
excavations of 1956-7. (3) Both Alexander's and Simpson's
excavations showed the ring-ditch intersecting the cursus ditch.
No conclusive evidence was found by Simpson to suggest that a
bank was associated with the cursus ditch. A number of post-
holes were found along the south lip of the ditch; these were 15-
25cm in diameter and c 10cm deep. A large pit near the centre
of the cursus was also suggested to be a contemporary feature.
This pit was 4-5m in diameter and filled with a peaty mixture
including twigs, small pieces of wood, leaves and hazel-nut
shells. Finds from the pit included a Neolithic polished stone
axe of Group VI rock, nine sherds from a bowl, possibly
Neolithic. (2)
In 1979-81 Francis Pryor excavated at Maxey as part of the
Welland Valley project. The two ditches of the cursus traversed
the excavated area from NW to SE and were approximately 58m
apart. Both ditches were approximately 2m wide and had steep
sides and flat bottoms and were severly truncated by ploughing.
The short length of cursus ditch preserved beneath alluvium west
of the Etton causewayed enclosure (TF 10 NW 51) demonstrates that
the ditches were never very substantial. Neither ditch showed
evidence for recutting, nor for a bank.
A discontinuous layer of charcoal mixed with soil near to the
ditch bottom was interpreted by Pryor as being possibly
indicative of land clearance by fire. The cursus ditches were
cut by the henge ditch and the central ring ditch. Despite wet
sieving no artefacts or bones were recovered. The absence of
finds lead Pryor to suggest that there was no settlement in the
area before, and for some time after the period in which the
cursus was in use. Excavations demonstrated that the southern
ditch was completely filled in before the ditches of the henge
complex were dug.(4)
Frances Pryor has suggested that the Maxey cursus is an example
of an episodic cursus ie. one which is built in short stretches
over a long period of time. At the north end of the cursus there
appear to be four parallel lines, two of which are on the wrong
alignment and can be interpreted as 'mistakes'. At the midpoint
there is a step of about 20m and in another place there is a gap
of c 50m. At the southern end, close to the Etton causewayed
enclosure (TF 10 NW 51) there is only a single line of 'V' shaped
ditch. The cursus is almost devoid of finds, with the exception
of some late Beaker sherds found in the bottom of the ditch near
to Etton. (5)
In 1997 an air photograph interpretation and transcription,
undertaken as a part of the RCHME: Etton Causewayed Enclosure
project, included the course of the Maxey Cursus. To the east of the
change of alignment referred to by previous authorities, the
transcription agrees with the excavation findings that the two cursus
ditches are approximately 58m apart. However, to the west of this
point it was noted that the ditches are consistently closer together:
45-48m apart. This might tend to support the view that there may
have been two separate monuments or two distinct phases.
Approximately 140m to the south of the causewayed enclosure, a 30m
length of ditch was transcribed which lies exactly on the line of the
cursus northern ditch. At TF 1394 0704, this ditch turns through
90 degrees to the south-west; it is suggested that this might be a
possible terminal. (6)
|