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Summary - not yet available

Monument Type(s):

• TRAPEZOIDAL ENCLOSURE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2201 BC)
• CURSUS (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2201 BC)
• RING DITCH (Unknown date)
• PIT CLUSTER (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
• RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC? to 701 BC?)

Associated Finds:

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC)
• PLANT MACRO REMAINS (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC) + Sci.Date
• SHERD (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC)
• URN (Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 701 BC)

Associated Events:

• Excavation at Rectory Farm, Godmanchester, 1988-1992 (Ref: GODREC14)
• AP assessment, RCHME Godmanchester Project, 1989-1993

Full description

1. Excavations were carried out by Central Archaeological Services in 1988-1992 in advance of mineral extraction, revealing a Neolithic monument complex. The earliest phase of the monument was a trapezoidal enclosure, comprising an inner circuit of 24 free standing posts, spaced at 31-41 m intervals, surrounded by a boundary ditch with inner bank. The enclosure was aligned NE-SW, with an opening at the NE end. Artefactual evidence was scarce, but sherds of early - mid Neolithic pottery were found in the primary fills of the ditch. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the post array gave a probable date of construction in the first half of the fourth millennium BC. Two ring ditches were located near to the enclosure, appearing to respect the monument complex, but with no dating evidence for these recovered. A cursus monument was located on aerial photographs at SW end of the monument, orientated NE-SW and traceable for 0.5 km towards Godmanchester. It is defined by two parallel lines of ditches, 90m apart, with evidence for an internal bank and three passages through the cursus on its northern side . A number of features were located within the enclosure, a transverse ditch crossing the interior and a pit cluster at the junction between the southern cursus ditch and the enclosure boundary ditch. The pit fills contained charcoal, burnt flint, stone and flint objects, animal bone, Neolithic pottery, a single Beaker sherd and a few pieces of human bone from the upper fills. Finally a rectilinear enclosure was situated within the northern area of the trapezoidal structure, defined by a single ditch and encompassing an area of 100 by 76m. Sherds of food and biconical urn were recovered from the ditch fills.

5-9. Carbon 14 dates for the enclosure placed it in the early to middle Neolithic. (1a)A large trapezoidal ditched enclosure excavated in advance of gravel extraction. The enclosure was orientated roughly southwest-northeast, with a wide opening at the broader northeastern end. The enclosure was 350 metres long, and measured 180 metres wide at the southwest end and up to 230 metres wide at the northeast end. The enclosed area measures circa 7 hectares. The northeast end was marked by in-curving terminals at the ends of the side ditches, and an opening about 190 metres wide. The ditch appears to have been accompanied by an internal bank, and inside the line of this were 23 substantial post-pits, arranged between 31 and 41 metres apart. A 24th post had stood inthe centre of the northeast entrance/gap.The southern ditch terminal contained an ox skull placed at its bottom, and the northern terminal featured two catle mandibles resting on top of the primary fill. A deer antler and a lower cattle limb came from post holes. Sherds of early to middle Neolithic pottery came from the primary fills of the ditch. Radiocarbon dates obtained on charcoal from the post holes suggest an early 4th millennium BC date for the enclosure. A cursus (TL 27 SE 81), later indate and aligned on the enclosure, terminates at the latter's southwestern side. In fact, the southeastern ditch of the cursus is aligned on thecentral post of the enclosure's southwestern side. The junction of the two is marked by evidence of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age activity in the form of intercutting pits containing potsherds, flint and stone objects, charcoal, burnt flint, and timbers and other woody material preserved by the waterlogged conditions. Radiocarbon dates for the pist span the period from the mid 3rd millennium BC to the mid 2nd millennium BC. The pits had been cut through the ditches of the cursus and enclosure. The enclosure largely contains, but is partly overlain by, a Bronze Age subrectangular enclosure (TL 27 NE 85), and also contains a small square enclosure of uncertain date (TL 27 NE 86).

A Neolithic cursus monument, running roughly northeast-southwest. Only one terminal, the northeastern, is known. To the southwest the cropmarks are lost beneath Godmanchester. Circa 90 metres wide, at its northeastern end the cursus terminates against the southwestern side of the Neolithic trapezoidal enclosure TL 27 SE 80. The southeastern cursus ditch is aligned on the central post of the enclosure's southwestern side. The northwestern cursus ditch appears to continue the line of the enclosure's northwestern ditch. Excavations in 1988-91 by the Central Excavation Unit suggest that the cursus is the later of the two monuments, the enclosure being radiocarbon dated to the early 4th millennium BC. Roughly half the width of the enclosure, the cursus shares the same alignment. Sections across the cursus ditches showed some variation in width (1.5 to 4 metres) and depth (0.8 to 1.3 metres). The ditches appear to have been accompanied by internal banks. Some definite causeways or gaps were recognised along the northwestern side, close to the terminal. A small ring ditch (TL 27 SE 42) located centrally between the cursus ditches has been suggested to have predated the cursus and influenced its alignment, although apparently no dating evidence was recovered from it, and interim reports regeard it as probably of Bronze Age date. The location of the southwestern end of the cursus is a matter for speculation. Cropmark evidence shows it to extend for at least 500 metres before disappearing beneath Godmanchester. No cropmarks have yet been noted emerging from the other side of the town. Malim (1999) has suggested that it may have terminated at a tributary of the Ouse at Godmanchester, suggesting a total length of around 1 kilometre, or that it may have continued further towards higher ground.

