Cursus monuments in the Upper Thames Valley: excavations at the Drayton and Lechlade cursuses by Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick, John Moore and Mark Robinson with contributions by Leigh Allen, Kathy Ayres, Alex Bayliss, Christopher Bell, Paul Booth, Philippa Bradley, Simon Brereton, Humphrey Case, the late A J Clark, Rosamund deal, Blanche Ellis, Kay Hartley, Edna and Ron Henderson, Robin Holgate, Roy Loveday, Richard Macphail, David Miles, Michael Parrington, Andrew Payne, Adrienne Powell, Fiona Roe, Paul Shand, Lance and Faith Vatcher, Jeff Wallis and Bob Wilson Illustrations by Lesley Collett, Anne Dunkley, Ros Smith, Peter Lorimer and Amy Tucker Oxford Archaeology Thames Valley Landscapes Monograph No. 15
Contents List of figures List of plates List of tables Summary Acknowledgements xi xiv xv xvii xix Chapter 1: Introduction to the Volume by Alistair Barclay and George Lambrick 1 Introduction 2 Location of the archives 2 Notes 2 Air photographs 2 Radiocarbon determinations 2 Specialist contributions 4 Chapter 2: Introduction to the Drayton Cursus Excavations by Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick, John Moore and Mark Robinson 5 Introduction 6 Archaeological background 6 Geology, topography and environmental background 10 Development of the physical environment 10 Objectives and methods of the OAU excavations and the post-excavation analyses, 1984-95 11 Report structure 12 Phasing of the Drayton North excavations 12 Summary of the evidence 13 Pre-cursus activity (pre-3600 cal BC) 13 Cursus construction (3600-3300 cal BC) 13 Beaker activity (2500-1700 cal BC) 13 Early Bronze Age barrows (72250-1500 cal BC) 13 Later prehistoric activity (1500/350-50 cal BC) 13 Roman enclosures and field system 13 Saxon and medieval settlement/activity 13 Notes 13 Context notation 13 The site grid 13 Chapter 3: Excavations at Drayton South, 1921-37, Drayton Highways Depot, 1994, and Corporation Farm, 1971-4 by Alistair Barclay, Christopher Bell, Edna and Ron Henderson, Roy Loveday, John Moore and Paul Shand 15 Introduction 16 A review of E T Leeds' excavations, 1921-37 by Alistair Barclay and Roy Loveday 16 Introduction 16 Cursus ditch 16 Neolithic burials and mortuary deposits 16 Note on the flint knife 19 Discussion of mortuary deposits in pits F and V 19 Neolithic and Bronze Age pits 20 Indeterminate later Neolithic pits 20 Grooved Ware associated pits 20 Bronze Age pits 20 Discussion of pits 22 in
Beaker burials 22 Bronze Age barrows 22 Roman ditches 23 Saxon settlement 23 Excavations at the Drayton Highways Depot, 1994 by Alistair Barclay, Christopher Bell and John Moore. 23 Introduction 23 Archaeological background 23 Methodology 23 Description 23 Prehistoric pits 23 Linear ditch 126 24 Postholes 24 Worked flint 24 Introduction 24 Technology and dating 25 Catalogue of worked flint 25 Discussion 25 The pottery 27 Neolithic 27 Bronze Age 27 Roman 28 Saxon 28 Roman tile 29 Animal bone 29 Charred plant remains 29 Discussion 30 Corporation Farm, Wilsham Road, Abingdon: a summary of the Neolithic and Bronze Age excavations, 1971-4 by Paul Shand, Edna and Ron Henderson and Alistair Barclay 31 Introduction 31 Neolithic and early Bronze Age ritual landscape 32 The earliest monuments 32 Early Bronze Age barrows 35 Discussion 36 Later Bronze Age enclosures and field system 37 Middle Bronze Age enclosures 37 Structures, burials and deposits associated with the enclosures 39 Later developments 39 Discussion 39 Chapter 4: The Excavations of the Drayton North Cursus: Earlier Prehistoric Evidence by Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick, John Moore, Mark Robinson and Jeff Wallis 41 Introduction 42 Note on catalogues 42 The pre-alluvial ground surface by George Lambrick with Alistair Barclay 42 Method of excavation 42 Interpretative description 42 Finds from the 1986 surface 54 Catalogue of worked flint 55 Catalogue of worked stone 56 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (Pl-29) 56 Discussion 59 Pre-cursus activity 59 Tree-throw holes and tree clearance 60 Tree-throw holes 60 IV
