Details

The monument includes the buried remains of a Neolithic henge situated some
2km south of the River Stour and to the north of dwellings at Boxted Cross.
The henge is no longer visible on the ground, although its infilled ditches
and central pit-like features can be seen from the air as cropmarks. These
cropmarks (areas of enhanced crop growth resulting from higher levels of
moisture retained by the underlying archaeological features) have been
recorded on numerous aerial photographs, some dating back to the 1950s. First
identified as a henge on morphological grounds in 1975, the monument has since
been targeted by aerial survey and showed up particularly well in June 1980
and August 1983 when photographed by the Air Photo Unit of the Royal
Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and local aerial
photographer Mrs Ida McMaster.
The henge is defined by a broad circular, penannular ditch, infilled and
buried, with two opposing entrances to the north and south. The external
diameter of the ditched enclosure is some 40m; the ditch itself is 5m wide,
giving an internal diameter of some 30m. The henge would originally have had
an external bank, and although this has long since been reduced by ploughing,
a 5m wide margin is included in the scheduling in order to protect surviving
archaeological traces. Several large pit-like features are clearly visible as
cropmarks within the area delimited by the ditch and bank, and these are
considered to represent features related to the ritual use of the enclosure.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic
period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval-
shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a
ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the
interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features
including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or
central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide
important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types
of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in
which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the
exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally
situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are
rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of
identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all
henges are considered to be of national importance.

Although the henge 70m north east of Cross Cottages is no longer visible on
the ground, archaeological deposits will survive as buried features and will
contain evidence relating to the dating of its construction, period of use and
the changing ritual beliefs and practices of its builders. Environmental
evidence preserved in the buried ground surfaces and in the fills of the ditch
and internal features may illustrate the nature of the landscape in which the
henge was set.
Although several other cropmark sites have been identified as henges in the
area, not all of these have the distinctive wide ditches present at Boxted. A
comparison of these sites will provide rare and valuable information
concerning the pattern of Neolithic rituals and settlement in the region.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Holgate, R, Essex c.4000-1500 BC, (1996), 15-25
Hedges, J D, 'CBA Res. Rep.' in The Neolithic in Essex, , Vol. 34, (1980), 26-39
McMaster, I, 'Colchester Arch. Group Annual Bulletin' in Plan Of Boxted Henge, , Vol. 18, (1975), p15
McMaster, I, 'Colchester Arch. Group Annual Bulletin' in A Crop-Mark At Boxted, , Vol. Vol.26, (1983), 33-6
Other
Air Photographic Evidence, Harding, AF and Lee, GE, Henge Monuments and Related Sites of Great Britain, (1987)
McMaster, I, Nos.13 and 28, (1980)
NMP Plot at 1:10 000, Strachan, D, TM03SW, (1997)
RAF, 58/514 pt 1 5092:3, (1950)
RCHM(E), TM0032/4/255; TM0132/8/264-5, (1980)

Source: Historic England