Source/Archive record SDR24753 - Two Ring Ditch Excavations at Willington, Derbyshire, 2014

An account of a programme of archaeological investigations entailing an initial trial trench evaluation conducted in 2013, which confirmed that the ring ditch seen on aerial photographs were the remains of prehistoric monuments. This was followed by a further phase of trial trenching aimed at looking for traces of other prehistoric monuments. None were found. In July 2014 the two ring ditches were excavated. The ring ditch to the east of the site was identified as a hengi-form monument, about 40m in diameter, containing a central grave. This has been damaged by ploughing, but had probably been created in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age and probably fell out of use in the middle Bronze Age. The ring ditch to the west was of similar size and had also suffered extensive plough damage. Hence its function could not be firmly determined nor could it be securely dated. However, an entrance was idetified on its eastern side, and some pits excavated to its southeast appear to be late Bronze Age in date.