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Once a Sacred and Secluded Place: Early Bronze Age Monuments at Church Lawton, near Alsager, Cheshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2014

Malcolm Reid ,
Ian Brooks ,
Jim Innes ,
Stuart Needham ,
Fiona Roe ,
Ian Smith ,
Sam Walsh ,
Ann Woodward  and
with contributions from
Malcolm Reid
Affiliation:
10 Jan Palach Avenue, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 7DJ. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Two round barrows were excavated in 1982–3 at Church Lawton near to the eastern edge of the Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain. One of the barrows was defined by a ring of nine glacial boulders and it is possible that these monoliths initially formed a free-standing stone circle. The remains constitute a rare example of the use of stone to enhance a Bronze Age barrow in the lowlands of central western England. Beneath the mound demarcated by the boulders were the burnt remains of a small, roughly rectangular turf stack associated with fragments of clay daub and pieces of timber. No direct evidence of burial was found within the monument. A radiocarbon date suggests that the structural sequence began sometime in the late 3rd–early 2nd millennium cal bc. The other barrow was principally a two-phased construction and contained urned and un-urned cremation burials. A battle-axe was placed next to one of the burials. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the cremations and associated deposits indicate that individuals were being interred from the late 3rd or early 2nd millennium cal bc, with the practice continuing until the middle of the 2nd millennium. The barrows formed part of a cemetery, consisting of three known mounds.

Résumé

Un endroit autrefois sacré et isolé: monuments de l’âge du bronze ancien à Church Lawton, près d’Alsager, Cheshire, de Malcolm Reid

Deux tertres ronds furent excavés en 1982–83 à Church Lawton près de la bordure est de la plaine du Cheshire et du Staffordshire. L’un des tertres était limité par un anneau de neuf blocs de roche glaciaires et il se peut que ces monolithes formaient à l’origine un cercle de pierres isolé. Les vestiges constituent un rare exemple de l’utilisation de roches pour mettre en valeur un tertre de l’âge du bronze dans les basses terres de l’Angleterre du centre ouest. Sous le tertre délimité par les roches se trouvaient les restes calcinés d’un petit tas de turf grossièrement rectangulaire associé à des fragments d’enduit en argile et des morceaux de bois d’oeuvre. Aucun indice direct d’inhumation ne fut trouvé à l’intérieur du monument. Une datation au C14 donne à penser que la séquence structurelle commença à un moment quelconque vers la fin du IIIe ou le début du IIe millénaire av.J.-C. cal. .L’autre tertre était essentiellement une construction en deux phases et contenait des inhumations à incinération avec et sans urnes. Une hache de guerre était placée à côté d’une des inhumations. Les datations au C14 provenant des crémations et des dépôts associés indiquent que des individus étaient enterrés là à partir de la fin du IIIe ou du début du IIe millénaire av.J.-C. cal, la pratique continuant jusqu’au milieu du IIe millénaire. Ces tertres faisaient partie d’un cimetière, consistant en trois tertres connus.

Zussamenfassung

Ein ehemals heiliger und abgeschiedener Ort: Frühbronzezeitliche Monumente bei Church Lawton, nahe Alsager, Cheshire, von Malcolm Reid

Zwei runde Grabhügel wurden 1982–83 bei Church Lawton, nahe des östlichen Rands der Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain, ausgegraben. Einer der Hügel wurde durch einen Ring aus neun eiszeitlichen Findlingen begrenzt, und es ist möglich, dass diese Monolithen ursprünglich einen freistehenden Steinkreis gebildet hatten. Diese Überreste bilden ein im Flachland des mittleren Westengland seltenes Beispiel vom Gebrauch von Stein um einen bronzezeitlichen Grabhügel aufzuwerten. Unter dem von Findlingen eingehegten Hügel fanden sich die verbrannten Reste eines kleinen, etwa rechteckigen Torfstapels, der mit Fragmenten von Hüttenlehm und Balken assoziiert war. Direkte Hinweise auf eine Bestattung wurden in diesem Monument nicht beobachtet. Ein Radiokarbondatum lässt den Beginn der Nutzungssequenz etwa in das späte 3. bis frühe 2. Jahrtausend kal. bc datieren. Der zweite Hügel war im Prinzip eine zweiphasige Konstruktion und enthielt Brandbestattungen, sowohl in Urnen als auch ohne Urnen. Eine Streitaxt lag neben einer dieser Bestattungen. Radiokarbondaten, die an den Leichenbränden gewonnen wurden, und damit verbundene Funde zeigen, dass die Individuen vom späten 3. oder frühen 2. Jahrtausend kal. bc bis in die Mitte des 2. Jahrtausends bestattet worden waren. Die Hügel waren Teil eines Gräberfeldes, das ursprünglich aus drei bekannten Hügeln bestand.

Resumen

Un espacio sagrado y apartado: monumentos del Bronce Antiguo en Church Lawton, cerca de Alsager, Cheshire, por Malcolm Reid

Dos túmulos circulares fueron excavados en 1982–83 en Church Lawton cerca del extremo este de Cheshire y la llanura de Staffordshire. Uno de los túmulos quedaba delimitado por un anillo de nueve bloques erráticos y es posible que estos monolitos formaran inicialmente un círculo de piedras independiente. Estos restos constituyen un raro ejemplo del uso de piedras para realzar un túmulo de la Edad del Bronce en las tierras bajas del centro oeste de Inglaterra. Bajo el túmulo delimitado por las rocas, se localizaron restos quemados de una pequeña pila rectangular de tepe asociada a restos de manteado y fragmentos de madera. No se documentaron evidencias directas de enterramiento dentro del monumento. Una fecha de radiocarbono sugiere que la secuencia estructural comienza entre finales del III e inicios del II milenio cal bc. El otro túmulo consistía básicamente en una construcción en dos fases y contenía cremaciones en urna y sin urna. Un hacha de combate fue depositada junto a uno de los enterramientos. Las dataciones obtenidas de las cremaciones y de los depósitos asociados indican que los individuos fueron sepultados entre finales del III o inicios del II milenio cal bc, práctica que continuó hasta mediados del II milenio. Ambos túmulos pertenecieron a una necrópolis formada por tres monumentos conocidos.

Keywords

Early Bronze Agebarrow cemeterystone circlemortuary housecremationfire pitsCollared UrnCordoned Urnbattle-axelithic artefactsplano-convex knifebone pointsradiocarbon datespollen analysis
Type
Articles
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Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 80 , December 2014 , pp. 237 - 277
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2014 

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