Information for record number MWA3000:
Mesolithic/Neolithic Settlement 'Site 5' at Stretton on Fosse

Summary Excavation of a settlement uncovered pits, ditches, a subcircular feature, post holes and a possible hearth of Mesolithic/Neolithic date, and an undated burial. A large flint scatter included scrapers, microliths and an arrowhead. The site is 800m west of Stretton on Fosse.
What Is It?  
Type: Settlement, Ditch, Post Hole, Hearth, Pit, Burial, Flint Scatter
Period: Early Mesolithic - Early Bronze Age (10000 BC - 2351 BC)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stretton on Fosse
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 38
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Excavations of pits, ditches and a subcircular feature. The ditches and other features appear to be Romano British (see PRN 5358), but other features are Mesolithic/Neolithic. To the W of the site were a number of pits, some of which produced flint and are possibly Neolithic, although one was an undated burial. The most unusual feature was a shallow subcircular gully, incomplete on its W and with a sub-enclosure on the SE. Five post holes were placed around the ditch and at the centre was a possible hearth. A large number of flints, including an axe-sharpening flake, were found in association, and one possible potsherd came from a post hole. The flint scatter included scrapers, microliths and a leaf-shaped arrowhead.
2 Plan.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: TBAS vol 90
Author/originator: Gardner P J, Haldon R and Malam J
Date: 1980
Page Number: 9-13
Volume/Sheet: 90
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Plan
Title: TBAS vol 90
Author/originator: Gardner P J, Haldon R and Malam J
Date: 1980
Page Number: Fig 5
Volume/Sheet: 90
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Mesolithic About 10,000 BC to 4001 BC

Mesolithic means 'Middle Stone Age'. It is the period that comes between the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic (New Stone Age).

The Mesolithic period is a period of transition from the way people were living during the Palaeolithic period as hunter-gatherers to the development of farming in the Neolithic period.
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period Neolithic About 4000 BC to 2351 BC

The word ‘Neolithic’ means ‘New Stone Age’. Archaeologists split up the Neolithic period into three phases; early, middle and late. The Neolithic period comes after the Mesolithic period and before the Bronze Age.

People in the Neolithic period hunted and gathered food as their ancestors had but they were also began to farm. They kept animals and grew crops. This meant that they were able to settle more permanently in one location instead of constantly moving from place to place to look for food.
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period Bronze Age About 2500 BC to 700 BC

The Bronze Age comes after the Neolithic period and before the Iron Age.

The day to day life of people in the Bronze Age probably changed little from how their ancestors had lived during the Neolithic period. They still lived in farmsteads, growing crops and rearing animals.

During the Bronze Age people discovered how to use bronze, an alloy of tin and copper (hence the name that has given to this era). They used it to make their tools and other objects, although they continued to use flint and a range of organic materials as well. A range of bronze axes, palstaves and spears has been found in Warwickshire.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument GULLY * A deep gutter, drain or sink. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument DITCH * A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year. back
monument BURIAL * An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches. back
monument FLINT SCATTER * A spatially discrete, though sometimes extensive, scatter of flint artefacts recovered from the surface, eg. by fieldwalking, rather than from a particular archaeological context. back
monument POST HOLE * A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record