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Summary

Stixwould Priory to Tupholme Abbey causeway

Full description

44508
There is conjectural evidence that a series of five small causeways ran from Stixwould Priory to Tupholme Abbey. This causeway differs from the others in the Witham Valley as it does not run east-west across the valley from one side to the other, but runs north-west to south-east on the eastern side of the river. None of the causeways is more than 1km long, and they may have included ferries across canals and drainage ditches. It was recorded in the late nineteenth century that there was a paved way from Stixwould Priory to a deep drain. The other end of the causeway, near Tupholme Abbey, was recorded as being 24 feet wide. This causeway is similar to the Martin/Kirkstead causeway in that there is no evidence for Bronze Age barrows in the vicinity, and the votive offerings from the area seem to be mostly medieval. The locations of monastic establishments in relation to the causeways, and in many cases the fact that the causeways were controlled by these establishments, are thought to represent the 'conversion' of the important spiritual and ritual significance of the area to the Christian tradition. {1}

<1> David Stocker and Paul Everson, 2003, ‘The Straight and Narrow Way: Fenland Causeways and the Conversion of the Landscape in the Witham Valley, Lincolnshire’, in The Cross Goes North: Processes of Conversion in Northern Europe, AD300-1300, pp.271-88 (Article in Monograph). SLI8111.

Monument Types

• CAUSEWAY (Early Bronze Age to Medieval - 2200 BC to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

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