10. The site consists of a very large enclosure, trapezoidal in shape with rounded corners, 350m long and ranging from 180m wide at the south-west end to 230m at the north-east. The north-eastern end appears to be open with a gap c190m wide. Excavation revealed the enclosure ditch to be 4m wide and c 1m deep, with an internal bank. Within the enclosure were a series of 24 post holes set at regular intervals of c 75m, only some of which were visible on the aerial photographs. The arrangement of the post holes mirrored the line of the ditch with a central post situated between the two terminals. No structural features were found between the post holes.

At the southern end a cursus (TL 27 SE 81) approaches from the south-west to terminate against the enclosure.

The site consists of a cursus running approximately north-east south-west for a distance of at least 500m. It was not originally recognized as a cursus during the aerial survey, since only the southern side was clearly visible. The north-eastern end terminates on the Neolithic enclosure (TL 27 SE 80) on which it is clearly aligned. To the south-west it enters a built up area and there is no trace of it on the other side. The ditches are c 90m apart, and there are two interruptions along the southern side.

5, 8. A small square ditched enclosure located within the area enclosed by the large Neolithic trapezoidal enclosure TL 27 SE 80. Excavated in 1988-91, it was defined by a shallow, continuous ditch and measured 17.7 metres by 16.3 metres. Aligned parallel to the southern side of the transverse enclosure, the only associated finds were a small number of probable Neolithic potsherds. The enclosure was also cut through by a ditch which had itself been cut into by a cremation associated with a radiocarbon date of 1885-1525 BC (calibrated).

An irregular sub-rectangular enclosure, circa 0.8 hectares in area, located in the northwestern corner of the Neolithic trapezoidal enclosure TL 27 SE 80. Initially visible as cropmarks, it was excavated in 1988-91 by the Central Excavation Unit during work focused on the Neolithic enclosure and adjacent cursus (TL 27 SE 81). Measuring circa 100 metres by 76 metres, this Bronze Age enclosure is almost wholly contained within the earlier Neolithic enclosure, its northwestern side lying just outside the northwestern side of the earlier monument. Orientated northwest-southeast, it featured an entrance gap towards the west end of the southast-facing side. Just to the east of this, in the southern side, were two large oval pits which it has been suggested were used as water sources. A human skeleton was also found in a small pit just outside the northwest corner of the enclosure. It ic clearly presumed in the interim reports to be associated with the Bronze Age enclosure rather than any of the Neolithic activity. Dating evidence for the enclosure comprises sherds of Food Vessel and Biconical Urn from the ditch and of Food Vessel and Beaker from the oval pits.

11. TL 254709 Cropmarks (Nothing visible on available APs OS 1968)

5-7. It is not clear what feature is being referred to by the above sources, but it may well be the ring ditch at circa TL 25347086. A small ring ditch, slightly oval and measuring 9.5 metres by 8.5 metres, it was located centrally between the ditches of the Godmanchester cursus (TL 27 SE 81). It was excavated during work focused on the cursus and adjoining enclosure (TL 27 SE 80) undertaken in 1988-91. No dating evidence was recovered. It is presumed to be of Bronze Age date, although Malim (1999) has suggested that it may have pre-dated the cursus, influencing its alignment, although the latter seems to have been focused on the adjoining enclosure. A small group of cremations, presumably also of Bronze Age date, was laid out in an arc outside the southwest edge of the ditch. The relationship of this ring ditch to later field systems and trackways among other features suggest that it remained a visible feature into the Late Bronze Age and possibly beyond.

Lyons, A., 2019, Rectory Farm, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire: Excavations 1988–95, Neolithic monument to Roman villa farm EAA 170 (Monograph). SCB68805.

<1> McAvoy, F., 2000, The development of a Neolithic monument complex at Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. p. 51-6 in Dawson, M. (ed.) Prehistoric, Roman and Post-Roman Landscapes of the Great Ouse Valley (Article in monograph). SCB19209.

<2> Hillam, J., 1993, Tree-ring analysis of well timbers from Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire (Unpublished report). SCB55082.

<3> Mays , S A, The Human Bone from Godmanchester. (1988-92 Excavations) (Unpublished report). SCB39001.

<4> Canti , M, Soil Report on Calcareous Features From the excavations at Godmanchester (Unpublished report). SCB38998.

<5> McAvoy, F., 1991, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire IN Conservation Bulletin Vol 14: 16-18 (Article in serial). SCB65433.

<6> Malim, T., 1999, Cursuses and related monuments of the Cambridgeshire Ouse. In Pathways and Ceremonies: the cursus monuments of Britain and Ireland (Article in monograph). SCB58132.

<7> Last, J., Out of Line: cursuses and monument typology in eestern England. In Pathways and Ceremonies: The cursus monuments of Britain and Ireland (Article in monograph). SCB61246.

<8> McAvoy, F., 2000, The development of a Neolithic monument complex at Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. p. 51-6 in Dawson, M. (ed.) Prehistoric, Roman and Post-Roman Landscapes of the Great Ouse Valley (Article in monograph). SCB19209.

<9> Malim, T., 2000, The ritual landscape of the Neolithic and Bronze Age along the middle and lower Ouse Valley IN Dawson, M. (ed.) Prehistoric, Roman and Post-Roman Landscapes of the Great Ouse Valley (Article in monograph). SCB19210.

<10> RCHME, Godmanchester Project Survey Archive (Unpublished document). SCB20612.

<11> CUCAP, APs (St Joseph ADR 56) (Aerial Photograph). SCB65434.

<12> Seaman, B.H., Field Investigator Comments (Verbal communication). SCB61886.

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