Monument record MDR11351 - Mid-Late Iron Age occupation site and earlier features, Aston Hall Hospital, Weston-on-Trent
Type and Period (10)
- RING DITCH ? (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
- OCCUPATION SITE (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
- PIT CLUSTER (Middle Iron Age - 400 BC to 101 BC)
- PIT ALIGNMENT (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
- FIELD BOUNDARY (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
- ENCLOSURE (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
- DROVE ROAD ? (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
- OCCUPATION SITE (Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age - 1000 BC to 401 BC)
- OCCUPATION SITE ? (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
- PIT (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC?)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
In April 2006 an archaeological evaluation was undertaken to the south of Aston Hall Hospital buildings. Sixteen trial trenches were excavated and archaeological features were found to exist, mainly concentrated on the western side of the evaluation area. The features consisted of a number of ditches, postholes and pits, one of which contained Neolithic pottery. One trench contained part of a curving gully, which could be either a ring ditch for a barrow or the drip gully of a roundhouse. There was also a possible post hole containing prehistoric pottery. Altogether 15 sherds of prehistoric handmade pottery were recovered from four of the trenches; of these, nine are diagnostically Neolithic in date belonging to either two or, more likely, three separate vessels, all bowls with impressed decorations over their entire surface (consistent with a date of about 3600 BC to 2500 BC). A struck flint flake was found in associated with one undated pottery sherd. (1)
Following the positive identification of prehistoric features in association with Neolithic pottery at this site in 2006, a strip and record excavation was carried out in 2014. A moderate density of prehistoric archaeological features were uncovered. Where dating evidence was present, archaeological features were mainly Middle to Late Iron Age in date, with a small number of Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age features present. Residual Neolithic material (pottery and worked flint) is perhaps indicative that an earlier, now archaeologically invisible, site was also present. Archaeological features include field/enclosure boundaries, a potential droveway, and pits. Pit clusters in the north-eastern part of this site were well-preserved and probably indicate Mid Iron Age unenclosed settlement activity (with some late Bronze Age finds). These features were then superseded by a later north-south pit alignment boundary feature, perhaps hinting at some landscape reorganisation within the Mid-Late Iron Age. Because of the rarity of dated prehistoric landscapes, this site is of local to regional significance, covering a move from open to bounded landscapes. It is one of only four or five sites in the Trent Valley that exhibits this phenomenon. (2)
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> SDR19768 Unpublished document: University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS). 2006. An Archaeological Evaluation at Aston Hall Hospital, Aston-on-Trent, South Derbyshire. SMR Doc. No. 893.
- <2> SDR22754 Unpublished document: Flintoft, P & Davies, G (TPA). 2014. Assessment report on an archaeological strip, map and sample excavation at Aston Hall Hospital, Aston on Trent, Derbyshire.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 41305 28744 (333m by 248m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | WESTON UPON TRENT, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR1919
- EDR3620
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 16 2020 12:10AM