Information for record number MWA8818:
Group of Pits at Church Lawford

Summary A pit cluster of Neolithic and Bronze Age date was found during an archaeological excavation. The pit cluster was situated 1km west of Church Lawford.
What Is It?  
Type: Pit Cluster, Pit
Period: Early Neolithic - Iron Age (4000 BC - 601 BC)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Church Lawford
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 43 76
(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 Within and in the vicinity of an early Neolithic enclosure ditch were a group of pits which contained particular and distinct assemblages of flintwork, pottery, cremated bones, charred plant remains and charcoal. This type of assemblage is often thought to be deliberate and of some ceremonial significance.
2 A varied group of pits both within and outside the enclosure was investigated. Four pits were found to contain early Neolithic pottery, although it was certainly residual in two of them. A single pit contained Peterborough Ware pottery but this too appears to have been residual. A total of seven pits within the enclosure contained Grooved Ware pottery although in three it was residual. A furhter Grooved Ware pit lay outside the enclosure. One pit contained a Beaker sherd whist two others contained fragments of urn with residual pottery. Some of the pits may have formed an arc. A disparate group of seven pits remain undated however many of the fills produced evidence of burning and it is likely that these are of a similar date. A total of 1992 items of worked flint were recovered from this area, the majority dating to the later Neolithic and Bronze Age.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon excavations on the Transco Churchover to Newbold Pacey gas pipeline in 1999
Author/originator: S C Palmer
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 0611
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Archaeological excavation Churchover/Newbold Pacey pipeline, Interim report
Author/originator: Stuart Palmer
Date: 2000
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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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period Iron Age About 800 BC to 43 AD

The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period.
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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 CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument PIT CLUSTER * A spatially discrete group of pits usually containing artefactual material with little or no accompanying evidence for structural features. 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 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 PIPELINE * A conduit or pipes, used primarily for conveying petroleum from oil wells to a refinery, or for supplying water to a town or district, etc. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record