| SMR Number |
SU05NE100 |
| Site Name |
Marden Earthwork (Hatfield Earthwork) |
| Grid Ref |
SU091582 |
| Parish |
Beechingstoke |
| District |
Kennet |
| Site Type |
Henge monument |
| Period |
Neolithic |
| Scheduled Monument |
SM26707 |
| Finds |
Ceramics; Worked flint; Animal bone; Antler |
| X Y Grid Ref |
409100, 158200 |
| Altitude |
106.68 metres |
| Geology |
Upper Greensand |
| Description |
| A Neolithic henge monument, excavated in 1969 when a circular timber structure was revealed. |
| |
| Details |
A) An earthwork on the valley floor, with the bank surviving on N & SE sections. It has an internal ditch, and a circular timber structure. Finds include Grooved ware, antler picks & flint tools.
B) The henge enclosure has a substantial earthwork ditch with an external bank, which together define three sides of an irregular area of approximately 15ha. The fourth side of the enclosure is formed by the edge of the floodplain of the River Avon and the total enclosed area measures a maximum of 530m (north - south) by 360m (east - west). The earthwork appears to have been constructed in short, straight sections and has two entrances, on it's north and east sides.
Where best preserved within woodland, the bank is up to 40m wide and 2.75m high. Within pasture, where it is more clearly visible, the ditch appears to be up to 14m wide and up to 1m deep. Excavations carried out by G Wainwright in 1966-7 demonstrated that the northern entrance of the henge was defined by a gap in the bank and ditch 15m and 10m wide respectively.
The gaps in the bank and ditch at the eastern entrance, revealed by geophysical survey and by boring, were 19m and 14m respectively. At the point at which it was excavated close to the northern entrance the ditch was 18m wide and 2m deep with gently sloping sides above aa flat bottom 9.5m wide. The lower levels of the ditch filling contained quantities of later Neolithic pottery, flints and animal bones, together witth the crouched burial of a young adult female.
The bank was examined close to the northern entrance and was shown to be 13.5m wide with a maximum height of 1m. The excavations confirmed that the henge enclosure was constructed in the later Neoloithic period ( c 2400 BC) and also revealed post holes and other settlement remains bying immediately within the northern entrance. The post holes have been interpreted as the remains of a circular timber building 10.5m in diameter. |
| Sources |
| Archaeological Review Vol 1, p 25 |
| Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 52, p 217 |
| Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 56, p 4-11+251 |
| Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 65, p 204 |
| Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine Vol 67,169(71/18) |
| Devizes Museum 1998.33 1998 Devizes Museum |
| The Ancient History of Wilsthire Vol 2, 4-7 1821 Hoare, Sir R.C. |
| Antiquaries Journal Vol 51, p177-239 1971 Wainwright, G J; Evans, J G |
| Round Barrows and Ring-ditches in the British Neolithic p121 1979 Kinnes, Ian |
| Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society Vol 38, p 389-407 |