{\rtf1 {\colortbl;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green50\blue142;} {\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fcharset0\fprq2{\*\panose 020b0604020202020204}Arial;}} {\info{\title Test}{\author WCC HER}} {\footer\pard\ql\brdrt\brdrs\brdrw5\brsp100\fs16 All Information (c) Warwickshire County Council \par} \par\f0\fs32\qc\b WARWICKSHIRE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD \b0\fs24 { \par\par\fs26 \trowd\trhdr\trgaph30\trbrdrt\trbrdrl\trbrdrr\trbrdrb\trleft0\trrh0\cellx8290\pard\intbl\qc\b Information for record number WA4823\b0\cell\pard\intbl\row } { \par\fs20 \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Site Name and Summary \b0\cell\pard\intbl\ql Several Prehistoric (early Neolithic to late Bronze Age) possible ring ditches, which are visible as crop marks on aerial photographs. They are situated west of Hangmans Lane and 600m south of Seckington.\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Type: \cell\pard\intbl\ql Ring Ditch\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Period: \cell\pard\intbl\ql Early Neolithic - Iron Age (4000 BC - 701 BC)\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Location \b0\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Parish: \cell\pard\intbl\ql Seckington\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql District: \cell\pard\intbl\ql North Warwickshire, Warwickshire\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Grid Reference: \cell\pard\intbl\ql SK 26 06\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Level of Protection \b0\cell\pard\intbl\ql Old SMR PrefRef \par\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Description \b0\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Source Number \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b \par\b 2 \b0 A number of possible ring ditches show as crop marks. The marks are not very clear and the relationship to ridge and furrow in the same field is also not evident. \b0\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Sources \b0\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Source No:\cell\pard\intbl\ql 1\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Source Type:\cell\pard\intbl\ql Aerial Photograph\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Title:\cell\pard\intbl\ql SP4085\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Author/Originator:\cell\pard\intbl\ql JP\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Date:\cell\pard\intbl\ql 1972\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Page Number:\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Volume/Sheet:\cell\pard\intbl\ql SP4085 C-D\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Source No:\cell\pard\intbl\ql 2\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Source Type:\cell\pard\intbl\ql Verbal communication\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Title:\cell\pard\intbl\ql R.C. Hingley personal comments\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Author/Originator:\cell\pard\intbl\ql R C Hingley\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Date:\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Page Number:\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Volume/Sheet:\cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\ql \cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql\b Word or Phrase\b0\cell\pard\intbl\ql\b Description\b0\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Aerial Survey/Aerial Photographs\cell\pard\intbl\ql Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical.\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Prehistoric\cell\pard\intbl\ql About 500,000 BC to 42 AD\par\parThe Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age. \parThis 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.\par\parThe Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric. \parThe Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. \parThe Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.[more] \par\parIn the Bronze Age people discovered how to use bronze. They used it to make tools and other objects. Before the Bronze Age, people used materials such as stone, wood, hide and bone to make their tools and continued to do so until the present day. Wood, hide and bone are organic materials which decay so archaeologists usually only find the stone objects, hence the word ‘lithic’ (from the greek word for stone) at the end of the period names Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age).\par\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Neolithic\cell\pard\intbl\ql About 4000 BC to 2351 BC\par\parThe 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.\par\parPeople 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.[more] \par\parArchaeologists have discovered some of these settlements in Warwickshire, for example at Wasperton and Brook Street, Warwick.\par\parNot only is there evidence for settlement in Neolithic times but also ceremonial sites, such as henges and cursus monuments, although these are less common in Warwickshire than in some other parts of Britain. The size of some of these monuments, and the number of people it would have taken to build them, suggest that people were living in societies that were more organised at this time. Warwickshire examples include a henge, a circular enclosure defined by a bank and ditch that was excavated at Further Lodge, Barford. Nearby, at Barford Sheds, a long, narrow rectangular enclosure is visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs. This might be a cursus monument. \par\parLong barrows, in which people buried the dead during the Neolithic period, are also uncommon in Warwickshire. One possible example exists near Thelsford Farm, Charlcote. It was identified as a rectilinear enclosure visible as a cropmark. Excavation showed that there was once an internal mound.