Information for record number MWA10294:
Iron Age ditch and pit group in Stockton

Summary A boundary ditch dating to the Iron Age identified during an archaeological evaluation. The site is 900m northwest of Stockton church.
What Is It?  
Type: Ditch, Pit Cluster, Post Hole
Period: Middle Iron Age - Late Iron Age (300 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stockton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 42 63
(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 A 'territorial' boundary ditch dated to the Iron Age by pottery which was uncovered during an evaluation. A small group of undated pits and postholes were identified mainly to the north of this ditch and a single undated pit and an undated probable field boundary gully were identified to the south.
2 Further area excavation of this ditch, recorded during geophysical survey and trial trenching. It is considered likely to have been a territorial or estate boundary. Radiocarbon dating for the ditch produced a date in the middle to late Iron Age (370BC-40BC). Settlement detritus was found in the base of the ditch, including pottery, animal bone, crop processing waste and residual flintwork. This Iron Age Settlement evidence lies in an area with little previous evidence of prehistoric occupation. A linear pit group, and a small group of postholes, were likely part of the Settlement. It is argued that they are unlikely to have been storage pits, instead, their position alongside a boundary ditch may point to them having contained organic material, and being invested with some form of arcane meaning.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: An Iron Age Boundary Ditch and Pit Group at Southam Cement Works, Stockton, Warwickshire in 2006
Author/originator: S C Palmer
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 0943
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Evaluation Report
Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Southam Cement Works, Stockton.
Author/originator: S C Palmer
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Geophysical Survey The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar. View Image 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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technique Radiocarbon Dating Another name for radiocarbon dating is C14 dating. It is used to find out how old some archaeological remains are. Archaeologists do this by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon left in samples of organic material (from the remains of plants or animals).

All organic materials contain radioactive and non-radioactive carbon in fixed amounts while they are part of living plants or animals. When the plant or animal dies the radioactive carbon starts to decay. By comparing the amount of radioactive carbon left in the organic material with the amount of stable carbon, archaeologists can find out how old it is.
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technique Organic material Material that once used to be part of a living animal or plant, such as wood or leather. These materials decay unless they are in waterlogged, very dry or freezing conditions. Because of this, archaeologists do not often find these materials during excavations. back
period Prehistoric About 500,000 BC to 42 AD

The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.
This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.

The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric.
The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.
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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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument SETTLEMENT * A small concentration of dwellings. back
monument BOUNDARY * The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known. back
monument GULLY * A deep gutter, drain or sink. 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 BOUNDARY DITCH * A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land. 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 CEMENT WORKS * A site where cement is manufactured for the building industry. 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 FIELD BOUNDARY * The limit line of a field. back
monument STORAGE PIT * A pit dug in the ground used to store meat, grain and other foodstuffs. A common feature of Iron Age farms. 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