See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Two Bronze Age pits probably used as wells or reservoirs.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PIT (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC) + Sci.Date

Full description

Best, J. + Gent, T., 2007, Bronze Age Burnt Mounds and Early Medieval Timber Structures at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe, Devon, 8-12 (Article in Serial). SDV360988.

Pit 672 was located about 1.0 metres to the south of trough 645 and is thought to have been used as a water reservoir. No dateable artefacts were recovered. However, organic material provided a calibrated radiocarbon date of 1450-1380BC.
Pit 658 was located to the north of the troughs. It was irregular in shape due to the nature of the soil and tree root disturbance but was up to 2.65 metres across and 0.6 metres deep. It contained the remains of a timber lining with pieces of oak planks and hazel stakes over which were a number of larger timbers. Dendrochronological dating suggests a felling date for the timbers between 1433 and 1422BC. Organic material from the fill of the pit included fragments of alder, hazel, nuts, holly leaves and woodland beetles. Two possible chert post pads were also found in the pit. No dateable artefacts were recovered.

Gent, T., 2007, Bronze Age Burnt Mounds and Early Medieval Wells at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe, 35-45 (Article in Serial). SDV344682.

Two pits (672 and 658) were revealed during excavation by Exeter Archaeology prior to quarrying. Pit 672 was a maximum of 2.8 metres wide and 1 metre deep. Its location close to a burnt mound an trough suggests that it may have been used as a water reservoir. A radiocarbon date from the pit of 1450-1380 calibrated BC is contemporary with the burnt mound. Pit 658, 2.65 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep, contained the remains of a collapsed oak lining. Dating analysis suggested that the timbers for the lining were felled between 1433 and 1422BC. This too is broadly contemporary with the use of burnt mound 549 and it is suggested that the pit functioned as a well or waterhole, perhaps replacing pit 672.

Tyers, I., 2007, Town Quarry Farm, Burlescombe, Devon: Dendrochronalogical Analysis of Oak Timbers, 4-7 (Report - Scientific). SDV347254.

A total of 12 of the 40 dendrochronological samples obtained from the site were derived from a waterlogged pit (site 658). Two of the measured sequences were found to cross-match, yeilding a composite match of 245 years which was found to correlate strongly with mid second millenium data from sites in Hampshire and the Somerset Levels. The sequence appears to date from 1677 - 1433 BC. This was reinforced by a radio carbon date obtained for the last surviving ring from one of the samples, which indicated a felling date between 1433 and 1414 BC. Other details: Figure 2, 4-5.

Bayliss, A. + Cook, G. + Ramsey, C. B. + van der Plicht, J. + McCormac, G., 2008, Radiocarbon Dates from Samples Funded by English Heritage under the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund 2004-7, 48-9, 52-3 (Report - Scientific). SDV364816.

The radiocarbon dating evidence from the fill of Pit 658 suggests relatively homogonous mixing of material as a direct result of one of more colluvial events. As such it is impossible to tie any part of the record from these contexts to the on-site archaeology or provide a chronological framework for interpreting the palaeoenvironmental sequence.
Wiggle-matching of radiocarbon and dendrochronological dating results was carried out on 10 decadal blocks of tree-rings from the 245-year floating series from plank 475 within pit 658. The results suggest that the last ring of the timber dates to 1440–1400 cal BC (95% probability). Overall, the radiocarbon results are in good agreement with the date suggested by the dendrochronological analysis and so the tree-ring date of 1433 BC for the last ring on this timber can be accepted. Allowing for missing sapwood, this timber was probably felled in 1433–1413 BC.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4749 - Excavation at Town Farm Quarry, Burlescombe

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.