\par\parIt was during the Neolithic period that people first made pottery. Neolithic pottery is handmade (i.e. not wheel-turned). The clay from which it is made often contains pieces of burnt flint or other stone, which makes the pottery quite coarse. The inclusion of the flint and stone helped the pots withstand very high temperatures when they were fired and when they were used for cooking on a fire. Some Neolithic pots were decorated with incised and stamped patterns.\par\parBy far the most common Neolithic remains in Warwickshire are the many flint and stone tools that have been discovered. Some of the stone axes found in the county were made of stone from Wales and Cumbria. This suggests that some sort of exchange or trade network was operating during the Neolithic period.\par\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Bronze Age\cell\pard\intbl\ql About 2500 BC to 700 BC\par\parThe Bronze Age comes after the Neolithic period and before the Iron Age.\par\parThe 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. \par\parDuring 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.[more]\par\parPeople continued to use henges and cursus monuments during the early Bronze Age but later in this period these ceremonial monuments appear to have fallen out of use. There was a shift away from mass burial of the dead, in long barrows, to individual burials, in round barrows. In the middle and late Bronze Age people were buried in cremation cemeteries instead of round barrows. There is more evidence for settlement from this period and a number of Warwickshire’s sites are visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. \par\parIn the 19th century, archaeologists excavated a number of round barrows in the southwest of England. Many of the barrows contained ‘beakers’, distinctive bell-shaped, decorated drinking vessels. The archaeologists at this time thought that the people buried in the barrows belonged to a different race that had invaded Britain and brought with them new skills that were superior to those of the native population. Because the grave goods of these people usually included beakers, the 19th century archaeologists named them the ‘Beaker People’ or ‘Beaker Folk’. Modern research, however, has shown that 'Beaker Culture' was not limited to a distinctive group of people. It is more likely that innovations, introduced from Europe, through immigrants and by trade links, were adopted by the native population of Britain.\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql Iron Age\cell\pard\intbl\ql About 800 BC to 43 AD\par\parThe 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.[more]\par\parIn Warwickshire, as in other areas of Britain, the Iron Age seemed to be a time when people were involved in dividing up the land with territorial boundaries. \parSome archaeologists think that the land boundaries of this period were made by groups of people who were organised into tribes. These boundaries can take the form of pit alignments or linear banks and/or ditches, sometimes accompanied by palisades. \par\parAmongst the sites in Warwickshire are a complex of pit alignments and linear ditches on Dunsmore Heath and a large complex of ditches known as Hobditch in the parishes of Tanworth in Arden and Ullenhall.\par\parThe Iron Age is also characterised by hillforts, although the construction of some of these monuments had begun in the Bronze Age. Warwickshire examples include Meon Hill, Wappenbury and Nadbury which all survive as earthworks. Enclosed settlements are also a feature of this period and usually incorporate round houses.\par\parIt is during the Iron Age that people started using currency bars, long bars of iron, often shaped like a sword. The bars may have been used to trade with, being given in exchange for goods and other objects. Some archaeologists think that they were also used in rituals. Currency bars found at three Warwickshire sites had all been placed in boundary ditches surrounding either enclosed settlements or hillforts. The hoard of currency bars discovered at Meon Hill, in the parish of Quinton, in 1824, is the largest hoard in Britain, containing 394 iron ingots. \par\parThe first coins to be found in Britain date to the Iron Age. Just over 30 Iron Age coins have been found in Warwickshire. They are sometimes called ‘staters’. Gold coins began to be used in the south-east of Britain from at least 250 BC and they gradually spread northwards. The coins had a very high value and were probably not used in the same way that we use money today for day-to-day purchases. Iron Age coins were probably exchanged between high-ranking people as gifts. \par\parArchaeologists often find broken pieces of pottery, called 'sherds', when they excavate Iron Age sites. Throughout much of the Iron Age period pots were handmade from local clay and fired in bonfire kilns. Pots were used for cooking, for serving food and eating out of. Cooking pots were not usually decorated or polished. Serving bowls, on the other hand, were sometimes highly decorated and polished by burnishing (rubbing to achieve a glossy surface) before being fired. \parPeople made different types of pots or decorated them in distinctive ways in different parts of Britain. \par\parTowards the end of the Iron Age people started changing the way in which they made their pots. The new and modified shapes of the pots suggest that people were cooking new foods being imported from northern Europe. These new types of pot were also different because they were wheel-made. In earlier times pots had been handmade. \par\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql RIDGE AND FURROW\cell\pard\intbl\ql A series of long, raised ridges separated by ditches used to prepare the ground for arable cultivation. This was a technique, characteristic of the medieval period.\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql FIELD\cell\pard\intbl\ql An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock.\cell\pard\intbl\row \trowd\trgaph30\trleft0\trrh0\cellx2000\cellx8300\pard\intbl\ql RING DITCH\cell\pard\intbl\ql 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.\cell\pard\intbl\row } }
Take the Timetrail with Warwickshire Museum