Details

The monument includes the buried remains of a prehistoric causewayed enclosure
and its associated features, located upon land west of Wheler Lodge Farm.
The monument lies mostly on a gentle south west facing slope bordered by a
stream to the north west. The underlying geology consists of glacial sands
and gravels.
Geophysical survey and partial excavations, undertaken in advance of gravel
extraction in 1998, located a large causewayed enclosure, including two
roughly circular, concentric interrupted ditches. The ditches lie within 30m
of each other and enclose an area of 1.5ha, with a minimum internal diameter
of 130m. The excavation also confirmed the presence of surviving associated
structural remains, including pits and other smaller ditches cut into the
natural sand and gravel lying both inside the enclosed area and immediately
outside the outer ditch. The excavations demonstrated that the majority of the
features dated to the Neolithic period, although there were also some
indications of later prehistoric activity. Field walking in the area in
advance of development also located concentrations of flint material,
suggesting activity during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.
The archaeological remains survive below a thin layer of topsoil at a depth
of 0.30m. Excavations confirmed that the outer ditch survives to a depth of
over 1.20m. In profile it has steep sloping edges leading to almost vertical
lower sides. The ditch is broken into irregular sided, curving segments
terminating in blunt endings between causeways. A concentration of larger
pebbles immediately to the interior of the outer ditch to the south was
interpreted as an internal bank, and a line of post holes which appeared to be
following the outer ditch is thought to be a timber revetment to the bank to
provide stability.
The excavations also revealed episodes of deliberate infilling, as well as
natural silting of the ditch followed by later recutting. Finds from the
fill of the ditch included several flint artefacts and charcoal, as well as
fragments of Ebbsfleet Ware pottery, which securely date the final use of the
ditch to the late Neolithic period.
A number of other archaeological features were identified outside the
enclosure. These included a small circular pit with steep sides and a flat,
slightly sloping base, which contained a large amount of charcoal, but no
firm dating evidence. The pit is included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Between 50 and 70 causewayed enclosures are recorded nationally, mainly in
southern and eastern England. They were constructed over a period of some 500
years during the middle part of the Neolithic period (c.3000-2400 BC) but also
continued in use into later periods. They vary considerably in size (from 2 to
70 acres) and were apparently used for a variety of functions, including
settlement, defence, and ceremonial and funerary purposes. However, all
comprise a roughly circular to ovoid area bounded by one or more concentric
rings of banks and ditches. The ditches, from which the monument class derives
its name, were formed of a series of elongated pits punctuated by unexcavated
causeways. Causewayed enclosures are amongst the earliest field monuments to
survive as recognisable features in the modern landscape and are one of the
few known Neolithic monument types. Due to their rarity, their wide diversity
of plan, and their considerable age, all causewayed enclosures are considered
to be nationally important.

The causewayed enclosure 175m west of Wheler Lodge Farm survives well as a
buried feature, and will preserve archaeological deposits relating to its
construction and use. Causewayed enclosures are relatively rare nationally,
with only a few examples known within this region. The survival of structural
elements of the causewayed enclosure and its associated features will provide
further information about the use of the monument and the method of its
construction. Several periods of use, neglect and repair of have been
indicated, giving us insight into the changing focus of the monument over
time. Artefactual evidence, including pottery fragments and flint tools,
provide dating evidence and information about the technologies available to
the people who constructed and occupied it. In addition, it is expected that
environmental deposits survive; these may provide information about the use of
monument and about its contemporary surrounding natural environment.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
desk based & field walking, Liddle, Peter , Archaeological assessment Wheler Lodge Farm, Husbands Bosworth, (1997)
excavation report, Thomas, John , Archaeological Evaluation, Wheler Lodge Farm, Husbands Bosworth, (1999)

Source: Historic England