Contents Stratigraphic observations 60 The Drayton tree-throw holes 62 Finds from the tree-throw holes 62 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (P30^i0) 63 Radiocarbon dates from the tree-throw holes 65 Tree clearance and the Neolithic environment 65 The cursus monument 67 Introduction 67 Associated monuments 67 The monument form 67 West ditch 68 The 1977 excavations 68 The 1985 excavations 68 East ditch 74 Finds from the cursus ditches 80 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (P41-4) 81 Catalogue of worked flint 81 Cursus bank 81 Features recorded in or near Area B 81 Pit-like features 1028 and 1081 82 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (P45-9) 82 Radiocarbon dates from the east cursus ditch 82 Archaeomagnetic dating 82 Peterborough Ware associated features and later Neolithic pits 82 Catalogue of worked flint 83 Catalogue of worked stone 83 Grooved Ware and Beaker activity 83 Introduction 83 Grooved Ware pits 83 Pit 178 83?Pit or tree-throw hole 1087 84 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (P50-1) 84 Catalogue of worked stone 84 Beaker 'flat grave' 9 84 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery (P52) 85 Catalogue of worked flint 85 Discussion 86 Beaker pits 86 Pits 7-8 and 16 86 Pits 4-5,10-11 and 13 86 Pit 181 87 Catalogue of earlier prehistoric pottery from Beaker pits (P53-66) 88 Discussion of Beaker pits 89 Indeterminate features 89 Pits and postholes west of the cursus 89 Pits or tree-throw holes 1105-8 90 Pits and postholes within Area A 90 Pits 671 and 659 and the burnt spread 658 90 The west cursus ditch barrow 91 Discussion 92 AAAHS trenches 4 and 5 93 Trench 4 93 Trench 5 93 Discussion: the prehistoric evidence: the construction, labour requirements and form of the Drayton North cursus 93
Construction and labour requirements 93 The form 93 The cursus and the natural landscape 95 Development of the Drayton cursus complex 95 Phase 1: the pre-cursus monuments - 3700-3600 BC 95 Phase 2a: the cursus - 3600-3300 BC 95 Phase 2b: the cursus complex - 3300-3000 BC 97 Phase 3: later Neolithic pit digging - 3000-2200 BC 97 Phase 3: Beaker graves and pits - 2500-1700 BC 97 Phase 4: early Bronze Age barrow cemeteries - 72250-1500 BC 97 Phase 5: after the monument complex 98 The artefact scatter in Area A 98 Pits and pit digging 98 The evidence for special deposits 99 The function of the cursus: ritual line or ceremonial way?, 99 The cursus and the wider landscape 100 Chapter 5: The Excavations of the Drayton North Cursus: Iron Age, Roman, Saxon and Later Evidence by Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick and John Moore 103 Introduction 104 The later prehistoric, Roman and later landscape 104 Area A: the later prehistoric ditch 104 Roman field system 104 Roman features at the north end of the cursus 104 The 1981 excavations 107 The 1985-6 excavations 108 Catalogue of Roman pottery from ditches 1051 and 1001 109 Roman features in Area A 110 Probable Roman features in Area B and the salvage area 116 Alluvial sequence 117 Saxon and medieval features 117 Structure 1 117 Structure 2 117 Structure 3 117 Discussion of structures 120 Sunken-featured buildings 121 Discussion 121 The Roman fields 121 The context of the wider Roman landscape 122 The wider context 122 The Saxon and medieval evidence 123 Chapter 6: Artefacts 125 Worked flint by Robin Holgate, Philippa Bradley and Jeff Wallis 126 Introduction 126 Raw materials 126 Technology 126 Flint associated with the cursus 128 Flint from Neolithic-Beaker features 130 Beaker burial 130 Flint from the tree-throw holes 130 Preserved ground surface 131 Flint from Romano-British and later contexts 131 VI
Contents Flint from E T Leeds' excavations at Sutton Courtenay 133 Flint from Drayton Highways Depot 133 Discussion 133 Stone axe by Fiona Roe 134 Discussion 134 Utilised stone by Alistair Barclay, Philippa Bradley, George Lambrick and Fiona Roe 135 Hammerstones 135 Rubbers 135 Miscellaneous utilised, burnt and collected stone 135 Discussion 135 Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery by Rosamund Cleal with Humphrey Case and Alistair Barclay 135 Introduction 135 Peterborough Ware 136 Fabrics 136 Discussion 136 Context 142 Features 142 Grooved Ware 143 Discussion 143 Context 143 Beaker 144 Fabrics 144 Discussion 145 Context 146 Summary 146 Indeterminate late Neolithic/early Bronze Age and other pottery 147 Discussion 147 Context 147 Discussion. 147 Fired clay by Alistair Barclay 148 Iron Age pottery by Alistair Barclay 148 Introduction and methodology 148 Fabrics 148 Forms and surface treatment 148 Discussion 148 Roman pottery by Paul Booth 149 Introduction and methodology 149 Fabrics 149 Forms 151 Context and chronology 151 Conclusion 153 Anglo-Saxon pottery by Paul Booth 153 Other finds by Leigh Allen 153 Tile by Leigh Allen 155 Chapter 7: Environmental Evidence 157 Animal bone by Kathy Ayres and Adrienne Powell 158 Introduction 158 Methodology 158 Drayton cursus 158 East cursus ditch 158 West cursus ditch 158 Preserved ground surface 158 Measurements 161 vn
