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| HER Number | MWB3860 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | WAWCOTT 1 (I), Kintbury |
|---|
Summary
Mesolithic site discovered and excavated in 1960s
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 01953.00.000
- National Monuments Record No.: 3891 Index to Microfilmed Archaeological Archives
SU 389 676 - National Monuments Record No.: EHNMR-627986 English Heritage NMR Excavation Index for England
SU 38 67 - National Monuments Record No.: SU 46 NW 8 Monument Number 233236
SU 405 675 - record for 6 separate Mesolithic occupation sites
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
Wawcott I was one of about 50 mesolithic sites identified in the Kennet valley area by Froom. Following surface collection of worked flint, Wawcott I was excavated in 1964 and 1966. The excavations produced evidence for a substantial structure, made by piling the spoil of a pit dug into the gravel sub soil around its perimeter.
Radiocarbon dating was carried out on charcoal (or decayed wood) from a hearth stratified within the middle fill of a pit feature interpreted as a hut <5>, giving a date of 5260 ± 130 BP (BM-449; 4340-3800 cal BC). This was a late date for a Mesolithic site <6>, although the feature was in an uncertain relationship with a Mesolithic flint industry. The question of whether there was a Mesolithic-Neolithic culture overlap in the West Berkshire area was further explored (and rejected) by new dating carried out on finds from the Lambourn long barrow <6>, but it was noted that reassessment of the Wawcott I date would not be possible without fresh excavations.
The NMR notes that the archive for this private excavation is in the NMR, West Berkshire Museum and Reading Museum <8>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | 1967. BERKS FIELD RESEARCH GROUP BULLETIN 1967 5. 5. p4. [Article in serial / SWB9286] |
| <02> | Newbury District Field Club. 1970. TRANS NEWBURY DISTRICT FIELD CLUB 1970 VOL 12 NO 1. pp58-67 The Mesolithic around Hungerford Part VI by F R Froom. [Article in serial / SWB10322] |
| <03> | Berkshire Archaeological Society. 1971-2. Berkshire Archaeological Journal 1971-72 66. 66. In ADS Journals. 10.5284/1000017. p23-44 A Mesolithic Site at Wawcott, Kintbury by F R Froom. [Article in serial / SWB8663]
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/berks_bas_2007/journal.cfm?volume=66 (Accessed 11/11/2015) |
| <04> | Wymer, J J (ed). 1977. Gazetteer of Mesolithic Sites in England and Wales with a Gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic sites in England and Wales. 20. P8. [Monograph / SWB10038]
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-281-1/dissemination/pdf/cba_rr_020.pdf (Accessed 07/10/2015) |
| <05> | 1971. Radiocarbon Vol 13. 13. p173 in British Museum radiocarbon measurements VII by H Barker, R Burleigh and J Meekes. [Article in serial / SWB148178] |
| <06> | 2000. Oxford Journal of Archaeology. Volume 19 (1). p25-35 New AMS Dates from the Lambourn Long Barrow…Repacking the Neolithic Package by R J Schulting. [Article in serial / SWB148177] |
| <07> | Froom, F R. 2012. The Mesolithic of the Kennet Valley. p264-72. [Monograph / SWB148389] |
| <08> | Historic England (previously English Heritage). 2007-2020. Historic England's research records (formerly Pastscape). www.pastscape.org.uk. 09/09/2009. Monument Number 233236. [Website / SWB147684] |
Related Monuments
| MWB3868 | Kennet Valley mesolithic 'landscape' (Landscape) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB603 | Survey and excavation of Mesolithic sites around Hungerford |
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