Site record MDR4310 - Cropmark Complex East of Frizam's Lane, Twyford and Stenson
Type and Period (7)
- RING DITCH (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
- ENCLOSURE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
- SETTLEMENT (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
- CURSUS (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
- HUT CIRCLE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
- RIDGE AND FURROW (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- FIELD BOUNDARY (Early Neolithic to Roman - 4000 BC to 409 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
SK 315 287 to SK 320 289. Cursus, ring ditches and other crop-marks. (1)
Site under crop, no visual evidence [1966]. (2)
SK 315 288 - SK 320 389: Two parallel ditches of a cursus at Findern, running east to west for 1600ft. Are visible on air photographs. Within and around this are 10 ring ditches, the largest of which are probably round barrows, but linear features suggest that the smaller ones to the north may be a late Neolithic - Bronze Age settlement. Trial trenching in 1969 on the cursus revealed the two cursus ditches 38.0m apart and of differing profiles, a third ditch in between them and a possible pit at the north end. No finds were recorded from the site. (3-4)
A multi-phased prehistoric cropmark site comprising part of a cursus (100m wide, 500m long) ring ditches, a cluster of pennanular ditches, pits and superimposed field systems and enclosures. Professor St. Joseph notes that "several of the circular features show clear signs of an entrance, but seem too large to be interpreted as the sites of Iron Age or Romano-British round huts. They perhaps represent small ditched enclosures within which individual houses may have stood." (5) [sep. records for ring ditches (SMR27402) and Rect/Enclosures (smr 27403)]
At SK 3185 2910 the polygonal enclosure extends west of Frizam's Lane (SMR 19914) as does the Cursus. Between the cursus ditches runs a meandering ditch which also crosses Frizam's Lane. (7)
Cropmarks plotted on map overlay, 1:10,000. (8)
Trial trenching was conducted at the Potlock Cursus in 1994 in advance of a storm-water drain. This is one of two Neolithic ceremonial cursus monuments discovered on the Trent gravels in Derbyshire (the other at Aston on Trent), by aerial photgraphy. Test pitting in the area between the cursus ditches produced pieces of flintwork. Sections of the cursus ditches were excavated prior to stripping. This revealed that the southern ditch of the cursus was larger than the northern one, ie 2.5-3m wide at the top and 0.8-1.0m deep, while the northern ditch was approx. 2.0m wide at the top and 0.6m deep. Both ditches were of blunt-V profile with a flat bottom, which was over 1m wide in the southern ditch. The southern ditch, (close to Frizam's Lane), contained a layer of charred organic material. 17m north of the northern ditch, a basin-shaped pit was excavated. It contained fire-cracked pebbles with fragments of charred organic material. A rim sherd of an Early Bronze Age Collared Urn, with cord-impressed decoration was found at the base of the pit. The northern cursus-ditch also yielded unweathered sherds of late Neolithic Peterborough Ware, the upper fill contained fragments of Iron Age Scored Ware. Taken with other excavation evidence, this suggests that the cursus was ploughed over by the turn of the first millennium. (9-10)
Numerous cropmarks were identified in this area and plotted on to GIS during an aerial photographic mapping survey that was carried out in 2009/10. The cropmarks were interpreted as relating to a later prehistoric/Roman landscape, with the Neolithic cursus running WSW-ENE. (11)
Sources/Archives (19)
- --- SDR24607 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G (TPAT). 1990. Potlock: 1989-90 Progress Report.
- --- SDR24608 Article in serial: Wheeler, H (TVARC). 1970. The Findern Cursus.
- --- SDR24609 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G (TPAT). 1989. Potlock: April 1989 Summary Report.
- --- SDR24610 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G (TPAT). 1990. Potlock Cursus: 1989-90 Summary Report to DAAC.
- --- SDR24611 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G (TPAT). 1990. Potlock Cursus: 1990/91 Summary Report to DAAC.
- --- SDR24612 Unpublished document: Guilbert, G (TPAT). 1990. Potlock Geophysical Survey (Excavated sample context).
- --- SDR24613 Unpublished document: Walker, R. 1989. Poltock: Phosphate Survey (Part one).
- <1> SDR1382 Aerial Photograph: AP:J.K. St Joseph:CAM AFY: ABA 40, ABB 62, AFY 29,30.
- <2> SDR6395 Personal Observation: F1 JB 26-JUL-66.
- <3b> SDR1369 Aerial Photograph: AP: Pickering, J.: 3128/1-4,9-16,42; 3129/1-4,11,30; 3228/5; 3229/1; 13A/265;Slides 527 311-320 19.7.72; 526 25.7.72).
- <3a> SDR1409 Aerial Photograph: APs (NMR 3128/1-4 3129/1-5).
- <3> SDR15777 Bibliographic reference: Trent Valley Arch Res comm Gaz c 1980 7.
- <4> SDR6980 Article in serial: Wheeler, H. 1970. 'The Findern Cursus', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 90, pp 4-7.
- <5> SDR5342 Scheduling record: DOE : Scheduled Ancient Monument notification 30/10/86: MON23374, DR251.
- <6> SDR15004 Index: TPAT. 2032. 2032.
- <7> SDR15341 Unpublished document: TPAT: Research Design: August 1987: on File 57665.
- <8> SDR1127 Archive: Whiteley, S. 1989. Aerial Photographic Transcripton Project.
- <9> SDR19023 Unpublished document: Knight, D (TPAT). 1994. A 564 (T) Derby Southern Bypass. Summary of Rescue Archaeological Works at Aston Cursus, Potlock Cursus and Swarkestone Lowes..
- <11> SDR21002 Digital data: Archaeological Research Services (ARS) Ltd. 2009/2010. Aerial Photographic Mapping Survey carried out as part of an Aggregates Resource Project.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | SK 31638 28831 (point) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | TWYFORD AND STENSON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | WILLINGTON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (7)
- EDR382
- EDR1743
- EDR3464
- EDR5063
- EDR5062
- EDR1711
- EDR5061
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jul 22 2020 2:06PM