Cattle 161 Sheep/goat 162 Pig 162 Other Neolithic features 162 Comparison with other Neolithic assemblages 162 Conclusion 162 Palaeoenvironmental studies by Mark Robinson 163 Introduction and sampling 163 Sample analysis and results 164 The hydrology and soil of the Neolithic floodplain 164 The tree-throw holes 166 Beaker and undated earlier prehistoric pits 168 The burnt spreads and related deposits 169 The cursus ditches 170 Iron Age to medieval hydrology and alluviation of the floodplain 170 Iron Age to medieval environment and use of the floodplain 172 Vegetation on the clay slope in trench 5 178 Chapter 8: Dating Evidence 179 Radiocarbon determinations by Alex Bayliss, Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick and Mark Robinson 180 Radiocarbon analysis 180 Results 180 Calibration 180 Methods of analysis and interpretation 180 Aims of the dating programme 183 Dating the construction of the cursus 183 Dating the tree-throw holes 185 Dating the sunken-featured building 185 Dating the environmental sequence 185 Archaeomagnetic dating by the late A J Clark 185 Results 186 Directional measurements 186 Magnetic susceptibility 186 Note on sampling methods 186 Chapter 9: The Excavations of the Lechlade Cursus by Alistair Barclay, David Miles, John Moore, Faith and Major Lance Vatcher 189 Introduction 190 Archaeological background 190 Geophysical survey by Alister Bartlett and Andrew Payne 190 Method 190 Resistivity 192 Magnetometry.". 194 Results 194 Resistivity 194 Magnetic survey 194 Conclusion 194 The 1965 excavations 194 The 1985 excavations 194 The west ditch 196 The east ditch 196 The Iron Age settlement 196 The roundhouse 198 Vlll
Contents Rectilinear structures 198 Pit 23 199 Other features 199 Miscellaneous features 199 Worked flint by Philippa Bradley 199 Catalogue of worked flint 202 Neolithic pottery by Alistair Barclay 202 Introduction and methodology 202 Fabric 202 Peterborough Ware 202 Grooved Ware 203 Indeterminate Neolithic 203 Catalogue of Neolithic pottery 203 Discussion 203 Iron Age pottery by Alistair Barclay 205 Introduction and methodology 205 Fabrics 205 Discussion of fabrics 206 Forms, decoration and surface treatment 206 Catalogue of Iron Age pottery 206 Discussion 206 Fired clay by Alistair Barclay 207 Animal bone by Kathy Ayres and Adrienne Powell 207 Molluscs and charred plant remains by Mark Robinson 208 Discussion 209 Development of the Lechlade cursus complex 209 Phase 1: cursus construction and primary use 209 Phase 2: hengiform ring ditch and pit digging 209 Phase 3: Beaker burials and barrows 209 Phase 4: later prehistoric land divisions 210 The Lechlade cursus 210 Iron Age settlement and later reuse of the cursus 213 Chapter 10: Gazetteer of Cursus and Related Monuments in the Upper Thames Valley by Alistair Barclay and Simon Brereton 215 Introduction 216 A history of research 216 Selection of sites 217 Sites excluded 217 Construction and design 217 Form and size 218 Causeways and entrances 219 Earthworks 219 Siting 219 Orientation, 221 Associated monuments 222 Long barrows 222 Long mortuary enclosures and oval barrows 222 Hengiform ring ditches 223 Henge 223 Post-circles 223 Bronze Age barrows and barrow cemeteries 223 Relationship patterns 223 The relationship between the associated monuments and the cursuses 223 IX
The relationship between different cursus complexes 223 The relationship between cursus monuments and other monument types 223 Discussion 224 Gazetteer of sites 225 Benson 225 Buscot Wick 225 Dorchester-on-Thames 225 Drayton North 228 Drayton St Leonard 229 Drayton South 229 Lechlade 230 North Stoke 230 South Stoke 232 Stadhampton 232 Chapter 11: Synthesis and Discussion of Cursus Monuments in the Upper Thames Valley and their National Context by Alistair Barclay, George Lambrick, John Moore and Mark Robinson 233 Introduction 234 Cursus chronology 235 Landscape and the development of monument complexes in the Upper Thames Valley 237 Cursus building: purpose and construction 240 Drayton and Lechlade in their regional context 241 Comparisons with other regions 242 Appendices 245 Appendix 1 An explanation of tree-throw hole stratigraphy 245 Appendix 2 The labour requirements for the construction of the Drayton North cursus 246 Appendix 3 Supporting environmental data 247 Bibliography 251 Index 261