Information for record number MWA4731:
Neolithic Ring Ditch 300m SW of Thelsford Farm, Charlecote.

Summary An excavation of a round barrow dating to the Neolithic period uncovered a ring ditch and a human burial with a flint knife. The site is located 850m south of the church, Wasperton.
What Is It?  
Type: Round Barrow, Burial, Ring Ditch, Inhumation
Period: Early Neolithic - Early Bronze Age (4000 BC - 2351 BC)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Charlecote
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 26 58
(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 Over half a ring ditch excavated in advance of gravel extraction. An unbroken ring ditch enclosed an area 12m in diameter. Excavated part revealed seven straight sections and calculations indicate a thirteen-sided shape. A central grave with ephemeral remains indicating a human burial, the body lying on its left side with knees drawn up to the chin. At the right side of the grave lay a flint knife. Several stages of silting in the main ditch were observed. The final silting represented the destruction of the central mound and contained fragments of at least three Mortlake urns. The evidence would suggest a barrow of secondary Neolithic date constructed on a site which had first been cleared of vegetation. Later regeneration of shrubs and bushes.
2 ring ditch II can be confidently classed as a Neolithic Round Barrow on the grounds of grave goods, ditch plan and site history. Probable Beaker shers were recovered from the ditch fill.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Ring ditch, Charlecote
Author/originator: WJF
Date: 1971
Page Number: 6-7
Volume/Sheet: 14
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society (TBAS) Vol 107
Author/originator: Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeology Society
Date: 2003
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 107
   
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 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 BARROW * Artificial mound of earth, turf and/or stone, normally constructed to contain or conceal burials. Use specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument INHUMATION * An interment of unburnt, articulated human remains. Use specific type where known. back
monument URN * A garden ornament, usually of stone or metal, designed in the the form of a vase used to receive the ashes of the dead. back
monument GRAVE * A place of burial. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument RING DITCH * Circular or near circular ditches, usually seen as cropmarks. Use the term where the function is unknown. Ring ditches may be the remains of ploughed out round barrows, round houses, or of modern features such as searchlight emplacements. 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 MOUND * A natural or artificial elevation of earth or stones, such as the earth heaped upon a grave. Use more specific type where known. back
monument ROUND BARROW * Hemispherical mound surrounded by a ditch (or occasionally two or more concentric ditches), often accompanied by an external (or occasionally internal) bank. Mound and ditch may sometimes be separated by a berm. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record